Chapters 7-9

What is differential attrition?

A problem that occurs in experiments when comparison groups become different because subjects are more likely to drop out of one of the groups than the other for various reasons.

Which of the following is an example of a focus group?

A researcher leads group discussions about interviewees' perceptions of crime

What is covert (complete) participation?

A role in field research in which the researcher does not reveal his her identity as a researcher to those who are observed.

What is complete observation?

A role in participant observation in which the researcher does not participate in group activities and is publicly defined as a researcher

What is intensive interviewing?

Open-ended, relatively unstructured questioning in which the interviewer seeks in-depth information on the interviewee's feelings, experiences, and/or perceptions.

What are contingent questions in a survey?

Questions that are only asked of only a subset of survey respondents

What is an index?

A composite measure of one concept created from a series of two or more questions · It is used to average out idiosyncratic variation.

What is a regression effect?

A source of causal invalidity that occurs when subjects who are chosen for a study because of their extreme scores on the dependent variable become less extreme on the posttest due to natural cyclical or episodic change in a variable.

What is systematic observation?

A strategy that increases the reliability of observational data by using explicit rules that standardize coding practices among observers.

What is the experience sampling method (ESM)?

A technique for drawing a representative sample of everyday activities, thoughts, and experiences · Participants carry a paper and are beeped at random times over several days or weeks; upon hearing the beep, participants complete a report designed by the reported.

How is the cognitive interview used in survey development?

A technique for evaluating survey questions · The researchers ask people to answer test questions and then probe with follow-up questions to learn how they understood the questions and what their answers mean

What is compensatory rivalry (John Henry effect)?

A type of contamination in experimental and quasi-experimental designs that occurs when control group members are aware that they are being denied some advantage and increase their efforts by way of compensation.

What is demoralization in an experiment?

A type of contamination in experimental or quasi-experimental designs that occurs when control group members are aware they were denied some treatment they believe is valuable, and as a result, they feel demoralized and preform worse than expected

What is a double-blind procedure?

An experimental method in which neither subjects nor the staff delivering experimental treatments know which subjects are getting the treatment and which are receiving the placebo.

What is a field experiment?

An experimental study conducted in a real-world setting. · Maximizes the generalizability of the study's results

I disagree that police officers should NOT have periodic performance evaluations. Which guideline identifies the main problem with this question?

Avoid negatives and double negatives

How can the expectancies of experimental staff contribute to treatment misidentification?

Change among experimental subjects may be due to the positive expectancies of the staff who are delivering the treatment rather than the treatment itself.

With a technique used to draw a representative sample of everyday activities, thoughts, and experiences, participants carry a pager and are beeped at random times over several days or weeks; upon hearing a beep, participants complete a report designed by the researcher is called.... sampling

Experience

What is an interview schedule?

It contains the questions asked by the interviewer for an in-person interview or phone survey.

What is contamination?

It is a source of internal invalidity that occurs when either the experimental group or the comparison group is aware of the other group and is influenced in the posttest as a result.

What is a nonequivalent control group design?

It is a type of quasi-experimental design. · There are experimental (treatment) and comparison (control) groups designated before the treatment occurs. · Does not use random assignement

What is the saturation point in intensive interviewing?

It is the point at which subject selection is ended in intensive interviewing, when new interviews seem to yield little additional information.

What is reactive effect?

The changes in individual or group behavior that are due to being observed or otherwise studied

What is the major difference between the quasi-experimental design the true experiment?

The quasi-experimental design does not use random assignment to the treatment (experimental) and control (comparison) groups.

What is an ethnography?

The study of cultures that some group of people shares using participation observation over an extended period of time.

What are skip patterns questions in a survey?

The unique combination of questions created in a survey by filter questions and contingent questions.

What is a netography?

The use of ethnographic methods to study online communities

What are focus groups?

Unstructured group interviews in which the focus group leader actively encourages discussion among participants on the topics of interest. · It allows a spontaneous exchange through the social interaction of interviewees.

What is idiosyncratic variation?

Variation in responses to questions that is caused by individuals' reactions to particular words or ideas in questions instead of by variation in the concept that the question is intended to measure.

What is the placebo effect?

When subjects receive a treatment they consider likely to be beneficial, and then they improve because of that expectation rather than the treatment itself.

In order to reduce idiosyncratic variation, researchers should use:

an index rather than single questions

NOT a requirement of a true experiment

complete control over the experiment's context.

Purpose of random assignment

decrease generalizability

Cheapest survey

electronic

Qualitative research differs from experimental and survey research because qualitative research uses... questions with a commitment to.... reasoning

exploratory; inductive

A researcher is seeking to maximize generalizability of results. Which research design should she use?

field experiment

Qualitative researchers

focus on exploratory research questions

A fence sitter is defined as someone who

gives a neutral response to a question

Survey with the highest response rate

in-person

Purpose of random sampling

increase generalizability

What is a before-and-after design?

it is a type of quasi-experimental design. · It uses pretests and posttests of the dependent variable on the experimental (treatment) group but does not have a control group. The pretest measurements of the experimental (treatment) group serve as the control (comparison).

