Exam 10: The Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies: Nonequivalent Group, Prepost, and Developmental Designs

Describe the similarities and differences between time-series and interrupted time-series designs.

Explain the benefits of adding a pretest to a nonequivalent control group design.

What is one difference between a time-series design and an interrupted time-series design?

A cross-sectional developmental design is an example of the general category of ____ designs.

A Pretest-posttest study is an example of a nonequivalent groups design.

A differential research design is an example of a ____.

The changes that occur as a person ages from child to adult to elderly are called cohort effects.

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of cross-sectional and longitudinal research.

A researcher studies language development by selecting a sample of two-year-old children, a sample of three-year-old children, and a sample of four-year-old children. Each child's language skill is measured and the researcher plans to compare the scores for the three groups. This study is an example of a(n) ____.

In a differential research design, the participant characteristic that is used to define the groups is called a(n) ____ variable.

Describe the fundamental flaw that prevents a Pre-post design from being a true experiment. (That is, why can't these designs produce an unambiguous cause-and-effect explanation?) Explain how the series of observations before the treatment help reduce this problem.

A research study that evaluates changes in behavior related to age by examining different groups of individuals, with each group representing a different age, is called a(n) ____.

What is one of the primary advantages of a Pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design, in comparison to other nonequivalent group designs?

A researcher introduces a new exercise program in the psychiatric ward of one hospital and uses the psychiatric ward at another hospital as a no-treatment control group. Before the program begins, the depressed patients in both hospitals are evaluated for their level of depression. After the program is in place for six months, the patients are evaluated again and the researcher compares the before and after scores for the two groups. This research study is classified as ____.

A researcher studies language development by selecting a sample of two-year-old children and giving them a language skill test. Each year for the next two years, the children are brought back and tested again. The researcher plans to compare the children's scores at age two, age three, and age four. This study is an example of a(n) ____.

A research study that compared married men, divorced men, and single adult men is an example of the differential research design.

One group is measured before and after a treatment in a typical Pre-post study.

The nonexperimental research strategy makes little to no effort to control threats to internal validity.

A researcher assesses the reading level of third-graders on the first of every month for three months prior to administering a new reading program and for three months following the program. This study is an example of a(n) ____.

A problem with nonequivalent group designs is that any differences found could be explained by differences in ____.