Deck 4: Intervention and Evaluation

Question 1

The purpose of a process evaluation may be to assess if the intervention is

A) actually reaching the intended recipients
B) achieving its short- and intermediate-term objectives
C) addressing the goals it was designed for
D) worth the investment

Answer 1

actually reaching the intended recipients

Question 2

A program is "an organized collection of ______ designed to reach certain objectives" (Royse et al.,2006).

A) social strategies
B) research procedures
C) activities
D) goal-focused techniques

Answer 2

activities

Question 3

When a car salesperson uses a social influence idea he learned in class to try to achieve a sale,this is an example of a(n)______ intervention.

A) social
B) interpersonal
C) personal
D) efficacy

Answer 3

personal

Question 4

The text notes that the goal of increased condom use as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS with regard to some UN intervention programs is sometimes difficult to achieve and thus contributes to the failure of some intervention programs.This fact was cited to illustrate what reason for why programs can fail?

A) operation of reactance
B) deficiencies in the program logic model
C) failure to factor in the cultural context
D) failure to implement the program as designed

Question 5

The focus of the "Intervention and Evaluation" chapter of the book is on ______ interventions.

A) programmatic
B) efficacy
C) social
D) problem-oriented

Question 6

The text considered several plausible explanations for the failure of the Cambridge-Somerville project on preventing youth from going down a criminal path.What was one explanation that was suggested?

A) The project did not include a control (comparison) group.
B) Community sources of help (e.g., social services organizations) did not provide typical levels of support.
C) Problems of attrition-the least delinquent-prone boys dropped out-biased the outcomes in a negative direction.
D) The absence of a long-term follow-up meant that more subtle beneficial outcomes that might eventually emerge could not be examined.

Question 7

An intervention may be defined as a ______.

A) philosophy
B) research method
C) procedure
D) set of attainable objectives

Question 8

When the chairperson of a psychology department informally speaks with some faculty members in order to decide if the department should have a workshop dealing with faculty morale,she has engaged in ______.

A) a program efficacy assessment
B) a needs assessment
C) prescientific problem identification
D) an intervention viability analysis

Question 9

Steps 2 and 3 in intervention design and delivery are ______ and ______,respectively.

A) identifying a problem; developing a solution
B) identifying a problem; goal setting or designing an intervention
C) developing a solution; goal setting or designing an intervention
D) goal setting or designing an intervention; developing a solution

Question 10

A summative evaluation also is known as a(n)______ evaluation and is used to determine if the program had ______.

A) formative; been carried out as intended
B) formative; accomplished its objectives
C) outcome; been carried out as intended
D) outcome; accomplished its objectives

Question 11

______ may be viewed as the overriding reason for evaluation research.

A) Ethical responsibility
B) Financial accountability
C) Humanitarianism
D) Program development

Question 12

Suppose that you are designing a program to get grade school boys to make more use of recreational activities at a neighborhood community center.You take steps to deal with the problem of reactance.Which of the following most clearly addresses reactance?

A) You tell kids the doors of the center are open everyday of the week, and they can come by anytime they like.
B) You ensure that the activities at the center are age appropriate.
C) You advise the kids to come together with their friends.
D) You tell kids that there are some high school boys at the center who help to organize activities and spend time with the younger kids.

Question 13

The Cambridge-Somerville project in Boston is a well-known example of a failed program.Which of the following did NOT characterize the intervention?

A) There was some evidence that suggested that the program may have had detrimental effects on the recipients.
B) Both subjective indicators (e.g., views of caseworkers) and objective indicators (e.g., crime statistics) pointed to the failure of the program.
C) The recipients were involved in the program for five years and received a variety of supports.
D) The main goal of the program was to prevent boys from lower-class backgrounds from going down a criminal path.

Question 14

When Sherif (1966)set out the rationale for why conflict between groups of boys would be reduced through cooperating in the attainment of superordinate goals,he was articulating a(n)______.

A) intervention hypothesis
B) intervention theory
C) program logic model
D) strategy plan

Question 15

Intervention hypotheses are central to which step in the design and delivery of a program?

A) problem identification
B) problem solution
C) delineation of the causes of the problem
D) goal setting

Question 16

Building on the idea that intentional exposure to a weak strain of a virus can protect people from the virus,McAlister,Perry,and Maccoby (1980)applied ______ to help students to ______.

A) inoculation theory; resist social pressures to smoke
B) inoculation theory; improve their in-class conduct
C) cognitive dissonance theory; resist social pressures to smoke
D) cognitive dissonance theory; improve their in-class conduct

Question 17

Biglan,Mrazek,Carnine,and Flay (2003)have proposed that before scientific organizations advise the adoption of a program directed toward the prevention of behavior problems in youth,the effectiveness of the program should be demonstrated by

A) no less than four well-designed experimental trials
B) at least two well-designed experimental trials
C) at least two well-designed experimental trials or three well-designed interrupted time series experiments
D) at least two well-designed experimental trials, three well-designed interrupted time series experiments, or five or more cross-lag correlational studies

Question 18

With regard to intervention design and delivery,which is true?

