Mike has developed an intervention for social anxiety.He recruits individuals from a local clinic who have extremely high levels of social anxiety as measured by a standardized test.After the intervention,their average score is closer to the population mean on the social anxiety test.While Mike would love to assume that his intervention has been effective,he is also aware that there is a(n)____ threat.
A)history
B)mortality
C)instrumentation
D)regression

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The regression threat is present in this scenario. The individuals recruited had extreme levels of social anxiety at the beginning of the study; this means that they were selected based on having scores that deviated greatly from the population mean. Due to the regression towards the mean phenomenon, it is likely that even without an intervention, their scores would have improved simply due to statistical chance. Therefore, the improvement observed after the intervention may not have been due to the intervention itself but rather due to regression towards the mean.

Mike Has Developed an Intervention for Social Anxiety