Suppose you wish to measure progress in increasing the amount of time a child in institutional care spends studying as an indicator of the effectiveness of your group work intervention. Which of the following approaches most likely would be least vulnerable to reactivity problems?
A) Have the child record the amount of time and report back to you.
B) Have cottage parents run spot checks in the cottage at different intervals.
C) Interview the child each day about the time spent studying the previous day.
D) Show up at the cottage and observe the child yourself for one hour during the same period each day.

Question

Suppose you wish to measure progress in increasing the amount of time a child in institutional care spends studying as an indicator of the effectiveness of your group work intervention. Which of the following approaches most likely would be least vulnerable to reactivity problems?​
A) ​Have the child record the amount of time and report back to you.
B) Have cottage parents run spot checks in the cottage at different intervals.​
C) Interview the child each day about the time spent studying the previous day.​
D) Show up at the cottage and observe the child yourself for one hour during the same period each day.​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Option B, having cottage parents run spot checks at different intervals, is less likely to cause reactivity (changes in behavior due to awareness of being observed) because it integrates observation into the natural environment and routine, making it less obtrusive and less likely to influence the child's behavior compared to the other options.

Suppose You Wish to Measure Progress in Increasing the Amount