A) Objectives include intermediate-term changes that happen as a consequence of a program.
B) A program logic model entails a summary statement of the intervention and the outcomes that are expected.
C) Precipitating factors are those that define the need for an intervention.
D) Needs and problems are viewed differently, in that the former reflect biological deficits and the latter social deficits.

Question 19

When crime levels begin to accelerate,a municipal police department establishes a community policing ministation on the west side of the city.Officers assigned to the ministation have such responsibilities as patrolling on foot,speaking with children at schools,and helping local businesses improve their crime prevention efforts.Which people represent stakeholders in the community policing intervention?

A) chief of police
B) local children
C) local business owners
D) all of these

Question 20

The essence of the application of social norm theory is to

A) increase awareness of consequences of antisocial norms
B) increase conformity to prevailing norms
C) help people to resist conforming to deviant norms
D) correct people's misperceptions of norms

Question 21

Which is true?

A) A survey of 118 schools reported by Wechsler (2003) indicated that nearly 25% had adopted some form of norm-based intervention to combat binge drinking.
B) The social-norm approach also has been applied to such issues as seatbelt use, tax compliance, and energy conservation.
C) In 2006, the American Norm Misperception Center opened its offices on the campus of the University of Virginia.
D) A survey of 118 schools reported by Wechsler (2003) indicated that nearly 10% had adopted some form of norm-based intervention to combat binge drinking.

Question 22

The text notes that the social norm intervention designed to curb drinking at Northern Illinois University

A) was examined using a process evaluation
B) involved a quasi-experimental design
C) involved an equivalent comparison group of universities closely matched with Northern Illinois University students on several demographic variables
D) was unsuccessful during the first few years until the basic message was adjusted

Question 23

Suppose that you and most students in your course study for a number of days ahead of an exam but believe that the vast majority of students in the course wait until the day right before the exam to do almost all of their studying.This would be an example of ______.

A) the fundamental attribution error
B) the false consensus effect
C) the false uniqueness effect
D) pluralistic ignorance

Question 24

For the applied social psychologist,ethical issues with respect to programs typically arise when he or she discovers

A) that there are serious unintended negative consequences of the program
B) that program administrators are manipulating the programs for devious, self-serving purposes
C) that improper designs have been used
D) information that, if revealed, would benefit one stakeholder group at the expense of another

Question 25

By using qualitative research methods,de Visser and colleagues (2015)were able to determine that young people often avoid excessive drinking by

A) leaving alcohol at home when they go out
B) drinking alternative beverages, particularly energy drinks
C) smoking instead
D) drinking until they hit the "sweet spot"

Question 26

The authors of Chapter 4 ("Intervention and Evaluation")note that interventions are subjected to various kinds of constraint.What category of constraint was NOT mentioned?

A) conflict and disagreement among program administrators and program deliverers
B) budgetary limitations
C) the funder's needs and priorities
D) the collaborative nature of intervention design

Question 27

All too often,program outcomes are vague or impossible to measure.To combat this tendency,stakeholders may use the acronym SMART to develop outcomes that have five criteria.Which one is NOT a criteria of SMART?

A) measureable
B) specific
C) achievable
D) reliable

Question 28

Research by de Visser and colleagues (2015)on reducing alcohol consumption demonstrated that when it comes to intervention and evaluation,qualitative research methods

A) are of no value
B) must be mixed with quantitative research methods to be useful
C) can provide insights not available through quantitative methods
D) are inappropriate because they have nothing to do with the applied goals of intervention or evaluation

Question 29

A major objective (not goal)of the social norm intervention at Northern Illinois University was to reduce ______.

A) high-risk drinking
B) alcohol-related injuries
C) misperceptions of the amount of drinking
D) sexual assaults on campus

Question 30

Over a 10-year span using the social norm intervention,Northern Illinois University experienced a ______% decrease in perceived high-risk drinking,a ______% decrease in actual high-risk drinking,and a ______% decrease in alcohol-related injuries.

A) 87; 80; 70
B) 67; 70; 40
C) 37; 30; 20
D) 7; 10; 5

Question 31

The "Intervention and Evaluation" chapter discusses the fact that many social and practical problems are complex and have multiple interdependencies.These interdependencies suggest that in order to be effective in addressing complex problems,interventions designed to address them should be

A) simple, so they can be effectively implemented
B) simple, so they can be properly evaluated
C) simple, so they can be understood by stakeholders
D) correspondingly complex

Question 32

In comparing policy and intervention,the text suggests

A) interventions refer to general courses of action, whereas policies refer to more specific actions
B) social policies represent the sine qua non of applied social psychology
C) the path from social psychological knowledge to policy formation is less direct than is the path from social psychological knowledge to the development of interventions
D) the path from social psychological knowledge to policy formation is more direct than is the path from social psychological knowledge to the development of interventions

Question 33

Which is true of the eating disorder program designed by Stice and his colleagues (e.g.,Stice et al.,2008)?

