Deck 8: Quasi-Experimental Designs Including Obervational Methods

Question 1

A psychologist has an idea for an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of a mental health training programme for students. Before starting the main experiment the psychologist tries out a version of the training programme using his introduction to psychology class. This kind of study is also known as a:

A) pre-experiment.
B) quasi-experiment.
C) naturalistic experiment.
D) predictive experiment.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

After conducting a study looking at test performance for an exam-taking preparation company, the researcher concludes mistakenly that its learning strategies helped students do better on a major exam when in reality students did better because they had studied the relevant material. Their study lacks:

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A not-so-brilliant chemist is convinced that he has a drug that will make people smarter. To test his hypothesis he gives participants an IQ test before taking the drug and the same IQ test after taking the drug. Participants performed better on the second IQ test. Assuming the drug did not work, what might account for the improved IQ test performance?

A) Instrumentation effects
B) Participant mortality
C) Quasi effects
D) Testing effects

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What is the threat to the internal validity of an experiment in which it is unclear whether natural changes and/or personal development led to a given experimental outcome?

A) Testing effects
B) External validity
C) Sample selection bias
D) Maturational effects

Question 5

A researcher begins a 3-year study on children's fear of flying. Following a well-publicised plane crash, the researcher abandons the study fearing ______ effects ruined the validity of the study.

A) History
B) Maturation
C) Testing
D) Experimental

Question 6

Which of the following is a reason to use a quasi-experimental design over an experimental design?

A) Random assignment is impractical.
B) Random assignment is unethical.
C) Both random assignment is impractical and random assignment is unethical.
D) None of these.

Question 7

Which design feature is unique to a quasi-experiment?

A) Categorical independent variables
B) Non-random assignment
C) Random assignment
D) Categorical dependent variables

Question 8

A psychologist wants to compare the effects of an improved forensic interview with the standard police interview (control group) on memory recall in abused and non-abused children. Memory for an event is pre-tested once in both groups before the interview and compared with information recalled during the interview in abused and non-abused groups. Which quasi-experimental design was used in this study?

A) Time series design
B) Non-Equivalent Control Group (NECG) design
C) Time series with Non-Equivalent Control Group design
D) Observational design

Question 9

The following graph illustrates a study on the effects of a teaching intervention across teaching sessions. The graph illustrates that a ______ quasi-experimental design in which the intervention ______ math test scores compared to the control group. The graph shows the means for the groups on a math tests which can range from 0 to 10.

A) Time series; improved
B) Non-Equivalent Control Group; had no effect on
C) Time series; had no effect on
D) Non-Equivalent Control Group; improved

Question 10

What is accounted for by using non-equivalent control group design?

A) Differences between experimental and control groups prior to the study intervention
B) The accuracy and reliability of measurements over time
C) The applicability of a given study to the external environment
D) History effects occurring between pre- and post-testing

Question 11

A candy company wants to measure the effect of their newest creation, 'Fizzy-Bubble Tarts' on the hyperactivity of children. They recruit a group of children from one play group that receives 'Fizzy-Bubble Tarts' daily, and another from a play group that just receives a cup of fruit juice. Over a series of 5 weeks, experimenters collect behavioural data every day from the parents of children in both groups. What kind of design best describes this study's design?

A) Time series non-equivalent control group
B) Time series study
C) Non-Equivalent Control Group study
D) Interrupted time series

Question 12

Potential problems with repeated measures design include:

A) Treatment group cross contamination
B) Participant boredom
C) Participant fatigue
D) Both participant boredom and participant fatigue

Question 13

Post-intervention treatment scores in a clinical trial of foot fungus cream were much better than the control group. Over time, those who received the cream continued to improve, while the control group continued their itchy existence. What do these results suggest?

A) Weak treatment effect
B) Strong treatment effect
C) No effect
D) The groups were influenced by maturation effects

Question 14

Which of these examples is a potential drawback of time series non-equivalent control group designs study designs?

A) The control group discovers the treatment, and seeks treatment themselves.
B) The experimental group receives too much treatment.
C) Experimental groups are overcompensated for their time.
D) The groups might be equivalent at baseline.

Question 15

Sample selection bias is a threat to internal validity that occurs when:

A) one group is exposed to a sudden change outside the scope of the study.
B) the treatment and control groups influence each other in some way.
C) the groups in which individuals are assigned are not random.
D) participants are tested repeatedly on the same material.

Question 16

What are the main disadvantages to using a time series with non-equivalent control group designs?

A) Decreased validity with increased error
B) High cost with high number of participants
C) Elevated validity with decreased error
D) None of these

Question 17

When control group members compensate for not receiving treatment and subsequently trying harder during testing, this is called:

A) overcompensation.
B) compensatory rivalry.
C) rivalry aggressive tendency.
D) obsessive compulsive behaviour.

Question 18

As it is with true experimental designs, in quasi-experimental studies sometimes it may be necessary to:

A) increase the number of dependent variables during the study.
B) keep collecting more data until you have detected a significant effect.
C) conclude that an intervention did not have any effect.
D) stop collecting data as soon as you detect a significant effect.

Question 19

Dr. Smithwick was determined to find a cure for alcoholism. A pill was developed that made the individual vomit if they consumed any alcohol, thereby curbing an alcoholic's desire to drink. He designed an experiment with one treatment group. Number of drinks consumed was used as a dependent variable. Individuals were first measured in a baseline phase, then a treatment phase, followed by another baseline phase. This is a classic example of a(n):

A) independent samples design.
B) multiple case design.
C) A-B-C design.
D) A-B-A design.

Question 20

Two groups of parents were given tests that asked about their children's eating habits. The pre-test was designed as a baseline before an educational seminar on the benefits of eating rutabagas was given to one group. Researchers were concerned that their post-test would be influenced by information in their pre-test, thus displaying an example of a:

A) Rutabaga effect.
B) Power effect.
C) Hawthorne effect.
D) Greene effect.