week 11 Research

A simple reversal design is also called a(n)

ABA design

VMV Corp. conducted a test using a single-case experimental design to analyze the effect of gifts on the productivity of its employees. Its research team measured employee performance both before and after the gift scheme was implemented. After a fixed period, the gift scheme was retracted and employee performance was observed. The scheme was reintroduced, and employee performance was measured again. This scenario exemplifies an _____ design.

ABAB

Identify a source of instrument decay when human observers are used to measure behavior.

An observer gains skill over time.

The process of matching individuals in treatment and control groups on propensity scores is called matching.

Blank 1: propensity Blank 2: score

Identify the benefits of using an ABAB or ABABAB design in place of an ABA design when implementing a basic reversal design. (Check all that apply.)

It is less likely that random or coincidental events are responsible for observed behavior. The sequence is ethically sound as it ends with the experimental treatment rather than with the withdrawal of the treatment.

Identify a true statement about the one-group posttest-only design.

It lacks internal validity.

Which of the following is likely to occur whenever participants in a one-group pretest-posttest design are selected because they score extremely high or low on some variable?

Regression toward the mean

What can researchers do to enhance the generalizability of results from a single-case experimental design?

Replicate the procedures used with a single subject with other subjects

Identify the general methods that are used by developmental psychologists to study the ways in which individuals change as a function of age. (Check all that apply.)

The cross-sectional method The longitudinal method

Identify the advantages of using single-case experimental designs. (Check all that apply.)

They do not require complex statistical analyses. They can be valuable when a change technique is being applied in a natural environment.

Single-case experiments were developed from a need to determine whether

an experimental manipulation had an effect on a single research participant

Maturation effects are significant because

any time-related factor might result in a change from the pretest to the posttest

Unlike longitudinal methods, developmental changes in cross-sectional methods

are based on comparisons among different cohorts of individuals

A study was performed to determine the effect of vaccination on the incidence of viral fever in Philadelphia. The study analyzed the rates of the incidence before and after the vaccination was initiated in the city. The researchers also analyzed data from other comparable cities for the same time period. In this scenario, the study uses a(n) _____ design.

control series

The interrupted time series design that is improved with some kind of control group is called a

control series design

A study was conducted to examine the effect of age on people's ability to solve arithmetic problems. People from different age groups were asked to solve the same set of arithmetic problems, and the results obtained were analyzed. In this scenario, the study follows the _____ method.

cross-sectional

Persons of different ages are studied at only one point in time in a study using the

cross-sectional method

The first phase of the sequential method begins with the

cross-sectional method

According to Campbell and Stanley (1966), a one-group posttest-only design is called a

one-shot case study

Regression toward the mean is likely to occur when

participants are selected because they score extremely high or low on some variable

In the context of developmental research design, longitudinal research is the best way to study how

the scores on a variable at one age are related to the scores on another variable at a later age

A simple reversal design is also called a withdrawal design in recognition of the fact that

the treatment is removed

A problem with single-case experimental designs is that

there are likely to be many alternative explanations for the change in a subject's behavior other than the experimental treatments

In a single-case experimental design, a manipulation is introduced during a _____ period.

treatment

To demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment used in a multiple baseline design, a behavioral change must be observed

under multiple circumstances to rule out other possibilities

An advantage of using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design over a nonequivalent control group posttest-only design is that a researcher can see whether the groups

were the same on the pretest

The experimental design that obtains a comparison by measuring participants before a manipulation and again afterward is called a(n)

one-group pretest-posttest design

Identify a true statement about a multiple baseline design across subjects.

A manipulation is introduced at a different point in time for each of the several subjects.

Which of the following is a drawback of a one-group pretest-posttest design?

It does not take alternative explanations into account.

Any event that occurs between the first and second measurements but is not part of a manipulation is referred to as

history

True or false: The logic of a reversal design, which involves the measurement after withdrawal of the treatment, cannot be applied to behaviors observed in a single setting.

False

are most likely caused by virtually any confounding event that occurs at the same time as an experimental manipulation.

History effects

A group of people born at about the same time, exposed to the same events in a society, and influenced by the same demographic trends is described as a(n)

cohort

In a cross-sectional study, a difference among groups of different ages is likely to reflect developmental age changes; however, the differences are likely to result from

cohort effects

The tradition in single-case research has been to present the results of

each subject individually

The basic characteristics of measuring instruments change over time; this is referred to as

instrument decay

An experimental design that examines changes over an extended period of time both before and after the introduction of a treatment is called a(n)

interrupted time series design

The cross-sectional method of developmental research design is much more common than the longitudinal method primarily because it

is less expensive and yields results immediately

Causal inference in a quasi-experiment is much more difficult because quasi-experiments

lack important features of true experiments such as random assignments to conditions

A study was conducted on the development of students' interpersonal skills. The study analyzed a group of participants as they progressed to different grades for a period of 10 years. In this scenario, the study followed the _____ method.

longitudinal

The only way to conclusively study changes that occur as people grow older is to use a

longitudinal design

In the context of quasi-experimental designs, any changes that occur systematically over time are called

maturation effects

In a _____, the effectiveness of the treatment used is demonstrated when a behavior changes only after a manipulation is introduced.

multiple baseline design

The _____ employs a separate control group, but participants in the two conditions—the experimental group and the control group—are not equivalent.

nonequivalent control group design

Using an ABAB design in an experiment provides an opportunity to

observe a second reversal when an experimental treatment is introduced again

The quasi-experimental design that lacks a control or comparison group is called the

one-group posttest-only design

The scores on the variables that are thought to be important when comparing the groups in a quasi-experimental design are combined to produce what is called a

propensity score

The experimental designs that address the need to study the effect of an independent variable in settings in which the control features of true experimental designs cannot be achieved are known as

quasi-experimental designs

An advantage of using a multiple baseline design across subjects is that one can

rule out explanations based on chance and historical events

The problem that arises when participants who form the experimental group and the control group in the nonequivalent control group design experiment are chosen from existing natural groups is called

selection differences

A compromise between the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods is to use the

sequential method

A study was conducted to test the impact of rewards on the performance of students. The researchers observed the performance of the students when there were no rewards. The researchers then introduced a reward system for enhanced performance and observed the students again. Finally, the researchers withdrew the reward system and observed the performance of the students without the rewards again. The type of experimental design used by the researchers in this scenario is a

simple reversal design

Single-case experimental designs have traditionally been called _____ designs.

single-subject

Regression toward the mean is sometimes called

statistical regression

Unlike the longitudinal method, the sequential method

takes fewer years to complete

In a one-group pretest-posttest design affected by the problem of testing effects, the reduction found on the posttest is likely to be the result of

taking the pretest

When a participant's behavior changes by simply taking a pretest, the problem of _____ occurs.

testing effects