Deck 3: Qualitative Research Methods

Question 1

Qualitative researchers are likely to ask about the ___________ of their data.

A) trustworthiness
B) validity
C) reliability
D) Both (b) and (c) are correct.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Historically, psychology has been a discipline of ___________ research.

A) qualitative
B) experimental
C) non-experimental
D) survey

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Dr. Martin, a qualitative researcher, had one of his colleagues carefully read a draft of his research report to point out any inconsistencies or contradictions. Dr. Martin is examining the __________ of his research.

A) confirmability
B) credibility
C) dependability
D) transferability

Answer 3

A

Question 4

____________ refers to the extent to which a qualitative research report is accurate and unbiased.

A) Credibility
B) Dependability
C) Confirmability
D) Transferability

Question 5

Clara has written a research report that contains little scientific jargon but several emotional words. Clara has most likely engaged in

A) a reliability analysis.
B) correlational research.
C) quantitative research.
D) qualitative research.

Question 6

Reliability refers to the extent to which

A) the data measure what they are supposed to measure.
B) repeated measurements yield consistent results.
C) the qualitative research has created a complete description of the behavior.
D) the research report can be confirmed by others.

Question 7

If a researcher wishes to examine the extent to which the data measure what they are supposed to measure, the researcher is interested in

A) validity.
B) reliability.
C) confirmability.
D) credibility.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a way that trustworthiness is measured?

A) confirmability
B) reliability
C) dependability
D) credibility

Question 9

Which method is used in this study (e.g., case study, naturalistic observation, participant observation with "participant as observer," participant observation with "observer as participant")? How do you know?

Question 10

If a qualitative researcher is concerned about whether her subjective bias has entered into the research process, she is concerned about the _________ of her data.

A) dependability
B) transferability
C) credibility
D) confirmability

Question 11

Qualitative research is classified as ___________ research.

A) survey
B) experimental
C) non-experimental
D) ex post facto

Question 12

Qualitative reports differ from the traditional experimental reports in that qualitative reports are more likely to ____________________ than experimental reports.

A) use statistics
B) use scientific jargon
C) have a traditional Results section
D) be personal

Question 13

Qualitative research began in which of the following disciplines?

A) psychology
B) sociology
C) anthropology
D) Both (b) and (c) are correct.
E) All of the above.

Question 14

Dependability in qualitative research is analogous to ___________ in quantitative research.

A) external validity
B) internal validity
C) construct validity
D) reliability

Question 15

Describe any deception in this study.

Question 16

___________ refers to the extent to which a qualitative researcher believes that the same results would be produced if the study were replicated.

A) Credibility
B) Dependability
C) Confirmability
D) Transferability

Question 17

Which of the following is a characteristic of qualitative research?

A) It is more likely to examine animal interactions than human interactions.
B) It is uses statistics to summarize findings.
C) It begins with an experimental hypothesis and tests that hypothesis.
D) It develops a holistic portrayal of the problem.

Question 18

Qualitative research is most likely to be conducted in a ___________ setting.

A) controlled
B) laboratory
C) natural
D) Both (a) and (b) are correct.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of qualitative research?

A) It examines the basic parts or elements of a social situation instead of the whole situation.
B) It uses words instead of statistics.
C) It is conducted in a natural setting.
D) All of the above are characteristics of qualitative research.

Question 20

How do qualitative researchers attempt to understand behavior?

A) They isolate one or more variables of interest and examine those variables in depth.
B) They examine two variables of interest to determine how those variables are related to each other.
C) They utilize advanced statistical techniques to determine how several independent variables affect several dependent variables.
D) They develop a complete narrative description of behavior.

Question 21

When a researcher becomes immersed in an entire culture for a lengthy period of time, it is called a(n)

A) experiment.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) ethnographic inquiry.
D) archival study.

Question 22

The best way to assess a qualitative research study's credibility would be to

A) conduct a reliability analysis using advanced statistical techniques.
B) conduct a validity analysis using advanced statistical techniques.
C) have other researchers read a draft of your report.
D) have the participants read a draft of your report.

Question 23

___________ refers to research in which the observer becomes part of the group being studied.

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Participant observation
C) Archival research
D) Correlational research

Question 24

The accuracy of the identification and description of the subject of study in a qualitative research project is known as

A) transferability.
B) dependability.
C) credibility.
D) confirmability.

Question 25

In one study, researchers studied a Christian school by sitting in the back of the classroom and taking notes without interacting much with anyone. The researcher would be referred to as a(n)

A) observer as participant.
B) participant as observer.
C) clinical researcher.
D) naturalistic observer.

