Research Methods: Kinesiology Midterm

Another term that describes the unscientific method of tenacity is a. superstition b. objectivity c. rationalization d. intuition

a. superstition

comparing test items with the course objectives (course topics) checks which type of validity? a. construct b. content c. predictive d. concurrent

b. content

If a thermometer measured the temperature in an oven as 400 degrees five days in a row when the temperature was actually 337 degrees, this measuring instrument would be considered a. reliable but not valid b. reliable and valid c. unreliable and invalid d. valid but not reliable

a. reliable but not valid

a researcher conducts a study on the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) by comparing classes that use this method with classes that do not. The researcher expects the CAI classes to show higher gains in achievement. This expectation is a. a hypothesis b. the independent variable c. the dependent variable d. a paradigm

a. a hypothesis

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The independent variable is a. adventure summer camp b. three months c. self-concept d. age level

a. adventure summer camp

Literature Review: Which of the following is not an important purpose for reviewing the literature? a. formulating the hypothesis b. developing the method c. developing the research hypothesis d. identifying and defining the problem

a. formulation the null hypothesis

The extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the treatments used in the study is the definition of what kind of validity? a. internal b. external c. content d. criterion

a. internal

Special language that is regularly used in a particular field but which may not be meaningful to people outside the field is called a. jargon b. confutation c. communication d. concealment

a. jargon

Individuals performing well merely becasue they are being observed (and not necessarily because of any effect of treatment) are considered to be under the influence of the a. halo effect b. Hawthorne effect c. novelty effect d. expectancy effect

b. Hawthorne effect

Validity is determined by finding the correlation between scores on a. the even-numbered items and the odd-numbered items on a test b. a test and some independent criterion c. one form of a test and another form of that same test d. two administrations fo the same test

b. a test and some independent criterion

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The researcher states that concept is represented by scored on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. This is an example of a(n) a. basic assumption b. operational definition c. limitation d. research hypothesis

b. operational definition

In which part of the method section should you expect to find information about when the participants were tested? a. participants b. procedures c. design and analysis d. instruments

b. procedures

A pretest of knowledge about microcomputers is given to a group of students 5 min prior to a film on the subject. A posttest given 10 min after the film showed a 10-point gain from the pretest. The researcher concludes that the film produced the gain. Which of the following is likely the threat to internal validity? a. maturation b. statistical regression c. testing d. selection bias

c. testing

reliability of a measure may be established by a. giving the test to the same people on two different occasions and correlation the two sets of scores b. correlating scores from alternate forms of the same test c. correlating the test with some independent criterion d. a and b only e. a, b and c

d. a and b only

In describing participants in the method section of a research report, which of the following should be included? a. number of participants b. procedures for testing participants c. pertinent descriptive characteristics of participants d. a and c only e. a, b, and c

d. a and c only

The accuracy with which a 12-min run estimates maximal oxygen consumption in a group of male high school seniors represents a. content validity b. logical validity c. construct validity d. concurrent validity

d. concurrent validity

The internal validity of an experimental design is concerned with what question? a. will findings provide information about situations in which variations of the independent variable are present? b. did the independent variable really produce a change in the dependent variable? c. to what extent can the findings be generalized? d. how representative is the setting selected for the experiment?

b. did the independent variable really produce a change in the dependent variable?

Retrieval: A good beginning point in a literature search for the student with a very limited knowledge about a topic is a. dissertation abstracts international b. encyclopedias, textbooks, and literature reviews c. current issues fo several research journal in the area d. psychological abstracts

b. encyclopedias, textbooks, and literature reviews

The generalizability of the results pertains to what kind of validity? a. internal b. external c. logical d. construct

b. external

The only type of research that can manipulate treatments and establish a cause and effect is a. analytical research b. correctional research c. descriptive research d. experimental research

d. experimental research

When we say that research is empirical, we mean that the researcher a. collects data on which to base decisions b. controls all extraneous variables c. solves the problems through rationalization d. finds positive support for the research hypothesis

a. collect data on which to base decisions

In evaluating the method section of a research report, which is a very important question to keep in mind? a. did the author provide enough information that the study could be repeated? b. were each of the subjects clearly identified? c. were the statistical data clearly summarized in tables or figures? d. did the author clearly state the problem?

a. did the author provide enough information that the study could be repeated?

