Deck 13: The Descriptive Research Strategy

Question 1

When an observer switches recording from one behavior during one interval to another behavior during another interval, it is known as ____ sampling.

A) time
B) individual
C) event
D) frequency

Answer 1

C

Question 2

During a study using the behavioral research strategy, it is common to have two observers record behavior simultaneously. What is the purpose for this procedure?

A) It is used to ensure the external validity of the study.
B) It is used to evaluate the reliability of the measurements.
C) It provides an operational definition for the variables being measured.
D) It helps ensure that the behaviors are not influenced by the presence of an observer.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In an observational study of autistic children, you record how much time each child spends playing alone during a 30-minute observation period. This is an example of the ____ method of quantifying behavior.

A) frequency
B) duration
C) interval
D) individual

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When researchers use behavioral observation techniques to measure behaviors in movies, what is the measurement process called?

A) Behavioral observation
B) Event sampling
C) Content analysis
D) Archival research

Question 5

A researcher has pairs of college student participants play a card game in the laboratory. However, the game is rigged to ensure that one participant experiences a long losing streak so that the researcher can observe how the losing students behave when they are frustrated. For this study, what kind of behavioral observation is being used?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Participant observation
C) Contrived observation
D) Unstructured observation

Question 6

A researcher who wanted to observe behaviors in a private social club would probably need to use ____.

A) naturalistic observation
B) participant observation
C) contrived observation
D) unstructured observation

Question 7

A researcher conducts a survey to determine the average number of minutes that college students spend on their smartphones in a typical day. Which research strategy is being used?

A) Descriptive
B) Correlational
C) Experimental
D) Nonexperimental

Question 8

How does the descriptive research strategy differ from the experimental or nonexperimental research strategies?

A) It involves comparing groups of scores.
B) It does not concern relationships between variables.
C) It attempts to describe and explain relationships between variables.
D) It does not involve the measurement of variables.

Question 9

The ____ method for quantifying observations involves counting the number of times a behavior occurs in a specified period of time.

A) duration
B) frequency
C) interval
D) time sample

Question 10

In an observational study of children in a day care setting, you select one participant at a time for observation. This is an example of using ____.

A) time sampling
B) event sampling
C) individual sampling
D) interval methodology

Question 11

In the observational study of adolescents at the mall, you count the number of social interaction behaviors that occur within a one-hour observation period. This is an example of the ____ method of quantifying behavior.

A) frequency
B) duration
C) interval
D) behavior counting

Question 12

The general goal of a research study using the descriptive research strategy is to ____.

A) describe an individual person or animal in great detail
B) describe a variable or variables as they exist naturally
C) measure and describe the relationship between variables
D) describe and explain the relationship between variables

Question 13

In an observational study of children in a day care center, you alternate one minute of observation with one minute of recording behavior. This is an example of ____ sampling.

A) time
B) individual
C) event
D) alternating-interval

Question 14

During a study using the behavioral research strategy, it is common to prepare a list of behaviors called behavioral categories before the actual observation begins. The purpose for this procedure is to ____.

A) ensure statistical significance of the results
B) improve the reliability of the measurements
C) raise the external validity of the study
D) raise the internal validity of the study

Question 15

Jane Goodall's research, examining the behavior of chimps in Africa, is an example of ____.

A) experimental research
B) naturalistic observation
C) correlational research
D) differential research

Question 16

Content analysis involves using behavioral observation techniques to record behaviors that ____.

A) occurred in the past
B) occur in institutional settings such as hospitals or prisons
C) occur in response to the researcher's suggestion
D) occur in movies or television shows

Question 17

When researchers apply behavioral observation techniques to historical records in order to measure behaviors that occurred in the past, the measurement process is called ____.

A) behavioral observation
B) event sampling
C) content analysis
D) archival research

Question 18

Bird watching is most similar to what type of research?

A) Experimental
B) Participant observation
C) Naturalistic observation
D) Quasi-experimental

Question 19

What is the purpose for using habituation in an observational research study?

A) It helps ensure the objectivity of the measurements.
B) It helps ensure the reliability of the measurements.
C) It provides an operational definition for the variables being measured.
D) It helps ensure that the people being observed are not influenced by the presence of an observer.

Question 20

Recording how many hours a week your roommate spends studying involves using the ____ method, while simply recording whether or not your roommate studies in a week involves using the ____ method.

A) interval; frequency
B) duration; interval
C) frequency; duration
D) interval; duration

Question 21

What is a problem with surveys administered by mail?

A) You do not know exactly who completed the survey.
B) You cannot maintain participant confidentiality.
C) A mailed survey can be inconvenient for participants.
D) A mailed survey can be threatening to participants.

Question 22

What is a limitation of survey research?

A) It only can be used to measure attitudes and opinions.
B) It cannot be used to measure specific behaviors.
C) The results are often difficult to evaluate.
D) The results are limited by the truthfulness of the participants.

Question 23

What type of question allows participants the greatest flexibility in deciding how to answer?

A) Open-ended
B) Restricted
C) Rating scale
D) Anchors

Question 24

The multiple-choice questions on this exam are examples of ____ items.

A) open-ended
B) restricted
C) rating scale
D) physiological

Question 25

On a questionnaire, Dr. Ortega asks participants to answer the following question: "What do you think about the current presidential administration?" This is an example of a(n) ____ question.

A) restricted
B) rating scale
C) open-ended
D) partially open-ended

Question 26

A researcher who brings dating couples into the laboratory to be observed while they are solving a problem is most likely using ____.

