Deck 7: Group Experimental Designs

Question 1

A comparison group in a true experiment typically receives treatment-as-usual.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Matching reduces the comparability of the experimental group and control group.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Non-equivalent control group designs designate experimental and comparison groups before the treatment occurs.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

When comparison groups are assigned prior to treatment, it is called an ex post facto control group design.

Question 5

Selection bias is a threat to internal validity.

Question 6

The threat to internal validity of selection bias is reduced by randomization.

Question 7

History is an event that has occurred in the past that might impact on the outcomes of an experiment.

Question 8

The maturation threat to internal validity is reduced by randomization only.

Question 9

The mortality threat to internal validity is most often related to older adults.

Question 10

Compensatory rivalry occurs when control group members are aware that they are being denied some advantage and so increases their efforts by way of compensation.

Question 11

Differential attrition in experiments occurs when staff expectancies create self-fulfilling prophecies.

Question 12

External validity deals with changes in the individual or group due to the experimental conditions.

Question 13

The Solomon Four Group design helps control for any bias in experiments through pretesting.

Question 14

Meta-analysis is a method to analyze findings from multiple quantitative studies evaluating a particular treatment.

Question 15

Match the key term to its description.
-Comparison group

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 16

Match the key term to its description.
-Control group

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 17

Match the key term to its description.
-Experimental group

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 18

Match the key term to its description.
-Pretest

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 19

Match the key term to its description.
-Posttest

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 20

Match the key term to its description.
-Randomization

A) Measurement of dependent variable following treatment
B) Receives no treatment in an experiment
C) Receives a new treatment in an experiment
D) Measurement of dependent variable prior to treatment
E) Receives treatment as usual in an experiment
F) Subjects are assigned to groups by chance

Question 21

Match the key term to its description.
-True Experiment

A) Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group.
B) Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups.
C) Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups.
D) Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment.
E) Lacks a control group.

Question 22

Match the key term to its description.
-Non-Equivalent Control Group

A) Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group.
B) Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups.
C) Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups.
D) Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment.
E) Lacks a control group.

Question 23

Match the key term to its description.
-One Group Pretest-Posttest Design

A) Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group.
B) Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups.
C) Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups.
D) Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment.
E) Lacks a control group.

Question 24

Match the key term to its description.
-Ex Post Facto Control Group

A) Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group.
B) Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups.
C) Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups.
D) Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment.
E) Lacks a control group.

Question 25

Match the key term to its description.
-Solomon Four Group

A) Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group.
B) Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups.
C) Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups.
D) Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment.
E) Lacks a control group.

Question 26

Match the key term to its description.
-Testing effect

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 27

Match the key term to its description.
-Selection bias

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 28

Match the key term to its description.
-The history effect

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 29

Match the key term to its description.
-The Hawthorne effect

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 30

Match the key term to its description.
-Demoralization

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 31

Match the key term to its description.
-Compensatory rivalry

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 32

Match the key term to its description.
-Regression

A) Things can happen outside the experiment that change subjects' scores
B) Measurement before experimental treatment may change subjects' scores on posttest
C) Extreme scores used to select subjects will move back towards the average in subsequent testing
D) Competition between control and experimental groups can change scores
E) Subjects in the control group may feel deprived of treatment and perform worse on posttests than expected
F) Subjects will drop out of the experimental or control group at rates that change the nature of the comparison between groups
G) Subjects in the control and experimental group are initially different
H) Subjects' scores can change because they feel special for being chosen for an experiment

Question 33

Differential attrition in comparison and experimental groups creates what threat to internal validity?

A) Mortality
B) Endogenous change
C) History effects
D) Contamination
E) Treatment misidentification

Question 34

A social worker writes a report in which he compares women who have come to him for depression and women in the general population. What problem has he not considered?

A) Double-blind
B) Contamination
C) Differential attrition
D) Compensatory rivalry
E) Sample generalizability

Question 35

Which of the following is the threat to internal validity represented by changes that simply occur with the passage of time?

A) Testing
B) History
C) Maturation
D) Regression
E) Instrumentation

Question 36

The threat of testing as a source of internal validity in experiments occurs when there is:

A) Subject maturation
B) A regression effect
C) A posttest but not a pretest
D) A comparison group but not a pretest
E) A pretest but not a comparison group

Question 37

Which threat to interval validity is not reduced by the presence of a comparison group?

A) History
B) Regression
C) Selection
D) Maturation
E) Instrumentation

Question 38

External validity is enhanced by:

A) Nonprobability sampling
B) Conducting the study at multiple sites
C) Having a comparison group
D) Randomly assigning participants into groups
E) Using a very homogenous group of participants

Question 39

An after school program at the local Boys and Girls Club wanted to see if the program improved behavior. A social worker administered a behavior assessment to the group in September. The children then attended the program during the school year. At the end of the school year, the behavior assessment was given again and they found that behavior scores improved. While the intervention may have been effective, the best other explanation may be:

A) Instrumentation
B) Testing
C) Maturation
D) Mortality
E) Demoralization

Question 40

Experimental and some quasi-experimental designs establish association through:

A) Using two comparison groups
B) Controlling when treatment occurs
C) Random assignment into two or more comparison groups
D) Documenting the conditions under which change occurs
E) Controlling conditions under which experiment occurs

Question 41

Assume that you have developed study techniques that you believe will result in students scoring higher on research methods quizzes. You test your study technique using the following design:
Using the diagramed design, what predictions will you make?

A) O₂ should be greater than O₁
B) O₂ should be greater than O₄
C) O₁ should be equal to O₃
D) a and b only are correct
E) a, b, and c are correct

Question 42

Outline the procedure for the Solomon Four Group design. What is the primary advantage using this design over other designs?

Question 43

You want to conduct research that documents the effects of watching violent cartoons on violence during children's playtime. Set up the following types of experimental and quasi-experimental designs: pretest and posttest control group design, posttest only control group design, Solomon four group design nonequivalent group, and an ex-post facto control group design. Which design do you think would produce the most valid results?
Defend your position.