Deck 5: Section 1: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs

Question 1

In a classical experiment, the independent variable must be a ratio level variable.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Which statement is most accurate?

A) Neither the independent nor the dependent variable need be operationally defined.
B) Only the dependent variable needs to be operationally defined.
C) Only the independent variable needs to be operationally defined.
D) Both the independent and dependent variables must be operationally defined.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In most cases, the methods used to select subjects must meet the scientific norm of ____.

A) generalizability
B) informed consent
C) equivalence
D) neutrality

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The defining feature of an experiment lies in the control of the independent variable by the experimenter.

Question 5

Experimentation is best suited for descriptive studies.

Question 6

Construct validity refers to generalizing from our experimental observations to causal processes in the real world.

Question 7

An experiment examines the effects of an) ____ variable.

A) dependent
B) control
C) independent
D) masking

Question 8

Which statement is most accurate?

A) Experimentation are rarely appropriate for hypothesis testing.
B) Experiments are well suited to research involving poorly-defined concepts.
C) There is no need to generate a hypothesis for a classical experiment.
D) Experiments are appropriate for evaluation research.

Question 9

Which statement is most accurate?

A) Experiments are only useful in the physical sciences such as chemistry and physics.
B) Experiments involve observing phenomena but do not try to produce them.
C) Experiments can be used in scientific as well as nonscientific human inquiry.
D) Experiments in the classical form require at least three groups of subjects..

Question 10

The threat of statistical regression is a concern any time the researcher begins with subjects who exhibit extreme values on the dependent variable.

Question 11

In case-oriented research, a great number of cases are examined in order to understand a small number of variables.

Question 12

Random assignment cannot be used in some criminal justice research for legal and ethical reasons.

Question 13

Construct validity is concerned with the ability to generalize from the results of the experimental group to the control group.

Question 14

Which statement is true?

A) A variable can be an independent in one experiment and dependent in another.
B) The dependent variable is manipulated by the experimenter.
C) A classical experiment examines the effects of the dependent variable.
D) In a classical experiment, the independent variable is viewed as the outcome.

Question 15

Experiments in criminal justice typically require only one experimental and one control group for each study.

Question 16

Which procedure is suitable for random assignment to groups?

A) Assigning subjects in the order they arrive, so that one group is filled before the next is started
B) Letting subjects express a preference and then assigning them to a non-preferred group
C) Flipping a coin assigning subjects to the control group and to the experimental group.
D) Asking each subject to secretly decide which group they want to be in

Question 17

In a classical experiment, subjects are measured on the independent variable before the experiment begins and again after the dependent variable has been manipulated by the researcher.

Question 18

Which statement best fits randomization as it is used in experiments?

A) "all other things being equal"
B) "use your best guess"
C) "it is close enough for government work"
D) "you are never 100% sure, so don't worry about it"

Question 19

Which situation presents a threat to internal validity?

A) subjects dropping out of an experiment
B) selecting a random sample
C) randomization of group assignments
D) very high reliability of outcome measures

Question 20

Which statement is a potential threat to internal validity in an experimental design?

A) generalization
B) instrumentation
C) randomization
D) correlation

Question 21

Which technique can be used to help reduce the threat to experimental mortality?

A) increasing the sample size
B) decreasing the sample size
C) shortening the time between the pretest and the posttest
D) selecting only subjects who are female

Question 22

Threats to internal validity in an experimental design can be minimized by _____.

A) proper selection and assignment of subjects to groups
B) large sample size
C) small sample size
D) nothing can rule out threats to internal validity

Question 23

A questionnaire is sent to 1,000 police departments in Florida and gathers information on the number of sick days officers use after being involved in a shooting incident. This is an example of ____ research.

A) variable-oriented
B) case-oriented
C) quasi-experimental
D) cohort

Question 24

Which statement is accurate?

A) Threats to external validity are decreased by carefully controlling conditions.
B) Threats to internal validity are decreased by carefully controlling conditions.
C) Threats to generalizability are inherent in research and cannot be changed.
D) Threats to internal and external validity covary, and if one is high, the other will also be high.

Question 25

You have just completed the LSAT and scored 85. Your roommate, who is no smarter than you, took the LSAT with you and scored 165. You were so upset with your score that you decide to take the test again and you convince your roommate to take it with you for moral support. You both receive scores on the second exam of 120. What accounts for the differences in scores?

A) statistical regression
B) testing
C) instrumentation
D) experiment mortality

Question 26

Experimental mortality is especially likely to be a problem when ____.

A) subjects are paid an excessive amount to participate
B) participation requires only one session, but it is an hour long
C) students must participate as a course requirement
D) participation in the experiment requires substantial effort by subjects

Question 27

If randomization is not possible, the researcher would be well-advised to ____.

A) do nothing, but mention the issue in the research report
B) switch to a classical design
C) switch to a quasi-experimental design
D) use pseudorandomization

Question 28

External validity in an experimental design refers to _____.

A) the accuracy of measurements
B) the lack of concern with issues internal to the study
C) the ability to apply findings to other populations
D) whether appropriate outcome measures have been used

Question 29

The history threat refers to the possibility that ____.