A) Participants were young women who met the criteria of having some form of eating disorder.
B) The program activities focused on undermining the thin ideal.
C) The key program activities involved exposure to persuasive messages (e.g., presented by live and video role models).
D) The program activities endorsed the beauty aspect of the thin ideal.

Question 34

The authors of Chapter 4 ("Intervention and Evaluation")note that intervention design is

A) a collaborative process
B) always led by a researcher
C) incomplete unless qualitative research methods are employed
D) not constrained by legal considerations

Question 35

Conclusions made in evaluations encompass both a(n)______ aspect.

A) empirical and numerical
B) numerical and diagnostic
C) empirical and normative
D) diagnostic and empirical

Question 36

De Visser and colleagues (2015)designed an intervention to address the harmful alcohol use among young people at NIU.To ensure that the intervention would appeal to its target audience,the researchers surveyed approximately 1,400 young people about the strategies that they thought would be effective to combat binge drinking.Participants indicated that an intervention that focused on which of the following skills would be effective?

A) interpersonal skills to know how to avoid certain environments
B) teaching skills to resist alcohol consumption when others were drinking
C) social skills to know when to drink
D) conflict management skills

Question 37

Stice and his colleagues' (Stice et al.,2008)successful eating disorder intervention was based on the application of which social psychological theory?

A) attribution
B) social learning
C) cognitive dissonance
D) social norm

Question 38

What is NOT characteristic of the intervention carried out at Northern Illinois University designed to curb drinking?

A) The main program activity was a print media campaign.
B) The program designers chose to have educators and student leaders identified with the message in order to enhance message credibility.
C) A program activity involved rewarding students who remembered the message.
D) The intervention was carried out for more than 10 years.

Question 39

The key independent variable in the eating disorder intervention developed by Stice and his colleagues (Stice et al.,2008)is ______.

A) attribution retraining
B) undermining norm misperception
C) peer influence
D) counter-attitudinal behavior

Question 40

Hansen,Meissler,and Ovens (2000)have used aspects of ______ and ______ to develop play therapy programs for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A) social norm theory; reactance theory
B) social norm theory; cognitive dissonance theory
C) social learning theory; cognitive dissonance theory
D) social learning theory; the fundamental attribution error

Question 41

Ethical issues can and are likely to arise in the design and implementation stages of an intervention but never occur during the evaluation stage.

Question 42

A well-known approach to preventing or resolving ethical dilemmas is to involve various stakeholders-for example,program recipients,frontline staff,managers,board members,and funders-when making key decisions regarding the intervention design or evaluation project.

Question 43

Based on the examples provided in the text,we see where qualitative research methods can play an integral role in designing and evaluating intervention programs.Describe two benefits of using qualitative research methods for interventions.

Question 44

Although interventions can be directed at different levels (e.g.,individual,group,organization,or community),they are ultimately directed toward individuals,as for change to occur,whether in a group or in an organization,individual members must change in some way.

Question 45

During the process of evaluating an intervention,a needs assessment must be conducted to determine whether the evaluation is necessary.

Question 46

Social psychology can contribute to the development of both intervention and policy; however,the path from social psychological knowledge to influencing social policy is seldom straightforward and is influenced by many factors.

Question 47

The process of designing and implementing an intervention follows four steps.Name and describe these four steps.

Question 48

As highlighted in the text,the path from social psychological knowledge to influencing social policy is seldom straightforward.Describe two factors that preclude the direct use of knowledge in policy decision making.

Question 49

Name the two broad types of interventions,and distinguish between them.

Question 50

All interventions have to operate within constraints.Describe three main constraints faced by program developers.

Question 51

Qualitative research is useful for designing and evaluating interventions because it allows researchers to quickly and inexpensively measure attitudes and behaviors of large groups of people and to test for changes in attitudes or behaviors over time.

Question 52

The text discusses four reasons for evaluating interventions.List and explain three of them.

Question 53

A program logic model is fundamental to evaluations and interventions.Explain what a program logic model is,and list the core components.

Question 54

List three possible reasons why some interventions may prove to be ineffective.

Question 55

Social psychology can contribute to both the development of policy and the development of interventions.Differentiate between the two.

Question 56

There are two main forms of evaluations: (1)formative evaluations,also known as process evaluations,and (2)summative evaluations,also referred to as outcome evaluations.

Question 57

Name and describe the two main types of program evaluation.

Question 58

Quantitative evaluation methods,such as questionnaires and survey,can capture the experience of intervention participants in a much more nuanced way than qualitative evaluation data.

Question 59

Research has highlighted that incorporating theory in the design of interventions is both valuable and beneficial.

Question 60

A program logic model is a necessary tool to consult when doing a thorough evaluation of an intervention.