Question 1

Interobserver reliability is calculated for the purpose of

Accepted Answer

A)  increasing the amount of data available 
B)  reducing observer bias 
C)  eliminating subject reactivity 
D)  substituting for event and time sampling

Question 2

On a survey, subjects sometimes respond the way they think they should respond, rather than in terms of how they truly feel; that is, they show a(n) _______ bias.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On a survey, subjects sometimes respond the...

Question 3

The "strange situation" was used to investigate parent-child attachments and is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  participant observation 
B)  unstructured naturalistic observation 
C)  archival study 
D)  laboratory observation

Question 4

Zezima reported that while nearly 100% of people reported that they wash their hands after using public restrooms, however actual observations of public hand washing behavior demonstrated much lower percentages. This illustrates

Accepted Answer

A)  invasion of privacy 
B)  question ambiguity 
C)  biased sampling 
D)  a social desirability bias

Question 5

When magazines report the results of reader surveys, what is the major weakness?

Accepted Answer

A)  self selection 
B)  low number of returns 
C)  use of nonprobability rather than probability sampling techniques 
D)  they fail to survey the entire population

Question 6

What is a DK alternative and when should it be used?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a DK alternative and when...

Question 7

When should DK ("don't know") alternatives be used?

Accepted Answer

A)  when collecting demographic information 
B)  never-they will be overused by respondents 
C)  whenever you are surveying people with moderate to low IQs 
D)  when there is good reason to believe that some respondents will genuinely not know an answer

Question 8

In the survey of student attitudes toward animal research by Plous, which sampling method was used?

Accepted Answer

A)  cluster 
B)  simple random 
C)  convenience 
D)  stratified

Question 9

In a study on "identitiy maintenance strategies" in newer versus older homeless individuals,

Accepted Answer

A)  the procedure could be described as naturalistic observation with minimal structure imposed by researchers 
B)  researchers used a longitudinal design 
C)  covert participant observation was used 
D)  a large sample size was used

Question 10

To study math achievement in West Virginia's third graders, a researcher randomly selects 5% of the state's school districts and gives all the students in each district a math test. What sampling procedure is being used here?

Accepted Answer

A)  quota 
B)  stratified 
C)  cluster 
D)  none of the above (all the children in the selected districts are tested - therefore the entire population is being tested, not just a sample)

Question 11

Regarding the ethics of participant observation,

Accepted Answer

A)  deception may be used if it is likely that consent would not be obtained 
B)  informed consent must be obtained from participants who are observed 
C)  debriefing is a required 
D)  deception may not be used

Question 12

In the box describing the case of the female journalist who was fired on the basis of a survey, which of the following occurred?

Accepted Answer

A)  the survey was not actually completed; the data were manufactured 
B)  even though an elaborate (and appropriate) statistical analysis was done, the survey itself was hopelessly biased 
C)  there was an inappropriate statistical analysis 
D)  it a well-designed and fair survey, but used a biased sample

Question 13

Which of the following characterized Crowley et al.'s observational study in a science museum?

Accepted Answer

A)  they used participant observation rather than naturalistic observation (because the parents were involved 
B)  unlike most naturalistic observation studies, they were able to obtain informed consent 
C)  because they used videotape, they did not need to determine interobserver reliability 
D)  they explained their results (parents explaining science more to boys than girls) by simply pointing out that the boys asked more questions than the girls did

Question 14

Distinguish between probability and nonprobability sampling techniques. Describe 3 types of probability sampling techniques and 3 types of nonprobability sampling techniques.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Distinguish between probability and nonprobability sampling techniques....

Question 15

All of the following are closed questions except

Accepted Answer

A)  Is this a closed question? 
B)  Is this an open question? 
C)  How is a closed question different from an open question? 
D)  Is this a poor multiple choice question?

Question 16

In depth questioning and follow-up questions can be most easily accomplished when using a(n) _________ survey format.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In depth questioning and follow-up questions can...

Question 17

Describe how observer bias can affect the validity of observational research. What measures can be taken to reduce bias?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how observer bias can affect the...

Question 18

What is meant by nonresponse bias and how can it affect the interpretation of survey data?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is meant by nonresponse bias and...

Question 19

What is the major strength of the interview format for conducting survey research?

Accepted Answer

A)  it has fewer logistical problems than other methods 
B)  more in-depth information can be acquired than with other methods 
C)  unlike other methods, interviewer bias is seldom a problem 
D)  it is cheaper than other methods

Question 20

Phone surveys

Accepted Answer

A)  usually need to be brief and to include few if any open questions 
B)  usually have very high response rates 
C)  avoid problems with experimenter bias 
D)  are limited to cluster samples only

Exam 12: Descriptive Research Methods