A) because of their personal experiences, some subjects will be uncooperative
B) most important research in the social sciences has already been done
C) events external to the experiment that will impact the results
D) the experiment will be judged to be unimportant

Question 30

Which action would be most likely to result in selection bias?

A) soliciting volunteers from a college class
B) randomly assigning experimental and control groups
C) matching experimental and comparison groups
D) running a double blind experiment

Question 31

In Widom's study of the effects of child abuse and its impact upon later criminal offenses, she selected a sample of children with court records of being abuse victims and gathered a comparison group that were matched on gender, race, age and socioeconomic status. The technique used in this case was ____.

A) individual matching
B) aggregate matching
C) randomization
D) probabilistic aggregation

Question 32

The maturation threat refers to _____.

A) older subjects being more likely to take research participation seriously
B) the impact of natural, developmental processes on experimental outcomes
C) the natural development of researcher expertise as more research is completed
D) younger subjects generally do better because they are easier to manipulate

Question 33

Neither the subjects nor the researcher can identify which group is the control group and which is the experimental group. Which design is being used?

A) cross-sectional
B) double-blind
C) a blind experiment
D) of no value

Question 34

When using a nonequivalent-groups design, the researcher will handle subject assignment to groups by ____.

A) random assignment to experimental and control groups
B) allowing subjects to pick which group they want to be in
C) matching subjects in the experimental and comparison groups
D) using waves of cohorts

Question 35

Shortening the time between pretest and posttest or perhaps even offering cash payments to participants in an experiment are techniques that may be used to ____.

A) limit diffusion
B) decrease experimental mortality
C) decrease the effects of instrumentation
D) control threats to testing

Question 36

Random assignment to experimental and control groups should reduce the threats to _____.

A) instrumentation
B) maturation
C) reliability
D) small sample

Question 37

An interrupted time-series design can be very useful in ____ research.

A) applied
B) basic
C) primary
D) double-blind

Question 38

Experimental mortality is also known as ____.

A) selection
B) regression
C) attrition
D) relevance

Question 39

_______________ validity is the correspondence between the empirical test of a hypothesis and the underlying causal process that the experiment is intended to represent.

A) Construct
B) Compensatory
C) Correlational
D) Criterion

Question 40

Graduates majoring in criminal justice and graduates majoring in psychology from the State University were part of a study to assess employment success of those receiving their degrees in May 2002. Six months after graduation November 2002) a questionnaire was sent out asking about their job seeking success. What type of design is this?

A) a double-blind experiment
B) a non-equivalent groups design
C) a time-series design
D) a cohort design

Question 41

In a classical experiment, the researcher uses an) _______________ to offset the effects of the experiment itself.

Question 42

Explain the classical experiment in terms of the following:
Independent and dependent variables
Pre-testing and Post-testing
Experimental and Control groups

Question 43

Increasing experimental control will result in decreased _______________ validity.

Question 44

Experiments are often conducted in public health research where a distinction is made between an efficacy experiment and an effectiveness experiment. Efficacy experiments focus on whether a new health program works under ideal conditions; effectiveness experiments test the program under typical conditions that health professionals encounter in their day-to-day work. Discuss how efficacy experiments and effectiveness experiments reflect concerns about internal validity threats on the one hand and generalizability on the other.

Question 45

_______________ relates to whether results from experiments conducted in one setting would be obtained in other settings.

Question 46

The goal of _______________ is to ensure that the experimental and groups will be statistically equivalent.

Question 47

Describe an experimental design to test the causal hypothesis that D.A.R.E. reduces drug use. Is your experimental design feasible? Why or why not?

Question 48

Explain why experimentation is not well suited for the purposes of description and exploration.

Question 49

In _______________ research, a large number of variables that are associated with a small number of cases or subjects are studied.

Question 50

_______________ refers to the extent to which findings from an experiment can be applied to the real world.

Question 51

Explain the role of randomization in classical experiments.

Question 52

Give two 2) specific examples of research where a quasi-experimental design would be more appropriate than a classical experiment. Why would each of your examples not fit the classical experiment model?

Question 53

An) _______________ is a type of variable-oriented research.

Question 54

Instead of making one pre-test and one post-test measure, the _______________ makes a longer series of observations before and after introducing an experimental treatment.

Question 55

Crime hot spots are areas where crime reports, calls for police service, or other measures of crime are especially common. Police in departments with a good analytic capability routinely identify hot spots and launch special tactics to reduce crime in these areas. What kinds of validity threats should researchers be especially attentive to in studying the effects of police interventions on hot spots?

Question 56

When random assignment to experimental and control groups is not possible, the researcher may be forced to use an) _______________ design.

Question 57

Identify and discuss at least five 5) threats to internal validity in experimental designs. Include in your answer ways of controlling for each of the threats you identify.

Question 58

An) _______________ experiment guards against experimenters' tendency to prejudge results by eliminating the possibility of either the researcher or the subjects knowing which group is the control and which group is the experimental.