Research Methods - Post Midterm Chapter Questions

In the journal format for theses and dissertations, the preliminary part.... -contains materials that are typically required by the institution -is left off when submitting the study for publication -contains informed consent forms -all of the above -only a and b

(only a and b) contains materials that are typically required by the institution, is left off when submitting the study for publication

Which of the following is not true about a mixed-method study? 1. The emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods is based on other similar studies. 2. The emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods can be equal in the study. 3. The emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods can be varied depending on the goals of the study. 4. The selected quantitative and qualitative methods will require expertise that matches their emphasis in the study.

1. The emphasis on quantitative and qualitative methods is based on other similar studies.

In a meta-analysis of 100 studies that compared boys' and girls' knowledge of AIDS, an average ES of 0.50 was found. This number represents.... -a correlation of 0.50 -a mean square (variance) of 0.50 -a t ratio of 0.50 -a difference of 0.50 standard deviation units

a difference of 0.50 standard deviation units

Which of the following techniques show(s) that the qualitative researcher was concerned with trustworthiness during data analysis? -clarification of researcher bias -prolonged engagement -peer debriefing -a and c -all of the above

all of the above

In the journal format for theses and dissertations, the appendixes contain... -acknowledgments -a list of tables -references -an extended review of literature

an extended review of literature

Splitting as an approach to socio-historical research occurs when the researcher... -takes disparate facts and groups them together -is interested in minute detail of the past -is interested in how things fit into the bigger picture -chips away at theory by examining how it holds together

chips away at theory by examining how it holds together

Additional factors that can affect the relationship between physical activity and blood cholesterol, such as smoking, body fat, and so on, are called... -control factors -confounding factors -cohort factors -construct factors

confounding factors

Determining the relationship between students' attitudes toward drugs and the frequency of drug usage is an example of a(n) ________ study. -experimental -unobtrusive -ex post facto -correlational

correlational

Which of the following would be included in a grant proposal but not in a thesis proposal? -review of literature -curriculum vitae of the author -description of how data will be analyzed -description of instruments

curriculum vitae of the author

The inclusion criteria in a meta-analysis are very much like... -delimitations -limitations -basic assumptions -research hypotheses

delimitations

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... -experimental mortality -statistical regression -history -selection bias

experimental mortality

The socio-historical research process that attempts to establish whether a document is authentic is called... -context specificity -analytical verification -internal criticism -external criticism

external criticism

Which of the following should be included in the discussion section of a research report? -tables but not graphs -graphs but not tables -implications of the results -raw data

implications of the results

Reasoning that moves from a limited number of specific observations to general conclusions is termed ____ reasoning. -inductive -speculative -deductive -descriptive

inductive

Which of the following is not included in a proposal? -methods -significance of study -table of results -literature review

table of results

The only true experimental design that can specifically evaluate the reactive or interactive effects of testing is the _______ design. -Solomon four-group -reversal -time-series -factorial

Solomon four-group

A basic characteristic of correlational research is that it... -can deal with only two variables -cannot predict future performance -does not manipulate variables and hence cannot establish cause and effect -does not need both measures on all participants for two variables to be correlated

does not manipulate variables and hence cannot establish cause and effect

In a meta-analysis, the results of various studies on a topic are quantified using a standard measure (ES) that is called... -error squared -estimate of significance -effect size -efficiency standard

effect size

Which of the three branches of philosophy focuses on knowledge? -axiology -epistemology -metaphysics

epistemology

Generally speaking, an oral presentation at a conference has... -more detail than a poster -less detail than a poster -about the same detail as a poster

less detail than a poster

The first step in conducting a questionnaire survey is to.... -select the sample -list specific objectives to be achieved -construct the questionnaire items -write the cover letter

list specific objectives to be achieved

Doing a mixed-methods study requires.... -more participants than are required in two separate studies -simultaneous data collection -collecting data for all participants for each part of the study -more expertise than is required for two separate studies

more expertise than is required for two separate studies

The descriptive, analytical narratives that are a trademark of qualitative research are also called.... -ethnographic anecdotes -rich, thick descriptions -assertive narratives -narrative vignettes

narrative vignettes

Which of the following are most difficult to analyze in a questionnaire study? -open-ended items -yes/no items -Likert-type items -semantic differential items

open-ended items

A method of philosophy that is designed to liberate people from the traditional claims of the other branches of philosophy falls under the heading of deconstructionism and is called... -aesthetics -empiricism -poetry -rationalism

poetry

The lengths and contents of abstracts differ according to their intended use. The important parts of an abstract for a published research paper include the... -problem, design, analysis, findings -problem, participants, analysis, findings -problem, methods, results, discussion -problem, brief review of literature, analysis, results

problem, methods, results, discussion

Determinants of disease are often called... -symptoms -syndromes -epidemic stressors -risk factors

risk factors

The major weakness of epidemiological studies is... -the inability to experimentally establish cause and effect -the small numbers of people as participants -insufficient information on diseases -insufficient time to collect data

the inability to experimentally establish cause and effect

Historians use secondary sources to... -gather new information -provide more detail than previously available -add detail to previous work on the topic -understand what is known about the topic

understand what is known about the topic

Which of the three branches of philosophy focuses on the value of things? -axiology -epistemology -metaphysics

axiology

Particularizing as an approach to socio-historical research occurs when the researcher... -takes disparate facts and groups them together -is interested in minute detail of the past -is interested in how things fit into the bigger picture -chips away at theory by examining how it holds together

is interested in minute detail of the past

A researcher wishes to study a group of children over a period of 10 years beginning in 2016 and ending in 2025. This is an example of a ________ study. -longitudinal -correlational -case -cross-sectional

longitudinal

In the results section of a research report, the author should include... -information contained in tables -information concerning statistical significance and meaningfulness -conclusions -a and b only -a, b, and c

