Deck 2: Scientific Research Methods

Question 1

The most recent writings on community research appear to focus on

A) obtaining the most ecologically meaningful data
B) the most objective data possible
C) the use of the physical sciences as the measure of successful design
D) All of the above.

Answer 1

obtaining the most ecologically meaningful data

Question 2

Scientific research is

A) under attack recently as unsympathetic with community values.
B) an integral part of a community psychology.
C) relevant only to those in academia.
D) favoring the majority population.

Answer 2

an integral part of a community psychology.

Question 3

A _________ is "a working blueprint of how a theory works."

A) model
B) paradigm
C) theory
D) All of the above.

Answer 3

model

Question 4

Kuhn acknowledges he used the word "paradigm" in two different ways. When he wrote of "paradigm shifts," he intended to use the word in its

A) sociological sense.
B) smallest puzzle solution sense.
C) karmic sense.
D) design sense.

Question 5

The word paradigm can mean

A) a guide to conceptualizing events in a consistent manner.
B) a theory.
C) the lowest branch of the conceptual tree, emerging from overarching theories and models.
D) Both a and c.

Question 6

The idea of "falsifiability" is that any theory

A) can be shown to be false.
B) cannot be shown to be false.
C) is shown to be false.
D) Both b and c.

Question 7

According to the text, community psychology was the result of

A) a crisis in the ability of accepted theories to explain and solve the presenting problems of the day.
B) a shift in paradigms.
C) the accumulation of data suggesting flaws in the existing ways of understanding and intervening with the human condition.
D) All of the above.

Question 8

Reliability relates to the data being _______.

A) true
B) dependable
C) authentic
D) empirical

Question 9

External validity is the

A) reliability of data within a given situation.
B) the generalizability of the findings to everyday events.
C) the trustworthiness of the data.
D) how well controls for confounds have been implemented.

Question 10

Diffusion of treatment is when

A) treatment is spread out over time so as to determine long term effects.
B) treatment effects are present in all the groups making it difficult to determine if treatment did contribute to change.
C) the treatment and control groups are not randomly assigned.
D) All of the above.

Question 11

We change merely with the passage of time. This is called

A) maturation.
B) validity.
C) compensation.
D) linearity.

Question 12

A population is defined as

A) a sample that is equally male and female.
B) the group which the study is attempting to understand.
C) all those not in the study.
D) an equivalent group from the majority culture.

Question 13

A convenience sample is a subset of the population

A) chosen because they are easy to obtain.
B) chosen from a convenience store setting.
C) chosen for its' replication of population characteristics.
D) that is stratified.

Question 14

A stratified sample

A) matches the characteristics of a given population.
B) qualifies because of its' above normal characteristics.
C) is composed of one gender.
D) is typically very small.

Question 15

Correlational methods are used to look at

A) cause and effect.
B) causative demonstrations over time.
C) associations between variables.
D) All of the above.

Question 16

Pearson correlations can be anywhere from

A) 2 to 10.
B) 0 to 1.
C) 1 to +1.
D) 0 to 27.

Question 17

A finding of . 80 between number of months pregnant and use of drugs suggests that

A) the later the mother is in her pregnancy, the more drugs she takes.
B) the pregnancy causes the mother to take more drugs.
C) the pregnancy causes the mother to take fewer drugs.
D) the later the mother is in her pregnancy, the fewer drugs she takes.

Question 18

Experimental designs

A) manipulate 2 dependent variables.
B) examine the relationship between two variables.
C) examine the effects of manipulating the independent variable on the dependent variable.
D) examine the effects of manipulating the dependent variable on the independent variable.

Question 19

In a true experimental design

A) assignment to experimental and control groups is random.
B) assignment to experimental and control groups is based on prearranged variables.
C) there is no assignment to experimental and control groups, because existing groups are used.
D) a correlation is calculated to see the relationship between the two variables under examination.

Question 20

Quasi-experimental designs usually

A) try to approximate a correlational design more than an experimental design.
B) try to approximate an experimental design, but violate one of the basic rules.
C) try to use community data without manipulation of individuals.
D) do not use a sample.

Question 21

A typical quasi-experimental design uses

A) non-equivalent groups.
B) non-randomly assigned groups.
C) groups of convenience.
D) All of the above.

Question 22

In ethnography the

A) subject provides a battery of psychological test results for a comprehensive picture of life at the individual level.
B) subject responds to numerically coded questions regarding their experience.
C) subject responds to numerically coded questions regarding their ethnic group.
D) subject provides in his or her own words descriptions of their life experiences.

