Deck 10: The Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies: Nonequivalent Group, Pre-Post, and Developmental Designs

Question 1

For which of the following studies does the researcher not control which individuals are assigned to which group?

A)between-subjects experiment
B)within-subjects experiment
C)nonequivalent group design
D)pre-post design

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A researcher introduces a new mathematics program in one school district and uses a neighboring district as a no-treatment control group.After the program is in place for 6 months,the researcher intends to give the students in both districts a standardized mathematics test and then compare their scores.This research cannot be classified as a true experiment because

A)the treatment is administered to only one group.
B)there is no pretest to determine mathematics ability before the program.
C) the researcher does not control the assignment of participants to groups and therefore has a nonequivalent groups design.
D)it is not conducted in a laboratory.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Differential research is classified as

A)correlational.
B)experimental.
C)quasi-experimental.
D)nonexperimental.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following accurately describes what is evaluated by differential research?

A)differences between treatment conditions using the same group of participants in all treatments
B)differences between treatment conditions using a separate group of participants for each treatment
C)differences in scores before a treatment versus scores after a treatment
D)differences in scores between preexisting groups of participants

Question 5

The basic threat to internal validity for a nonequivalent groups design is

A)history.
B)assignment bias.
C)regression.
D)reactivity.

Question 6

A quasi-experimental design

A)makes no attempt to minimize threats to validity.
B)makes some attempts to minimize threats to validity.
C)controls extraneous variables,similar to an experiment.
D)manipulates one variable,similar to an experiment.

Question 7

A differential research design is an example of a

A)nonequivalent group design.
B)nonequivalent control group design.
C)time-series design.
D)pretest-posttest design.

Question 8

Which of the following accurately describes nonequivalent group design?

A) The researcher cannot control which people go into each group and cannot ensure that the groups are equivalent.
B)The two groups have completely different characteristics.
C)The researcher has randomly assigned people to groups so there is no guarantee that the groups are equal.
D)The number of participants is different from one group to another.

Question 9

Which research design is used by a researcher comparing self-esteem scores for children from divorced families versus scores for children from families with no divorce?

A)differential research design
B)pretest-only nonequivalent control group design
C)pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design
D)time-series design

Question 10

Which kind of research uses a non-manipulated participant variable such as age or gender to define the groups being compared?

A)time-series
B)differential
C)one-group pretest-posttest
D)pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group

Question 11

The internal validity of the pre-post designs is threatened by

A)threats related to time.
B)threats related to differences between groups.
C)differential effects.
D)the other three choices are all threats to pre-post designs.

Question 12

Which of the following is the correct classification for a posttest-only nonequivalent control group design?

A)nonexperimental study
B)quasi-experimental study
C)experiment
D)correlational study

Question 13

Differential history effects are a threat to internal validity for which of the following designs?

A)differential research design
B)one-group pretest-posttest design
C)pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design
D)the other three choices are all designs threatened by differential history effects.

Question 14

One of the primary advantages of a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design,in comparison to other nonequivalent group designs,is

A)the posttest scores can help reduce threats from history effects.
B)the pretest scores can help reduce the threat of assignment bias.
C)the posttest scores can help reduce the threat of differential history.
D)the pretest scores can help reduce the threat of differential history.

Question 15

Some threats to internal validity are related to time and other threats are related to differences between groups.Which of the following is a threat related to time?

A)history effects
B)assignment bias
C)differential history effects
E)the other three choices are all threats related to time.

Question 16

A researcher introduces a new mathematics program in one school district and uses a neighboring district as a no-treatment control group.Before the program begins,the students in both districts are given a standardized mathematics test.After the program is in place for 6 months,the students are tested again and the researcher compares the before and after scores for the two groups.This research study is classified as

A)correlational.
B)experimental.
C)quasi-experimental.
D)nonexperimental.

Question 17

Last fall,a state college introduced a one-week study skills course for new freshmen students.At the end of the academic year,the college compared the grades and dropout rate for their freshmen with the corresponding measurements for freshmen at a neighboring state college.This study is an example of

A)a posttest-only nonequivalent control group design.
B)a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design.
C)a differential research design.
D)a time-series design.