"To what populations, settings, treatment variables, and measurement variables can this effect be generalized?" might most appropriately be asked in relation to a. external validity b. internal validity c. construct validity d. criterion validity

a. external validity

In a study designed to assess the comparative effectiveness of two workbooks used in teaching students about laboratory procedures, the independent variable of the study would be a. workbooks b. student attitude toward the intervention c. test scores on laboratory procedures d. length of the treatment period

a. workbooks

Which of the following is information that should be found in the section on design and analysis of the data? a. the reliability of the attitude scale was .89 b. and ANOVA was used to compare the three groups c. all of the 167 participants responded "Agree" to the first item d. there was a significant difference between the two teaching methods

b. and ANOVA was used to compare the three groups

The premise that the Minnesota Attitude Inventory is a valid measure of attitude toward school is an example of a a. research hypothesis b. null hypothesis c. basic assumption d. limitation

c. basic assumption

Just before the posttest, students in the control group were shown a film in another class that related directly to the subject matter being studied in the treatment group. This represents what kind of threat to internal validity? a. maturation b. statistical regression c. selection bias d. history

d. history

Recognizing that grade point average may not completely reflect success in school is an example of a a. research hypothesis b. null hypothesis c. basic assumption d. limitation

d. limitation

Multiple-treatment interference and the interaction of selection bias and experimental treatment are threats to a. external validity b. test validity c. internal validity d. test reliability

a. external validity

At the end of a well-written introduction, the reader should be able to predict the a. statistical analysis b. organization of the literature review c. statement of the problem (purpose of study) d. measurement tools to be used

c. statement of the problem (purpose of study)

Literature review: The primary sources of a literature review are a. research journal articles b. the most current indexes c. recent textbooks d. encyclopedia summaries

a. research journal articles

A physical education teacher develops a skill test in volleyball. After administering the test to 50 students, the asks the volleyball coach to rate the students on volleyball skills. She then correlates the students' test scores with the coach's rating. This is an example of what type of validity? a. content validity b. criterion validity c. logical validity d. face validity

b. criterion validity

In the description of pertinent characteristics of the participants, which of the following would be least pertinent in a study that surveyed the favorite books of children? a. sex of the children b. height of the children c. number of children d. age of the children

b. height of the children

Interviewers may become more skilled with practice, which could cause differences between the results of participants interviewed early in the study and those of participants interviewed later. This threat to internal validity is known as a. testing b. intsrumentation c. history d. statistical regression

b. instrumentation

A project was submitted with the title "A study comparing the achievement of sixth-grade students in Moscow, Idaho, instructed in health education through closed-circuit television and regular classroom procedure for a period of 16 weeks." This title a. is likely to be indexed improperly b. is too long c. does not tell what the study has done d. fails to identify the broad area of research

b. is too long

A double-blind experiment is one in which a. both experimental and control groups are exposed to identical pretesting and post testing conditions b. neither the researcher nor the participants know which participants receive the experimental treatment c. both experimental and control groups receive the same tests d. neither the experimental nor control groups know which participants receive the experimental treatment, but the experimenter knows

b. neither the researcher nor the participants know which participants receive the experimental treatment

The part of the method section of the research paper that describes the activities of each treatment group is titled a. design and analysis b. procedures c. participants d. instruments

b. procedures

It is reasonable to expect volunteer participants to be similar in nature to a. paid participants from similar populations b. other volunteers of a similar age c. other volunteers from similar populations d. randomly selected participants from similar populations

c. other volunteers from similar populations

Defining volleyball skill as a score on the AAHPERD Volleyball Test is a(n): a. experimental definition b. dictionary definition c. constituted definition d. operational definition

d. operational definition

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The dependent variable is a. age level b. three months c. adventure summer camp d. self-concept

d. self-concept

Compared to applied research, basic research a. is done in the "real world," such as the classroom b. is of more immediate value to the practitioner c. questions cannot be easily answered d. usually offers more control, such as in a laboratory

d. usually offers more control, such as in laboratories

It is desirable to carry out a pilot study prior to the actual research study because a. it permits a thorough check of the planned data collection and analysis procedures b. if the pilot study results are positive, further work on the research project will be unnecessary c. the researcher can use the results of the pilot study in the actual study, thus reducing the number of participants needed d. a pilot study involves more control over the procedures than is generally attained in the actual research project

a. it permits a thorough check of the planned data collection and analysis procedures