(a and b only) information contained in tables, information concerning statistical significance and meaningfulness

To help ensure an acceptable return rate in a questionnaire study, the researcher should... -make liberal use of open-ended questions -use follow-up letters or e-mails -enclose or attach another copy of the survey -b and c only -a, b, and c

(b and c only) use follow-up letters or e-mails, enclose or attach another copy of the survey

A major weakness of observational research lies in the operational definitions. Which question is an example of an operational definition? -How often can I observe this behavior? -Is my coding system reliable? -Where will the observations be made? -What behaviors characterize a good teacher or good coach?

What behaviors characterize a good teacher or good coach?

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

external validity

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

external validity

According to the text, the proposal should be written in... -present tense -past tense -future tense

future tense

Of the surveys frequently used for measuring physical activity in epidemiological research, the shortest (one to four items) is the... -global questionnaire -short-recall questionnaire -quantitative history questionnaire -wellness-ratings questionnaire

global questionnaire

The interpretation of data in qualitative research always involves some form of... -statistical comparisons -sorting and categorizing -deductive reasoning -external criticism

sorting and categorizing

The five-chapter format for theses and dissertations differs from the four-chapter model in that a separate chapter is devoted entirely to.... -the discussion -the literature review -the statistical analysis -tables and graphs

the literature review

A researcher finds that the control group performs above its usual performance when compared with the experimental group. This effect is named the.... -Hawthorne effect -Avis effect -Pygmalion effect -halo effect

Avis effect

A survey technique that asks a jury of experts to respond to a series of questionnaires in order to reach a consensus about important issues is the.... -normative survey method -obtrusive survey method -roundtable survey method -Delphi survey method

Delphi survey method

The one characteristic of true experimental designs that preexperimental and quasi-experimental designs do not have is.... -the use of a control group -a pretest and posttest -the application of parametric statistics -random assignment to groups

random assignment to groups

In a meta-analysis, the ES for the experimental versus control groups was 0.68, which represents a percentile equivalent of 75. This means that.... 1. The control group's average performance was 68 out of 100 compared with 75 out of 100 for the experimental group 2. the average score of the experimental group was better than 75% of the control group's scores 3. the probability is 75% that the use of the experimental treatment will improve the average student's score from the 50th to the 68th percentile 4. the control group's mean was only 75% as high as that of the experimental group

2. the average score of the experimental group was better than 75% of the control group's scores

Scaled responses to questionnaire items such as strongly agree, agree, no opinion, and so on are referred to as ________ scale items -Gulick -Likert-type -semantic differential -Binet

Likert-type

The internal validity of an experimental design is concerned with what question? 1. To what extent can the findings be generalized? 2. Did the independent variable really produce a change in the dependent variable? 3. How representative is the setting selected for the experiment? 4. Will findings provide information about situations in which variations of the independent variable are present?

2. Did the independent variable really produce a change in the dependent variable?

The case study.... 1. attempts to predict conditions that are likely to prevail in the future 2. gathers data from a single person or from a limited number of similar people 3. examines the content of written or printed materials to detect trends 4. seeks to generalize the results to a much larger population

2. gathers data from a single person or from a limited number of similar people

The fact that a meta-analysis quantifies findings from many studies is a frequently mentioned advantage. Another strong advantage of the meta-analysis over the normal review paper is... 1. the use of the computer in the literature search 2. the description of the coding of study characteristics and the criteria for excluding studies 3. the inclusion of theses and dissertations as well as journals 4. the use of the "scorecard" count of the number of studies that share common findings (such as those that found statistically significant differences)

2. the description of the coding of study characteristics and the criteria for excluding studies

Which of the following statements about constructing tables is not true? -Similar characteristics should read vertically. -The table should be understandable without referring to the text. -The table should include whatever test of significance was used. -The table should have clear and descriptive headings.

The table should include whatever test of significance was used.

A study design uses, for example, two groups of people representing a disease-free population who are then classified as exercisers and nonexercisers. After a period of time, the mortality rates of each group are compared. This design is called a(n).... -ex post facto study -experimental study -cohort study -participant observation study

cohort study

Trustworthiness in qualitative research.... -deals only with how data were collected -assures the results are good -relies on a test-retest procedure -deals with both data collection and analysis

deals with both data collection and analysis

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 an issue of... -statistical regression -testing -history -instrumentation

instrumentation

The socio-historical process that attempts to eliminate bias in an author is called... -context specificity -analytical verification -internal criticism -external criticism

internal criticism

In comparison to survey interviews, qualitative interviews tend to be... -more structured -less structured -shorter -virtually the same

less structured

Which of the three branches of philosophy focuses on the nature of things? -axiology -epistemology -metaphysics

metaphysics

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

other volunteers from similar populations

A pretest of knowledge about microcomputers is given to a group of students 5 minutes prior to a film on the subject. A posttest given 10 minutes after the film shows 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? -statistical regression -selection bias -testing -maturation

testing

Measurements are frequently made and then averaged across several participants. To what degree of precision should the average be reported in a research paper? -to the nearest whole number -to the precision with which it was measured -to the tenths decimal place -to the thousandths decimal place

to the precision with which it was measured