Deck 16: Experimental Design

Question 1

What is the purpose of an experiment?

A) To investigate a possible cause-and-effect relationship between variables
B) To collect data is an easier way
C) To make causal claims
D) A and C

Answer 1

A and C

Question 2

Which of the following is/are main stages in experimental research?

A) Preparation
B) Variable and method selection
C) Experimental design
D) All of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

What step consists of evaluating the manipulation of the independent variable?

A) Experimental design
B) Experimental checks
C) Experimental tests
D) Experimental control

Answer 3

Experimental control

Question 4

What is the group exposed to the manipulated levels of the independent variable(s) called?

A) Test group
B) Alpha group
C) Comparison group
D) Control group

Question 5

What element is NOT necessary for studies to be truly experimental?

A) Utilizing comparison and control groups
B) Having at least two researchers involved
C) Random assignment of participants
D) Running pretests and post-tests

Question 6

Which of the following is/are NOT a pre-experimental design?

A) One-shot case study
B) Time-series design
C) One-group pretest posttest
D) All are pre-experimental designs

Question 7

In which way do the one-shot case study and the one-group pretest posttest design differ?

A) The one-shot case study uses much more participants
B) The one-shot case study cannot be replicated
C) The one-shot case study has no pre-test
D) All of the above

Question 8

What are limitations of a time-series design?

A) It does not have a control group
B) It does not measure the dependent variables before and/or after the manipulation of the independent variable
C) It lacks random assignment
D) A and C
E) All of the above

Question 9

Which of the pre/quasi-experimental designs is the most sophisticated?

A) One-shot case study
B) Time-series design
C) One-group pretest posttest
D) Nonequivalent control group design

Question 10

What does a one-group pretest posttest design NOT include?

A) A pretest of the dependent variable
B) Random selection of participants
C) Manipulation of the independent variable
D) A posttest of the dependent variable

Question 11

Which true-experimental design is the most sophisticated?

A) Solomon Four-Group design
B) Pretest-Posttest control group design
C) Posttest-only control group design
D) All are the same level of sophistication

Question 12

Which of the following design/s has/have no control group?

A) One-shot case study
B) Nonequivalent control group design
C) They all have one
D) All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following criteria are NOT central to evaluate experiments?

A) Addresses Hegemony
B) Thick Description
C) Reflexivity
D) All of the Above

Question 14

To what criterion does the following definition refer: "the notion that instruments should perform the same way over time."

A) Validity
B) External threat
C) Reliability
D) Error

Question 15

To what criterion does the following definition refer: "The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure"

A) Reliability
B) Validity
C) Internal threat
D) Error

Question 16

Which of the following aspects are reliability threats NOT associated with time progression effects?

A) Instrumentation
B) Errors in data entry
C) Mortality
D) Statistical regression

Question 17

What is the name of the threat dealing with participants becoming used to the answers of procedure?

A) Instrumentation
B) Random human differences
C) Testing effect
D) Compensation behavior

Question 18

In which way is "demand knowledge" a threat to experiments?

A) Not all participants are treated the same
B) Participants are aware of the goal of the experiment
C) Participants' answers are altered by their feelings
D) All of the Above

Question 19

Which of the following threats to reliability are common to all social scientific inquiry?

A) Errors in data entry
B) Random human differences
C) Instrument confusion
D) None of the Above

Question 20

What are the dependent and independent variables in the two following hypotheses:
- Individuals enrolled in a drama club will have greater confidence in their speech communication skills than those not exposed to a public speaking class.
- Individuals enrolled in a creative writing class will have greater gains in their writing skills of control of syntax than those not enrolled.

Question 21

How are participants assigned to the control and comparison groups? Why?

Question 22

What are pretests and posttests for?

Question 23

In which cases are study designs considered pre-experimental or quasi-experimental?

Question 24

What are threats to experimental reliability?

Question 25

In which ways is research ethics particularly important when conducting experiments?