Deck 2: Research Design

Question 1

Research methodology is the science of methods for investigating phenomena.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The purpose of applied research is to develop new knowledge about phenomena such as problems, events, programs, or policies, and their relationships.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Research begins by asking questions.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Quantitative research methods involve the collection of data that can be analyzed using statistical methods.

Question 5

Both quantitative and qualitative methods are indispensable in addressing questions of basic and applied research.

Question 6

Research is fundamentally about establishing the nature of things.

Question 7

Variables are defined as empirically observable phenomena that vary.

Question 8

Attributes are defined as observable phenomena that do not vary.

Question 9

Descriptive analysis provides information about the nature of variables.

Question 10

Relationships involve specifying which variables are related to each other, and the ways in which they are related to each other.

Question 11

Relationships in social science are usually deterministic in nature.

Question 12

A single exception will normally disprove claims about relations in social science.

Question 13

Relationships also are distinguished as being either causal or associational.

Question 14

Distinguishing between independent and dependent variables is a cornerstone of research.

Question 15

Causation requires both (1) empirical (i.e., statistical) correlation and (2) a plausible cause-and-effect argument.

Question 16

A theory exists for just about every relationship in social science.

Question 17

Program evaluation involves three steps.

Question 18

Control variables are always dependent variables.

Question 19

Rival hypotheses are plausible counter explanations for relationships that are found.

Question 20

Classic experimental designs are widely used in public management and policy for determining the effect of new policies and programs.

Question 21

Statistics is the only way for dealing with rival hypotheses.

Question 22

If X causes Y (or in notation, X → Y), then X is called the dependent variable because it affects Y.

Question 23

Threats to external validity are defined as those that jeopardize the generalizability of study conclusions about program outcomes to other situations.

Question 24

Threats to internal validity are those that jeopardize the study conclusions about whether an intervention in fact caused a difference in the study population.