Question 18

In nonexperiments and quasi-experiments different groups or conditions are defined in terms of

A)independent variables.
B)dependent variables.
C)pre-existing participant variables or time.
D)nonexperimental and quasi-experiments do not compare different groups.

Question 19

In a typical pre-post study

A)two groups are measured before and after a treatment.
B)two groups are measured after a treatment.
C)one group is measured after a treatment.
D)one group is measured before and after a treatment.

Question 20

Which of the following is not an example of a nonexperimental or quasi-experimental study?

A)a study comparing self-esteem scores for children with a learning disability versus scores for children without a learning disability
B)a study comparing depression scores before therapy versus scores after therapy
C)a study comparing performance in a room where the walls have been painted yellow versus performance in a room painted blue
D)a study comparing attitude scores for men versus scores for women

Question 21

A researcher studies language development by selecting a sample of 2-year-old children and giving them a language skill test.Each year for the next two years,the children are brought back and tested again.The researcher plans to compare the children's scores at age two,age three,and age four.This study is an example of

A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional developmental design.
D)a longitudinal developmental design.

Question 22

A researcher studies language development by selecting a sample of 2-year-old children,a sample of 3-year-old children,and a sample of 4-year-old children.Each child's language skill is measured and the researcher plans to compare the scores for the three groups.This study is an example of

A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional developmental design.
D)a longitudinal developmental design.

Question 23

A research study that evaluates changes in behavior related to age by examining different groups of individuals,each group representing a different age,is called

A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional developmental design.
D)a longitudinal developmental design.

Question 24

A researcher is examining motor skill development by observing children at 18 months old,24 months old,and 30 months old.If the researcher uses a longitudinal design and obtains 20 scores for each age,how many children participated in the entire study?

A)20
B)40
C)60
D)cannot determine without more information.

Question 25

Last year the state increased the speed limit on one section of a highway from 55 to 65 mph.To evaluate the effect of the change,a researcher gathered accident reports for six months before the change and for six months after the change.This is an example of

A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional design.
D)a longitudinal design.

Question 26

Which of the following distinguishes a time-series design from an interrupted time-series design?

A)Time series examines the effect of a treatment and interrupted time series examines the effect of an outside event.
B)Time series examines the effect of an outside event and interrupted time series examines the effect of a treatment.
C)Time series involves several observations before and after the treatment/event and interrupted time series has only one observation before and after.
D)Time series involves only one observation before and after the treatment/event and interrupted time series has several observations before and after.

Question 27

Which of the following comes closest to being a true experiment?

A)a time-series design
B)a one-group pretest-posttest design
C)a differential design
D)a pretest-only nonequivalent control group design

Question 28

The pre-post designs are similar to within-subjects designs,however in a pre-post design it is impossible to

A)randomly assign participants.
B)counterbalance order of treatments.
C)control for differential effects.
D)generalize the results.

Question 29

A prison psychologist measures depression for a group of prisoners each day for one week before and for one week after the psychologist begins a series of group therapy sessions.This is an example of a(n)_______ design.

A)time series
B)interrupted time series
C)equivalent time samples
D)one-group pretest-posttest

Question 30

In the ______________ design,a researcher makes multiple observations before and after some event not manipulated by the researcher.

A)time-series
B)interrupted time-series
C)longitudinal
D)cross- sectional

Question 31

A longitudinal developmental design is an example of the general category of

A)nonequivalent group designs.
B)one-group pretest-posttest designs.
C)time-series designs.
D)interrupted time-series designs.

Question 32

A researcher records participants' weights every Friday for three weeks prior to administering a diet education program and for three weeks following the program.This study is an example of

A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional design
D)a longitudinal design.

Question 33

A problem with a longitudinal design is that the results may be distorted by

A)cohort effects.
B)participant attrition.
C)differential history effects.
D)assignment bias.

Question 34

Which of the following is the correct classification for a time-series design?

A)nonexperimental study
B)quasi-experimental study
C)experiment
D)correlational study

Question 35

A one-group pretest-posttest design (OXO)is considered to be

A)an experiment.
B)a nonexperimental design.
C)a nonequivalent groups quasi-experimental design.
D)a time series quasi-experimental design.