Qualitative researchers involved in participant observation rely on:

jotting and field notes

What is random sampling?

occurs when individuals are randomly selected from a population to participate in a study.

What is random assignment?

occurs when individuals who participate in a study are randomly divided into an experimental group and a comparison group.

What is the Hawthorne effect?

occurs when: members of the treatment group change because their participation in the study makes them feel special.

Intensive interviewing is often unstructured and qualitative researchers do not presume to know the range of answers that respondents might give. So they tend to rely on.... questions.

open-ended

what allows researchers to study natural social processes as they happen?

participant observation

In order to increase response rate, the cover letter for a mailed questionnaire should be

personalized

Dr. Martinez is hired as a consultant to design a survey to measure attitudes toward decriminalization of drug use. She must be able to collect her data quickly to meet her deadline. She needs a survey design that is fast and can be generalized to the general population. Which survey method should she use?

phone survey

Focusing on personal life stories and the way people interpret and evaluate their life experiences relies on the qualitative focus on

subjectivty

Random assignment eliminates

systemic bias

Which of the following is NOT a way that focus groups are used?

testing hypotheses

survey research involves

the systematic collection of data from individuals

What is theoretical sampling?

· A sampling method recommended for field researchers by Glaser and Strauss (1967). · A theoretical sample is drawn in sequential fashion, with settings or individuals selected for study as earlier observations or interviews indicate that these settings of individuals are influential.

What are the three necessary components of a true experiment?

· A treatment (experimental) group and a control (comparison) group · Random assignment to the groups · A pretest and posttest of the dependent variable for both groups before and after the experimental condition (independent variable) has been received.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of phone surveys?

· Advantage: Data can quickly be collected from a large sample. · Disadvantage: Not reaching the proper sampling unit and/or not getting enough responses to make responses generalizable.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of in-person interviews to collect survey data?

· Advantage: High response rate, interviewer can answer respondents questions , low contamination (unintended people answering questions) · Disadvantage: Most costly and time consuming.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of a mailed survey?

· Advantage: Low to moderate costs Disadvantages: Low response rate and contamination (other people answering the questions other than the person intended).

What is the main advantages and disadvantages of a group-administered survey?

· Advantages: High response rate, interviewer can answer respondents questions Disadvantages:o Difficult to assemble a group o Group may feel coerced

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of using electronic or wed-based survey?

· Advantages: Low cost, reach a large sample Disadvantages: May not be representative of U.S. population due to access issues, response rate, and contamination (other people answering the questions other than the person intended).

What are four pitfalls to avoid when constructing survey questions?

· Avoid confusing phrasing and vagueness. · Avoid negative words and double meanings · Avoid double-barreled questions · Avoid making either disagreement or agreement disagreeable.

What are three common sources of treatment misidentification?

· Expectancies of experimental staff. · Placebo effect · Hawthorne effect

What three research designs are commonly used in qualitative methods?

· Participant observation · Intensive interviewing · Focus groups

What distinguishes qualitative designs from experimental and survey research?

· Primarily collects qualitative rather than quantitative data. · Uses exploratory questions rather than explanatory questions. · Focuses on previously unstudied processes · Oriented toward social context and interconnections instead of discrete features · Focuses on human subjectivity and personal meaning · Focuses on events leading to an event instead of making general causal explanations · Uses reflective research that is sensitive to the subjectivity of the researcher.

What are the five guidelines for constructing fixed-choice questions?

· Response Choices should be Mutually Exclusive o When you want respondents to make only one choice, the fixed-response categories must not overlap. · Make the Response Category Exhaustive o Fixed-response categories must allow all respondents to select an option. · Utilize Likert-Type Response Categories o Allows respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements. · Minimize Fence Sitting and Floating o Minimize fence sitters by providing instructions that ask them to select the choice in each item that most closely reflects their opinion. o Minimize floaters by providing detailed information about the issue being asked, and by setting a "don't know" option apart from the other questions. · Utilize Filter Questions o The use of filter questions is used to ensure that questions are asked only of relevant respondents.

What are the five basic sources of internal invalidity in an experiment?

· Selection bias · Endogenous change · External events or history effects -Contamination -Treatment misidentification

What are problems confronted by researchers involved in covert participation?

· They cannot openly take notes or use any obvious recording devices. · They cannot ask questions that will arouse suspicion. · It is difficult to play a role successfully. They must keep up the act at all times while in the setting under study.

What features of survey research make it so popular?

· Versatility o Researchers can ask respondents questions about almost any topic you can imagine.· Efficiency o Data can be collected from many people at a relatively low cost. GeneralizabilityoSurvey methods lend themselves to probability sampling from large populations.