Exam 9: The Fundamentals of Research Methodology

In the following questions, you are to identify the alternative which is NOT appropriately grouped with the others

In order to establish that one group of subjects is significantly taller than another group, the experimental method must be used.

In the study, cited in the text, of the relationship between the amount of time a teacher spends smiling and the achievement level of the students, it was shown that

In experimental research, cause-and-effect statements should not be made unless

When groups of subjects are equal to begin with, but are then treated differently by the experimenter, the research technique is post-facto.

According to the text, the major factor in achieving internal validity is in the correct use of

When using the experimental method, the final goal is to test the hypothesis of

The concept of generalizing from a few observations to an entire group is central to the area of

The safest way to avoid the cause-and-effect trap is to

With ordinal data, assumptions can be made regarding how much greater X is than Y. 146

If we were to know not only the order of finish of the cars at the Indianapolis "500", but also the actual elapsed times for each car, the data form would be

What statistical decision did the researchers make?

If the number of jail inmates are categorized on the basis of whether or not they exhibit overt aggression during a free-time period, the data form is

In order to assess whether or not the IV had any impact, it is necessary to always compare the groups on the basis of the

When testing the null hypothesis, chance can never be completely ruled out.

Whenever the distance between successive scale points are assumed to be equal, the scale of measurement is at least

For the quasi-experimental design, the following are all true, except

Whenever two separate sample groups are being compared, the research must be experimental.

A study on the effects of race on the length of prison sentences found no significant difference regarding the length of the sentences as a function of race (Spohn & Holleran, 2000). The statistical decision in this study was to accept the null hypothesis.

In a study on whether increasing illumination increases worker productivity, the independent variable would be the