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The researcher states that he is aware that responses to questions on a self-concept scale may not always be what the person really believes. This is an example of a(n) a. limitation b. operational definition c. delimitation d. basic assumption

a. limitation

For a test to have good content validity, the following statement(s) must be true: a. the test is highly correlated with the final grade in the course b. the test adequately samples what was covered in the course c. the percentage of points for each topic area reflects the amount of emphasis given that topic d. b and c only e. a, b, and c

d. b and c only

Which of the following statements would appear in the procedures part of the method section of a research report? a. participants in the experimental group exercised three days per week for 30 minutes per day for 10 weeks. b. the test-retest reliability of the test instrument was reported to be .88 by Smith (1993). c. Pearson product moment correlation was used to analyze the relationship between scores on the distance run and scores on the test of maximal oxygen consumption. d. participants scored above the national mean on the dependent variable.

a. participants in the experimental group exercised three days per week for 30 minutes per day for 10 weeks.

In experimental design, when comparisons are made of groups that have been selected on the basis of their extreme scores, the posttest means of the groups tend to move toward the mean of the entire population from which the extreme groups were selected. This threat to internal validity is called a. statistical regression b. differential selection c. experimental mortality d. interaction of selection

a. statistical regression

Literature review: Which of the following is not a common error in the review of literature sections of papers? a. synthesizing and interpreting the findings of previous research b. presenting each study in the same way c. using a large number of quotations d. giving an article-by-article presentation

a. synthesizing and interpreting the findings of previous research

An operational definition of human intelligence is a. those characteristics that are measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children b. the ability to use language and symbols c. the ability to employ abstract reasoning in the solving of problems d. those characteristics that differentiate between humans and the higher animals

a. those characteristics that are measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The categorical variable is a. self-concept b. age level c. three months d. adventure summer camp

b. age level

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The researcher is proceeding on the belief that self-concept can be changed in a summer (three months). This is an example of a(n) a. limitation b. basic assumption c. research hypothesis d. operational definition

b. basic assumption

The author of a test of anxiety proceeds on the premise, based on the literature, that the performance of people with high anxiety suffers when they are under stress. In an experiment, the author finds that people who scored as highly anxious on the test performed more poorly on a stressful task. The test author maintained that this finding was evidence of what kind of validity? a. content b. concurrent c. construct d. predictive

c. construct

In a research study in which the treatment involved quite intense physical training, 40% of the participants in the treatment group dropped out as compared with 5% of the control group. This threat to internal validity is called a. selection bias b. history c. experimental mortality d. statistical regression

c. experimental mortality

A research hypothesis a. is nearly always the same as the null hypothesis b. predicts the technique used to analyze the data c. is directly testable d. depends of the statistical hypothesis

c. is directly testable

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The researcher's statement that "the boys in the adventure program will make significantly greater gains in self-concept than the boys in the control group" is an example of a(n): a. limitation b. basic assumption c. research hypothesis d. operational definition

c. research hypothesis

This question pertains to the following study: "A researcher wishes to determine the effects of an outdoor adventure summer camp of the self-concept of inner-city boys. Boys are randomly assigned to the summer camp and to a control situation. The experimental treatment is for three months. A secondary purpose is to see if age (ages 6,9 and 12) affects the relationship of the camp effects and self-concept." The number of participants, the selection of the self-concept inventory, and the length of the study are all examples of a. basic assumptions b. operational definitions c. limitations d. delimitations

d. delimitations

A researcher predicts that there will be a positive relationship between attitude scores and grade point average. This is an example of a a. null hypothesis b. basic assumption c. limitation d. research hypothesis

d. research hypothesis

In the example in chapter 1 of the experiment that compared aerobic dance with jogging, what was the dependent variable? a. gender b. age of the participants c. number of exercise sessions per week d. skinfold-measured fat

d. skinfold-measured fat

In the instruments part of the method sections, the author should include a description of the a. characteristics of the participants who were measrued b. statistics that were applied to the measurements c. experimental treatments under which the measurements were taken d. test characteristics of validity and reliability e. all of the above

d. test characteristics of validity and reliability