Question 1

Describe the threats to internal validity that can hinder the interpretability of experimental evaluations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the threats to internal validity that...

Question 2

When an evaluator recognizes a potential threat to the internal validity of an evaluation,

Accepted Answer

A)  it may be impossible to control for it short of randomization. 
B)  correlational designs are needed. 
C)  using just one group would permit the threat to be ignored. 
D)  a pretest/posttest design can be used.

Question 3

When an outcome evaluation is designed as an experimental evaluation,

Accepted Answer

A)  it is unnecessary to worry about implementation since a poorly implemented program will probably yield a poor outcome. 
B)  one can relax since the data can be clearly interpreted. 
C)  the data will "speak for themselves" when the analysis is done. 
D)  it is still essential to examine the degree of program implementation.

Question 4

Diffusion or imitation of the program by people in a non-treatment control group tends to

Accepted Answer

A)  make an effective program look less effective than it is. 
B)  make an ineffective program look more effective than it is. 
C)  make a good program appear to have a negative impact. 
D)  nullify the effects of attrition from control groups.

Question 5

The use of pretests in an experimental evaluation may introduce the internal validity threat of

Accepted Answer

A)  regression to the mean. 
B)  history. 
C)  maturation. 
D)  testing.

Question 6

Pretests are recommended even when the evaluation design consists of randomly formed groups because

Accepted Answer

A)  correlations between amount of service and change scores improve interpretability. 
B)  programs are not implemented as designed. 
C)  pretests will permit some interpretations even if randomization procedures are compromised. 
D)  non-equivalent control groups need to be equated using a pretest.

Question 7

Distinguish the internal validity threat of history from the internal validity threat of local
 history.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Distinguish the internal validity threat of history...

Question 8

Describe the reasons that program staff often give when they object to conducting an evaluation using an experiment involving random assignment to groups.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the reasons that program staff often...

Question 9

Although some quasi-experimental designs are fairly effective in separating the effect of the program from viable alternative interpretations,

Accepted Answer

A)  they are not feasible in agency settings. 
B)  they are more disruptive of agency procedures than are experiments. 
C)  a lingering doubt may remain about internal validity. 
D)  staff will greatly object to quasi-experimental methods.

Exam 11: Using Experiments to Evaluate Programs