Question 1

Social policy research (such as the research done by Ellen Langer on mindfulness and the effects of living in a nursing home)serves the purpose(s)of

Accepted Answer

A)  informing policy decisions only. 
B)  advancing scientific theory and knowledge only. 
C)  advancing scientific theory and knowledge and informing policy decisions. 
D)  advancing scientific theory and knowledge or informing policy decisions but not both.

Question 2

Even when controlled,scientific research studies established the effectiveness of a home healthcare program for Medicare recipients,decision makers eliminated the program.The best explanation for this decision lies in

Accepted Answer

A)  politicians' unwillingness to fund scientific research. 
B)  the political and social realities of complex problems such as healthcare. 
C)  the public's greater acceptance of basic research over applied research. 
D)  none of these

Question 3

The one-group pretest-posttest design is

Accepted Answer

A)  a bad experiment. 
B)  an important quasi-experimental design. 
C)  the best design for clinical research. 
D)  least affected by threats to internal validity.

Question 4

A student used a nonequivalent control group design to examine the effectiveness of a video application the library uses to introduce first year students to the library's resources.Which potential threat to internal validity would she examine by comparing the pretest scores for both groups?

Accepted Answer

A)  a maturation threat 
B)  a selection threat 
C)  a regression threat 
D)  an instrumentation threat

Question 5

Which of the following threats to internal validity is controlled in the nonequivalent control group design?

Accepted Answer

A)  testing. 
B)  additive effect of selection and testing. 
C)  additive effect of selection and history. 
D)  differential regression.

Question 6

When it comes to control over the conditions in the experiment or over the assignment of participants to groups in the experiment,a researcher in a natural setting is likely to have

Accepted Answer

A)  less control than a researcher in a laboratory setting. 
B)  more control than a researcher in a laboratory setting. 
C)  the same amount of control as a researcher in a laboratory setting. 
D)  more control over the conditions in the experiment but less control over assignment of participants.

Question 7

The major threat to internal validity in the simple interrupted time series design is

Accepted Answer

A)  history. 
B)  maturation. 
C)  selection. 
D)  additive effect of selection and history.

Question 8

In a study of the effectiveness of a treatment for depression,a psychologist assessed patients' symptoms of depression using a reliable questionnaire both before and for several months after treatment.The results indicated that the patients experienced a decrease in their symptoms over the 8-month time period of the study.One threat to internal validity the researcher should consider is

Accepted Answer

A)  maturation. 
B)  regression. 
C)  testing. 
D)  all of these

Question 9

If the residents,staff,and facilities of a nursing home where a quasi-experiment was done are likely to be different from those in other nursing homes,the ______________ of the findings may be questioned.

Accepted Answer

A)  external validity 
B)  statistical significance 
C)  internal validity 
D)  novelty

Question 10

The hallmark of a quasi-experiment is

Accepted Answer

A)  high levels of control over treatment conditions. 
B)  lack of random assignment of participants to conditions. 
C)  absence of any specific intervention or treatment. 
D)  random assignment of participants to conditions.

Question 11

The difference between a true experiment conducted in a natural setting and a quasi-experiment conducted in a natural setting is that the

Accepted Answer

A)  quasi-experiment will have greater external validity. 
B)  quasi-experiment will have greater internal validity. 
C)  quasi-experiment will lack a comparison condition. 
D)  none of these

Question 12

The external validity of research done in natural settings is likely to be emphasized more when the research represents

Accepted Answer

A)  an experiment done to address a specific question raised by a specific company. 
B)  an extension of a specific laboratory finding. 
C)  social experimentation as the basis for large-scale changes. 
D)  a theoretically motivated social psychology experiment.

Question 13

Program evaluation represents perhaps the extreme case of

Accepted Answer

A)  basic research. 
B)  applied research. 
C)  theory development. 
D)  experimental control.

Question 14

Research done in natural settings,as compared to research done in laboratory settings,is more likely to emphasize

Accepted Answer

A)  abstract goals. 
B)  methodological goals. 
C)  ethical goals. 
D)  practical goals.

Question 15

Researchers analyzed records of hospitalization for heart disease in two Ohio cities,Bowling Green and Kent.A city ordinance enacted in Bowling Green banned smoking in public areas.Results indicated that hospitalization rates for the two cities were similar before the smoking ban,but hospitalization rates decreased in Bowling Green compared to Kent following the smoking ban.A potential threat to internal validity that will need to be ruled out is

Accepted Answer

A)  the amount of information about heart disease presented in national media. 
B)  changes in the state sales tax on cigarettes. 
C)  changes in doctors' focus on symptoms of heart disease in Bowling Green (because of publicity for the ban), but not in Kent. 
D)  all of these

Question 16

An argument for the internal validity of quasi-experiments

Accepted Answer

A)  cannot be made because of inherent threats to internal validity in these designs. 
B)  can always be made solely on the basis of the results of the quasi-experiments. 
C)  can only be made if a corresponding true experiment has been done. 
D)  can be made on the basis of supplemental data and logical analysis in addition to the results of the quasi-experiment itself.

Question 17

When two groups in a nonequivalent control group design do not differ on the pretest,the researcher can conclude that

Accepted Answer

A)  the two groups are equivalent. 
B)  the two groups are not equivalent on any dependent variables. 
C)  the two groups will show the same natural growth rate over the course of the study. 
D)  the two groups are equivalent only on the dependent variable measured on the pretest.

Question 18

Experiments in natural settings are likely to differ from laboratory experiments on four critical dimensions: goals,control,external validity,and consequences.Briefly describe the nature of the difference for each of these four dimensions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Experiments in natural settings are likely to...

Question 19

A high school teacher conducted a test of a new approach to teaching math.Students were given a pretest when their math class began and a posttest at the end of the semester.The students' math performance improved.The teacher learned near the end of the semester,however,that in their science classes the students were using new computer software that included much of the math the teacher covered in his course.Which of the following threats to internal validity does the new computer software represent?

Accepted Answer

A)  selection 
B)  regression 
C)  history 
D)  testing

Question 20

The Sports Illustrated jinx refers to the idea that athletes who are featured on the cover of the magazine after exceptional performances typically perform worse in subsequent competitions.The most likely statistical explanation of this phenomenon is

Accepted Answer

A)  regression toward the mean level of performance. 
B)  an increase standard deviation for the amount of pressure the athletes experience. 
C)  an increase in the mean level of athletes' arrogance. 
D)  a decrease in the standard deviation of opposing athletes' effort during subsequence competitions.

Exam 10: Quasi-Experimental Designs and Program Evaluation

Social policy research (such as the research done by Ellen Langer on mindfulness and the effects of living in a nursing home) serves the purpose(s) of