Deck 1: Science, Research, and Social Work Practice

Question 1

Which of the following conclusions is supported by science?

A) My experience has taught me that you cannot effectively treat a child with mental health disorders without including the parents or caregivers.
B) Our agency has the policy of including parents in the treatment of children with mental health disorders.
C) A systematic review of studies of evidence on the treatment of children with mental health disorders revealed that the more effective treatments included both parents and children.
D) It seems logical to me that parents should be included in the treatment of children with mental health disorders because they are so central to the lives of children.

Answer 1

A systematic review of studies of evidence on the treatment of children with mental health disorders revealed that the more effective treatments included both parents and children.

Question 2

A course on research methods with a scientific theme is most likely to focus on how to ______.

A) make decisions based on logic
B) review evidence about the relative effectiveness of different treatments
C) understand the role of tradition in coming to decisions
D) examine common sense as a guide for decision-making in social work practice

Answer 2

review evidence about the relative effectiveness of different treatments

Question 3

If you undertake a certain practice as a social worker because it is consistent with agency policy, you are making a decision on the basis of ______.

A) science
B) logic
C) common sense
D) the way we have done it

Answer 3

the way we have done it

Question 4

If you engage in evidence-based practice, this means that you ______.

A) have extensive experience in the work you are doing
B) are using scientific research as one of your guides for practice
C) tend to rely upon a careful logical analysis of the client's target behavior
D) are skilled at critical thinking

Question 5

Bob cherry-picks his argument when presenting his case for using a certain type of treatment. Bob is making which type of decision-making error?

A) incomplete information
B) illogical reasoning
C) tradition
D) personal investment

Question 6

Imagine that someone asks you if you believe in using evidence in making practice decisions. After you say yes, they reply, "Don't you believe in creativity in practice?" This situation illustrates which error in decision-making?

A) cherry-picking information to support a claim
B) relying upon tradition rather than critical thinking
C) using personal investment in making claims
D) using the false dichotomy

Question 7

Suppose that someone said to you she wanted to conduct a study using a device that measures one's pulse. She does not know what she wants to study but is determined to use this device in the study. In regards to the scientific inquiry process, what common sense phrase is best illustrated by this situation?

A) don't put the cart before the horse
B) don't try to reinvent the wheel
C) don't thaw the baby out with the bathwater
D) two heads are better than one

Question 8

When you are employing the methods of scientific research, you should ______.

A) examine information subjectively, rather than objectively
B) employ methods for controlling human error in observation
C) try to avoid being too logical because logic often interferes with creativity
D) draw conclusions based on your opinions about the subject matter before you undertake the study if you have experience with the theme being investigated

Question 9

Pseudoscience refers to ______.

A) the use of steps in finding knowledge that follows the principles of scientific inquiry
B) information that has the appearance of science but is not scientific
C) the use of the principles of critical thinking in drawing conclusions
D) the reduction of decision error by judicious use of common sense sayings

Question 10

By reviewing ______, you can examine the theme of probability in a research study.

A) research design
B) sampling methods
C) statistics
D) research question

Question 11

Which of the following is most likely to use anecdotal evidence in the support of a claim about reality?

A) science
B) critical thinking
C) evidence-based practice
D) pseudoscience

Question 12

According to the text, in what way can science be of benefit to you as a social worker?

A) Science will help you to review evidence on what works in the treatment of certain target behaviors.
B) Science will give you the evidence you need to find financial support for your practice.
C) Science will provide information that supports your opinions about what works best in social work practice.
D) Science will help you to stay employed.

Question 13

Which of the following purpose statements are consistent with the spirit of scientific inquiry?

A) The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the strengths perspective on school social work is effective in the improvement of grades for at-risk middle school students.
B) The purpose of this study is to examine whether cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in the reduction of depression for those suffering from postpartum depression.
C) The purpose of this study is to prove that social work services contribute to outcomes for clients who are receiving mental health drugs for treatment.
D) The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that psychodynamic therapy is not effective in the treatment of anxiety.

Question 14

Suppose that you have decided to conduct a social survey using your clients as a study sample. Which of the steps in scientific inquiry comes first in your study process?

A) selecting the questions to put on the questionnaire
B) deciding on the type of study sample that will be drawn
C) determining the purpose of the study and the basic research question to be answered
D) determining what level of statistical significance will be employed in testing the study hypothesis

Question 15

A statistical test is employed in the testing of a study hypothesis in order for you to address _______.

A) generalizability
B) sampling error
C) causation
D) chance

Question 16

You can better generalize the findings of your study to the extent that you have a superior ______.

A) research design
B) study sample
C) measurement tool
D) statistical test

Question 17

You recently conducted a study on at-risk middle school students, which showed that they had improved self-esteem. However, the differences between the pretest and posttest scores were not statistically significant. What should your conclusion be?

A) This study showed that the services were effective in the improvement of self-esteem for these at-risk middle school students.
B) This study failed to show that these services were effective in the improvement of self-esteem for these at-risk middle school students.
C) This study showed that these services were effective in the improvement of self-esteem for these at-risk middle-school students but further research is needed.
D) This study proved that these services should be the first priority in decisions about what services should be available to at-risk middle school students.

Question 18

You missed a question on a test despite the fact that you fully understood the concept being tested, this situation would be an example of measurement ______.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) generalizability
D) error

Question 19

Critical thinking is best characterized as ______.

A) the systematic use of common sense, using ideas, such as « Two heads are better than one »
B) the use of a random sample of people in a research study because the results of such studies can be better generalized
C) disciplined thinking that employs rationality, open-mindedness, and systematically analyzed data
D) asserting a claim based on selective examination of data that support a preconceived conclusion

Question 20

Which step should you take before determining the method to measure your study variable?

A) analyzing data
B) collecting data
C) determining your research question
D) drawing conclusions

Question 21

A social work treatment will be considered evidence-based if it has been shown to be effective by a single study.

Question 22

Cherry-picking data is one form of incomplete information for drawing.

Question 23

One form of illogical reasoning is the false dichotomy.

Question 24

You are more likely to find statistical significance with your data from a scientific study if you have a small sample rather than a large one.

Question 25

Science is based primarily on hunches, intuition, and opinions rather than data.

Question 26

According to the spirit of scientific inquiry, you would not conduct a study of your tutoring program for the purpose of demonstrating that this program is effective.

Question 27

Critical thinking is a process in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structure inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them.

Question 28

Scientific conclusions can be drawn from the supernatural world.

Question 29

Science can assist the social worker in defining and analyzing the client's target behavior in addition to examining the extent that a service has been found to be effective.

Question 30

Common sense is one form of knowledge that is based on scientific inquiry.

Question 31

How is scientific evidence different from common sense or intuition?

Question 32

Suppose that you are treating a group of clients with the objective of improving anxiety. You have collected pretest scores and posttest scores for anxiety and found that the mean posttest score was better than the mean pretest score. These differences were not found to be statistically significant. What would be your conclusion, as stated in one sentence?

Question 33

Give an example of a claim of service effectiveness that is based on pseudoscience.

Question 34

If you were to conduct a study to examine whether strange behavior was more likely during a full moon than when the moon was not full, what would be the variables in your study?

Question 35

Suppose that you were going to conduct a study to examine whether the full moon makes us act differently. How would you state the purpose of this study in a way that would NOT be congruent with the spirit of scientific inquiry? Briefly explain why this statement fails to be congruent with this spirit.