Question 36

In a time series design,the series of observations before treatment helps reduce threats to internal validity because

A)a series of observations is more reliable than a single observation.
B)a series of observations has more validity than a single observation.
C) if an outside factor is influencing the scores,the effects should be seen before the treatment is administered.
D) if an outside factor is influencing the scores,it can be stopped before the treatment is administered.

Question 37

A cross-sectional developmental design is an example of the general category of

A)nonequivalent group designs.
B)one-group pretest-posttest designs.
C)time-series designs.
D)interrupted time-series designs.

Question 38

The primary problem with a cross-sectional developmental design is that differences between age groups may not be caused by age but rather are caused by

A)history effects.
B)regression toward the mean.
C)cohort effects.
D)differential attrition.

Question 39

What name is given to the variable that is used to define the groups or conditions in a quasi-experimental study?

A)independent
B)dependent
C)quasi-independent
D)quasi-dependent

Question 40

A researcher is examining motor skill development by observing children at 18 months old,24 months old,and 30 months old.If the researcher uses a cross-sectional design and obtains 20 scores for each age,how many children participated in the entire study?

A)20
B)40
C)60
D)cannot determine without more information.

Question 41

Differential research is an example of the quasi-experimental research strategy.

Question 42

A cross-sectional design comparing three different ages would require three separate groups of participants.

Question 43

Longitudinal developmental studies provide a relatively quick and easy way to evaluate development over time.

Question 44

The posttest-only nonequivalent control group design comes close to being a true experiment and therefore is a quasi-experimental design.

Question 45

A researcher in Mississippi measured visits to the school counselor for a group of students for three weeks in the spring.In the fall,immediately after a major hurricane,the researcher again measured the students' counselor visits to see if there had been any change.This researcher is using an interrupted time-series design.

Question 46

A research study that compared married men,divorced men,and single adult men is an example of the differential research design.

Question 47

A longitudinal developmental design can be viewed as an example of a one-group pretest-posttest design.

Question 48

The changes that occur as a person ages from child to adult to elderly,are called cohort effects.

Question 49

In a time-series design a researcher makes multiple observations before and after the introduction of a treatment.

Question 50

In a one-group pretest-posttest design a researcher makes multiple observations before and after the introduction of a treatment.

Question 51

Nonexperimental studies always contain a threat to internal validity,which means that these studies cannot establish unambiguous cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 52

The pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design reduces the threat of assignment bias and limits time-related threats and therefore is a quasi-experimental design.

Question 53

A one-group pretest-posttest study is an example of a nonequivalent groups design.

Question 54

Quasi-experimental studies attempt to minimize threats to validity but nonexperimental studies make little or no attempt.

Question 55

The time-series design is an example of the quasi-experimental research strategy.

Question 56

Nonexperimental research typically involves looking at differences between preexisting groups or at changes that occur over time.

Question 57

In a cross-sectional developmental study,age would be the quasi-independent variable.

Question 58

If a research design makes no attempt to minimize threats to internal validity,it is classified as an experiment.

Question 59

Nonexperimental and quasi-experimental designs involve comparing groups or conditions.

Question 60

Cohort effects are not a concern for longitudinal developmental designs.

Question 61

Describe how the relationship between memory ability and age could be examined using a cross-sectional design.How would the relationship be examined with a longitudinal design?

Question 62

Distinguish nonexperimental designs from quasi-experimental designs.

Question 63

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of cross-sectional and longitudinal research.

Question 64

Describe the similarities and differences between experiments and nonexperiments or quasi-experiments.

Question 65

Describe the fundamental flaw that prevents a pre-post design from being a true experiment? (That is,why can't these designs produce an unambiguous cause-and-effect explanation?)Explain how the series of observations before the treatment help reduce this problem.

Question 66

Describe the fundamental flaw that prevents a nonequivalent group design from being a true experiment? (That is,why can't these designs produce an unambiguous cause-and-effect explanation?)Explain how the pretest scores in a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design help reduce this problem.

Question 67

Describe the similarities and differences between time-series and interrupted time-series designs.