Deck 6: Observational Research Designs

Question 1

Which of the following research questions does not lend itself to the use of observational research?

A) To determine the predictors of becoming pregnant before age 17
B) To identify the differences between males and females relative to adult onset diabetes
C) To understand the meaning of "being fatigued" among young males in college

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Spurious findings are particularly likely when conducting:

A) cross-sectional study designs.
B) longitudinal study designs.
C) temporal study designs.
D) successive independent samples study designs.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is not an issue with respect to longitudinal study designs?

A) Attrition
B) Testing effects
C) Temporality (cause and effect)

Answer 3

C

Question 4

You have a small amount of money and want to conduct a study that will determine whether sixth-grade boys are more likely to be obese than sixth-grade girls. Which study design should you use?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) Case study
D) Successive independent samples

Question 5

You want to conduct a study that will determine whether childhood obesity in a community middle school changed between 1992 and 2019. Which study design should you use?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) Case-control
D) Successive independent samples

Question 6

You are an epidemiologist, and you want to find out why some people exposed to the flu actually get the flu and others exposed to the flu do not get it. Which study design should you use?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) Case-control study
D) Clinical randomized trial

Question 7

Which study design also uses cross-sectional surveys?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) Case-control
D) Successive independent samples

Question 8

The conclusion from a study reads: "Findings support the hypothesis that being bullied in grade school predicts being highly empathetic as an adult." Which study design was used?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) Case-control
D) Grounded theory

Question 9

An important aspect of a cross-sectional study is to avoid attrition.

Question 10

Correlation does not establish causation. Why is this statement true?

A) Because it is not possible to show that one variable occurred before the other
B) Because testing effects preclude this inference
C) Because internal validity is lacking in observational research
D) The statement is false because science cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.