Question 23

Qualitative data is to quantitative data as

A) textual is to numeric.
B) excellent is to very good.
C) superficial is to in depth.
D) group is to individual.

Question 24

The use of mixed methods, where both qualitative and quantitative data are collected is

A) discouraged, since the combination of data is contradictory to science.
B) not empirical.
C) discouraged by many community psychologists.
D) seen as a powerful combination of data collecting techniques.

Question 25

In participant observation

A) the researcher becomes engaged in the lives of the subjects she is studying.
B) the researcher records their own impressions of the community they are studying.
C) the researcher does not worry about keeping a detached distance between herself and those under study.
D) All of the above.

Question 26

Network analyses

A) link data and location on a map.
B) see geography as an important variable to community phenomena.
C) examine patterns of interaction
D) All of the above.

Question 27

In public health, scientists might study various neighborhoods and the rates of illness occurring in each of the different neighborhoods, looking for patterns of illness occurrence. This is a good example of

A) qualitative methodology.
B) epidemiology.
C) experimental design.
D) participant observation.

Question 28

Incidence rates have to do with

A) the number of old cases in a given area.
B) the number of all cases both old and new in a given area.
C) the number of new cases in a given area.
D) the total number of cases in a given area.

Question 29

Needs assessment is usually performed

A) before an intervention is begun.
B) after an intervention is begun.
C) to determine the effectiveness of an intervention.
D) All of the above.

Question 30

Process evaluation looks at

A) what is being done.
B) if what is being done has any effects.
C) when the intervention is concluded.
D) how the intervention is to be concluded.

Question 31

In an evaluation, the milestone is

A) the end result of the completed intervention.
B) an indication that the program has reached a particular step in the process.
C) the definition of the programs total objectives.
D) obtained in quantitative data but never in qualitative data.

Question 32

A variety of community psychologists view program evaluation as a form of intervention because

A) program evaluation is not a passive process.
B) program evaluation can influence the outcomes.
C) program evaluation can influence the processes within the intervention.
D) All of the above.

Question 33

Kelly believes "showing up" can be an important part of the research process in the community. By this he means,

A) being on time for appointments.
B) using "the locals' sense of time" for dealing with deadlines.
C) becoming an engaged member in the community under study.
D) having a good sense of timing.

Question 34

In participatory research,

A) the participants are included in the research process.
B) the research is a double blind design.
C) the research is a single blind design.
D) All of the above.

Question 35

Participatory research attempts to

A) devise more valid community questions.
B) use community input to create more effective and meaningful data gathering.
C) empower the community by providing some degree of control to those being studied.
D) All of the above.

Question 36

APA ethical guidelines demand that

A) the participants be informed they are a part of a study.
B) the participants not be harmed by their role in the study.
C) the study's methodology be reviewed by an Institutional Review Board.
D) All of the above.

Question 37

Informed consent is when

A) the participants do not know what they will be asked to do but agree to be a part of a study.
B) participants are given clear guidelines on what they have to do and know if they are to be a part of the control or the experimental group.
C) participants are given clear descriptions of what the study asks of them and what the study is interested in discovering.
D) participants sign an agreement to participate.

Question 38

Lakes et al. (2012) found that the understanding of what being a participant in a study means

A) varied across different ethnic groups.
B) was fairly uniform across ethnic groups, once literacy was accounted for.
C) seemed to be a nonissue for most participants.
D) All of the above.

Question 39

Unobtrusive measures

A) use methods for data collection that are obvious to the subject and therefore afford conscious consent.
B) are usually not noticed by the subject.
C) are notable for their lack of validity.
D) All of the above.

Question 40

Issues that may arise regarding resistance to data collection or willingness to participate in a study may be related to differences in goals, values or practices of the target population and the researcher. This calls for

A) cultural sensitivity in the research process.
B) flexibility in program implementation.
C) willingness to examine differences that may occur as a function of different group membership.
D) All of the above.

Question 41

Constituent validity in the consultation process refers to the need for

A) reliable measures being used.
B) valid instrumentation in the study.
C) the participant perspectives are taken into account in devising a study.
D) the goals of the study are approved by those in charge of a setting.

Question 42

Qualitative studies are valued for their

A) focus on subjective experience
B) contextual sensitivity
C) normative accuracy
D) both a and b

Question 43

What are makes for a true experimental design?

Question 44

What are the assumptions that go into community based participant action research?

Question 45

Why do researchers use quasi-experimental designs?

Question 46

What are some of the considerations that go into program evaluation?

Question 47

What are the two definitions of paradigm? Explain their uses in understanding research and theory.

Question 48

Discuss some of the considerations that go into devising community research.