Question 26

Amanda conducts a study with 8 teenagers who meet for about an hour to discuss bullying in high schools. Amanda is using which type of research method?

A) Case study
B) Naturalistic observation
C) Focus group
D) Participatory action research

Question 27

Which of the following is FALSE regarding interviews?

A) Interviews can be structured or unstructured.
B) Interviews can be recorded in any number of ways, such as written notes, audio recordings, or video recording.
C) Interviews must follow a predetermined script in order to be considered scientifically valid.
D) Interviews can be either the primary or secondary research method.

Question 28

Jessica wishes to understand the motivations of people who join the Hare Krishna group, so she joins and immerses herself in the group. Jessica has conducted what kind of research?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Archival research
C) Correlational research
D) Participant observation

Question 29

Which of the following is FALSE regarding focus groups?

A) The group consists of 7-10 participants.
B) The group members typically know each other beforehand.
C) The moderator prepares 6-10 key questions to guide the conversation.
D) The group typically meets for about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Question 30

Joanna is conducting interviews with students who have various disabilities. She allows each student to discuss whatever he or she wants in these interviews; she doesn't have a preset list of questions. Joanna is doing a(n)

A) structured interview.
B) unstructured interview.
C) historiography.
D) artifact analysis.

Question 31

Which of the following is an advantage of participant observation?

A) The researcher is able to make cause-and-effect statements.
B) The researcher is able to gather more in-depth information than is usually the case with other methods.
C) The researcher is able to control many extraneous variables.
D) All of the above.

Question 32

Dr. Jones spends two years immersed in the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria in order to better understand cross-cultural differences in child-rearing. Dr. Jones is engaged in what kind of research?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Ethnographic inquiry
C) Archival research
D) Case study

Question 33

If researchers are neutrally observing behavior in the real world, they are engaging in

A) participant observation.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) ethnography.
D) an experiment.

Question 34

Marianne wishes to determine if her qualitative research project would produce the same results if it was conducted in a different context. Marianne is most concerned about

A) dependability.
B) transferability.
C) credibility.
D) confirmability.

Question 35

Researchers make a judgment regarding the transferability of results based on

A) the results of a statistical analysis.
B) the extent to which the research report is thorough and clear.
C) the results of open coding.
D) a dependability analysis.

Question 36

Which of the following is a drawback to the participant observation method?

A) It may take a long time for the researcher to become accepted in the group.
B) It is not possible to make causal statements.
C) The researcher may lose his/her objectivity.
D) All of the above.

Question 37

Rebecca is concerned with knowing if she is actually studying the topic that she intends to study in her qualitative research project. Rebecca is most concerned with

A) dependability.
B) transferability.
C) confirmability.
D) credibility.

Question 38

A researcher who becomes part of a group by working and interacting extensively with others is called a(n)

A) observer as participant.
B) participant as observer.
C) clinical researcher.
D) naturalistic observer.

Question 39

___________ refers to the extent to which the results of a qualitative research project can be generalized to other settings and groups.

A) Confirmability
B) Transferability
C) Dependability
D) Credibility

Question 40

James is conducting interviews with students who have dropped out of school. He asks each student the same set of questions in an effort to determine what factors are important in terms of why students drop out. James is doing a(n)

A) symbolic interaction study.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) unstructured interview.
D) structured interview.

Question 41

What is the first step in the symbolic interaction method?

A) determine the relationships among the symbols
B) identify the symbols used by the particular social group
C) write a narrative about the symbolic interactions
D) None of the above.

Question 42

During ______ coding, the researcher labels and categories the phenomenon being studied.

A) axial
B) selective
C) open
D) closed

Question 43

One strength of the case study method is that

A) researchers can understand the causes of behavior.
B) the results exhibit high generalizability.
C) the research often leads to ideas for future research.
D) All of the above are strengths of the case study method.

Question 44

All of the following are weaknesses of the case study method EXCEPT:

A) It is difficult to generalize the results to other people.
B) The researcher cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.
C) The individual under investigation may not be representative of others within the same population.
D) Too many extraneous variables are controlled.

Question 45

What is the ultimate goal of grounded theory research?

A) test existing theories
B) develop new theories
C) Both (a) and (b) are correct.
D) None of the above.

Question 46

When a researcher examines respondents' speech patterns, he or she is using which approach?

A) narrative analysis
B) symbolic interaction
C) artifact analysis
D) participant observation

Question 47

An approach to qualitative research that focuses on building theories is known as

A) the correlational approach.
B) grounded theory.
C) archival research.
D) situation sampling.

Question 48

Most artifact analyses involve which types of artifacts?

A) text-based materials
B) audio recordings
C) art work
D) All of the above.

Question 49

During ______ coding, the researcher finds links between categories and subcategories.