A) participant observation
B) naturalistic observation
C) contrived observation
D) case study research

Question 27

A case study typically involves the study of ________.

A) the general public
B) people who are genetically related
C) a very cohesive group
D) one individual

Question 28

What is the main advantage of contrived observation (compared with other types of observational research)?

A) It gives the researcher assurance that the observed behaviors are natural.
B) It is less likely that the researcher is influencing the behaviors being observed.
C) It is more efficient because the researcher does not have to wait for specific behaviors to occur naturally.
D) It is less likely that the researcher will impose subjective interpretations on the data.

Question 29

What is an advantage to administering a survey over the Internet?

A) They generate a near-100% response rate.
B) The survey can be individualized based on responses.
C) It is especially easy to get a representative sample.
D) It is easier to know who in a household is responding.

Question 30

A researcher conducting a study on a single person with multiple personality disorder is an example of ____.

A) participant observation
B) naturalistic observation
C) correlational research
D) case study research

Question 31

Which observational research design has the greatest risk that the observer will influence the behaviors being observed?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Participant observation
C) Contrived observation
D) Nonparticipant observation

Question 32

Which statement identifies a potential problem with Internet surveys?

A) They tend to be costly and inefficient.
B) They limit flexibility in presenting questions and response alternatives.
C) It can be difficult to find a group of participants who share a specific interest.
D) It can be difficult to control or even know the composition of the sample.

Question 33

Which method for administering a survey requires the greatest amount of time from the researcher?

A) Mailing surveys
B) Making phone calls
C) Distributing surveys to a group of participants
D) Using the Internet

Question 34

The idiographic approach to research involves ____.

A) direct observation of individuals without their knowledge
B) interviewing people in a small group setting
C) the intensive study of one individual
D) the study of groups

Question 35

Which type of question is a Likert-type question?

A) Open-ended
B) Restricted
C) Rating scale
D) Physiological

Question 36

Essay questions on an exam are examples of ____ items.

A) open-ended
B) restricted
C) rating scale
D) physiological

Question 37

Administering a survey by telephone ____.

A) requires improvisation of questions
B) is subject to interviewer bias
C) is typically quite time-efficient
D) requires only a small number of research assistants

Question 38

Although surveys can be used with a variety of different research strategies, the defining characteristic of the survey research design is that the ____.

A) research is conducted in field settings rather than in a laboratory
B) intent is simply to describe behaviors
C) intent is to demonstrate a relationship between behavior and other variables
D) intent is to explain the causes of the behaviors being surveyed

Question 39

What type of question typically produces a numerical score for each participant?

A) Open-ended
B) Restricted
C) Rating scale
D) Partially open-ended

Question 40

A researcher taking a job as a restaurant server in order to explore sexism in the restaurant industry is an example of ____.

A) participant observation
B) naturalistic observation
C) correlational research
D) case study research

Question 41

Counting how many times a child exhibits disruptive behavior during a 30-minute observation period is an example of measuring behavior using the duration method.

Question 42

The goal of the descriptive research strategy is to describe the relationships that exist between variables.

Question 43

Case studies are examples of research using the idiographic approach.

Question 44

Although a case study typically involves a single participant, the results can serve as a counterexample that influences an entire theory.

Question 45

In contrived observation, the researcher joins the individuals to be observed and engages in activities with them.

Question 46

The case study design can be useful for studying unusual clinical cases such as rare psychiatric disorders.

Question 47

The case study design can be used to establish causal relationships between variables.

Question 48

Measuring interrater reliability helps ensure that behavioral observations are objective and are not influenced by subjective interpretations of the researcher.

Question 49

One advantage of administering a survey by mail is that it minimizes the risk of interviewer bias.

Question 50

Habituation is a technique used in behavioral observation to minimize the risk that the participants' behavior is influenced by reacting to the presence of an observer.

Question 51

One advantage of Likert-type rating scale questions is that they produce numerical scores that can be evaluated with standard statistical methods such as computing means.

Question 52

A political scientist uses a survey to determine whether college students' sleeping habits are related to their grade point averages. This researcher is using the descriptive survey research design.

Question 53

Observing a person's behavior while having him or her complete a problem-solving task in the laboratory is an example of participant observation.

Question 54

One problem with observational research is that it can be very time consuming. However, this problem is minimized by using participant observation.

Question 55

Archival research involves applying the techniques of behavioral observation to record behaviors in contemporary books or movies.

Question 56

A limitation of descriptive studies is that they cannot assess the causal relationship between variables.

Question 57

One disadvantage of open-ended questions is that the responses can be very difficult to summarize and analyze.

Question 58

Nonresponse bias refers to the fact that interviewers may influence a participant's answer by reading a question in one way or another.

Question 59

Roshenhan's study in which individuals were admitted to psychiatric hospitals in order to observe patients and patient-staff interactions, is an example of contrived observation.

Question 60

One concern with telephone surveys is interviewer bias.

Question 61

Suppose you are interested in performing an observational study of eating behavior of rats in a laboratory. Describe one method to quantify this behavior: that is, explain how you could convert the observations into numerical scores.

Question 62

Outline the major advantages and disadvantages of administering a survey on the Internet.

Question 63

Describe the three types of behavioral observation and briefly explain the circumstances under which each is used.

Question 64

Describe the three types of survey questions and outline the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Question 65

Describe the three types of sampling that can be done in observational research and explain why sampling is helpful.

Question 66

Describe the primary distinction between descriptive research and other research strategies.

Question 67

Under what circumstances is a case study the preferred technique for gathering information?