A) axial
B) selective
C) open
D) closed

Question 50

Pete conducts numerous interviews and engages in several observations of a gifted third-grader in order to better understand the adjustment of gifted children to public schools. Pete has conducted a(n)

A) case study.
B) experiment.
C) participant observation.
D) ethnographic inquiry.

Question 51

Researchers learned a great deal about memory by studying a man named H.M., who had part of his hippocampus removed in order to alleviate seizures. This research is best characterized as a(n)

A) experiment.
B) participant observation.
C) case study.
D) grounded theory research study.

Question 52

If a researcher is studying the common symbols that are meaningful within a particular social group, he or she is using which approach?

A) participant observation
B) case study
C) experiment
D) symbolic interaction

Question 53

Which of the following is FALSE regarding historiographies?

A) Historiographies are primarily concerned with reconstructing past events.
B) Historiographies use information from diaries, photographs, written accounts, etc.
C) Historiographies consist almost exclusively of information derived from secondary sources.
D) All of the above are false statements about historiographies.

Question 54

Which of the following is FALSE regarding grounded theory research?

A) The researcher should not be too familiar with existing research on the topic before conducting the study.
B) The researcher will likely use non-technical literature such as letters, diaries, and newspapers.
C) Grounded theory research is adaptable to all research questions.
D) Grounded theory research uses three different types of coding.

Question 55

Rick does a study on newspaper headlines after the last presidential election. Rick is most likely using which qualitative research approach?

A) case study
B) experiment
C) naturalistic observation
D) artifact analysis

Question 56

The grounded theory approach is most likely to use

A) complicated statistical techniques.
B) interviews and observations.
C) independent and dependent variables.
D) All of the above.

Question 57

In a historiography, a researcher analyzes

A) individuals' behavior in a natural setting.
B) extant artifacts.
C) data in order to reconstruct past events.
D) common symbols that give meaning to human interaction.

Question 58

If a researcher is gathering and interpreting stories that individuals use to describe their lives, that researcher is using which approach?

A) artifact analysis
B) historiography
C) narrative study
D) symbolic interaction

Question 59

Which of the following is a disadvantage of an unstructured interview?

A) It can be difficult to analyze across multiple respondents.
B) So many respondents are required in unstructured interviews that it is very time consuming and costly.
C) Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are typically opposed to unstructured interviews.
D) All of the above are disadvantages of unstructured interviews.

Question 60

Researchers who use the narrative approach use which of the following sources to conduct their studies?

A) biographies
B) personal experiences
C) oral histories
D) All of the above.

Question 61

What is the symbolic interaction method? Describe an example.

Question 62

Explain why researchers had to develop non-experimental methods to complement the experimental method.

Question 63

What is an artifact analysis? Describe an example.

Question 64

What is a focus group? Describe the important characteristics of a focus group.

Question 65

What is participant observation? Give an example and describe the strengths and weaknesses of this method.

Question 66

A qualitative research approach that usually attempts to understand the impact of a social program on the community is known as _____________ research.

A) case study
B) participatory action
C) naturalistic observation
D) experimental

Question 67

A transactional system is diagrammed in a _______ matrix.

A) coding
B) process
C) conditional
D) correlational

Question 68

Briefly describe the four criteria for judging trustworthiness in qualitative research.

Question 69

An analysis of how actions and interactions relate to their conditions and consequences is known as a(n)

A) case study.
B) transactional system.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) ethnographic inquiry.

Question 70

Briefly describe the historical evolution of qualitative research.

Question 71

___________ refers to a linking of actions and interactions that result in some outcome.

A) Process
B) Open coding
C) Transferability
D) Confirmability

Question 72

Dr. Perry conducts a study in which she evaluates the effectiveness of an adult literacy program. The study is both quantitative and qualitative in nature, and the 30 participants are treated as equal researchers in the study. What research method is Dr. Perry MOST likely to use?

A) case study
B) naturalistic observation
C) participatory action research
D) focus group

Question 73

In participatory action research, the participants are

A) not given a true debriefing.
B) considered equal researchers.
C) part of a focus group.
D) studied using only qualitative research methods.

Question 74

Distinguish between the structured and unstructured interview approach.

Question 75

What is a case study? Give an example and describe the strengths and weaknesses of this method.

Question 76

In what ways are qualitative research studies different from the more traditional, quantitative research studies?

Question 77

During _____ coding, the researcher identifies a core category and relates all other categories to this core.

A) axial
B) selective
C) open
D) closed

Question 78

What is a narrative study? Describe an example.

Question 79

Briefly describe the five characteristics of qualitative research.

Question 80

What is a historiography? Describe an example.