,Test Bank For Empowerment Series: Essential Research Methods for Social Work
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Multiple Choice
1. Assume that Professor Rodgers had studied only people aged 65 or older and found that
they experienced increasing levels of happiness in the last 20 years. Suppose he had
concluded that people under 65 years of age also experienced increasing levels of
happiness during the same time period. He would have committed
a. the error of overgeneralization.
b. the error of selective observation.
c. the error of illogical reasoning.
d. the enrror of inaccurate observation.
e. no error.
ANS: A PG: 12-13 EPAS: 2.1.3
2. Which of the following statements is true about research findings on the effectiveness of
social work services?
a. They have often found the services to be ineffective.
b. No interventions have been identified as effective.
c. We can assume that if social workers are well trained, then they will be effective
d. Social work practice consists primarily of interventions that have been well tested.
ANS: A PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.10
3. Which of the following statements is/are true about the need to critique research quality?
a. Practitioners can rely on researchers to produce good studies, and therefore only have
to know the results of those studies.
b. If a research study gets published practitioners can be assured that it is of high quality.
c. Social work practitioners need to understand research methods so they can
discriminate strong from weak studies.
d. All of these.
ANS: C PG: 4 EPAS: 2.1.10
4. Which of the following statements is true about research utilization and social work
practice:
a. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on how
professionally ethical those social workers are.
b. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on how
compassionate those social workers are.
c. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on social
work values.
1
,Test Bank For Empowerment Series: Essential Research Methods for Social Work
Chapter 1
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: E PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.3
5. Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding practice effectiveness?
a. It is safe to assume that well-trained social workers will be effective regardless of
which interventions they employ.
b. Social work practice consists largely of interventions and procedures that have not yet
received adequate testing.
c. Knowledge of research methods and knowledge of practice are separate and
unrelated.
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: B PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.3
6. Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from
a. direct experience.
b. tradition.
c. direct, personal inquiry.
d. authority.
e. All of these.
ANS: E PG: 6-10 EPAS: 2.1.3
7. Safeguards against selective observation in science include
a. use of a research design.
b. colleagues.
c. committing oneself ahead of time to make a specified number of observations.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
ANS: D PG: 7-14 EPAS: 2.1.3
8. A family preservation program director helps design a study that evaluates the
effectiveness of her program to keep children living with their abusive parents by
providing the families with daily home visits by social workers. She expects the
evaluation to show a dramatic reduction in reported child abuse incidents. Instead, the
results show an increase in reported child abuse incidents. The director then concludes
that the program was undoubtedly effective, reasoning that there really could not possibly
have been an increase in actual abuse due to her program, just an increase in reportage of
abuse due to closer monitoring in the daily home visits. The director is committing the
error of
a. illogical reasoning.
b. ex post facto hypothesizing.
2
, Test Bank For Empowerment Series: Essential Research Methods for Social Work
Chapter 1
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. selective observation.
e. mystification.
ANS: B PG: 14 EPAS: 2.1.3
9. A social worker invents a new therapy that brings her fame, fortune, and a large following
of professional disciples. Two studies evaluate her new therapy. One is scientifically
weak in its design, and concludes that her therapy is extremely effective. The other is
scientifically very strong in its design, but concludes that her therapy is not effective at
all. She writes a letter to the journal publishing both studies. In her letter she severely
criticizes the design of the strong study (and therefore also criticizes the credibility of its
findings), and she praises the design and findings of the weak study.
a. overgeneralization.
b. ego-involvement in understanding.
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. made-up information.
e. mystification.
ANS: B PG: 14 EPAS: 2.1.3
10. Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding entering your first job as a
professional social worker?
a. You should disregard agency traditions.
b. You should disregard advice based on authority, even if the authority figure has a high
level of training, credentials and experience.
c. You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and authority could be
wrong, and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: C PG: 9-10 EPAS: 2.1.3
11. According to the scientific method, all knowledge should be
a. provisional.
b. subject to refutation.
c. based on evidence supported by objective observations.
d. All of these
ANS: D PG: 7-8 EPAS: 2.1.3
12. Scientific evidence should be based on
a. observations gathered in ways that seek to reduce the influence of researcher biases.
b. systematic and comprehensive observations.
c. a large and diverse sample of observations.
d. All of these.
3
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Multiple Choice
1. Assume that Professor Rodgers had studied only people aged 65 or older and found that
they experienced increasing levels of happiness in the last 20 years. Suppose he had
concluded that people under 65 years of age also experienced increasing levels of
happiness during the same time period. He would have committed
a. the error of overgeneralization.
b. the error of selective observation.
c. the error of illogical reasoning.
d. the enrror of inaccurate observation.
e. no error.
ANS: A PG: 12-13 EPAS: 2.1.3
2. Which of the following statements is true about research findings on the effectiveness of
social work services?
a. They have often found the services to be ineffective.
b. No interventions have been identified as effective.
c. We can assume that if social workers are well trained, then they will be effective
d. Social work practice consists primarily of interventions that have been well tested.
ANS: A PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.10
3. Which of the following statements is/are true about the need to critique research quality?
a. Practitioners can rely on researchers to produce good studies, and therefore only have
to know the results of those studies.
b. If a research study gets published practitioners can be assured that it is of high quality.
c. Social work practitioners need to understand research methods so they can
discriminate strong from weak studies.
d. All of these.
ANS: C PG: 4 EPAS: 2.1.10
4. Which of the following statements is true about research utilization and social work
practice:
a. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on how
professionally ethical those social workers are.
b. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on how
compassionate those social workers are.
c. Whether or not social work practitioners bother to keep abreast of research findings
on which interventions are the most effective for their clients has no bearing on social
work values.
1
,Test Bank For Empowerment Series: Essential Research Methods for Social Work
Chapter 1
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: E PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.3
5. Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding practice effectiveness?
a. It is safe to assume that well-trained social workers will be effective regardless of
which interventions they employ.
b. Social work practice consists largely of interventions and procedures that have not yet
received adequate testing.
c. Knowledge of research methods and knowledge of practice are separate and
unrelated.
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: B PG: 5 EPAS: 2.1.3
6. Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from
a. direct experience.
b. tradition.
c. direct, personal inquiry.
d. authority.
e. All of these.
ANS: E PG: 6-10 EPAS: 2.1.3
7. Safeguards against selective observation in science include
a. use of a research design.
b. colleagues.
c. committing oneself ahead of time to make a specified number of observations.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
ANS: D PG: 7-14 EPAS: 2.1.3
8. A family preservation program director helps design a study that evaluates the
effectiveness of her program to keep children living with their abusive parents by
providing the families with daily home visits by social workers. She expects the
evaluation to show a dramatic reduction in reported child abuse incidents. Instead, the
results show an increase in reported child abuse incidents. The director then concludes
that the program was undoubtedly effective, reasoning that there really could not possibly
have been an increase in actual abuse due to her program, just an increase in reportage of
abuse due to closer monitoring in the daily home visits. The director is committing the
error of
a. illogical reasoning.
b. ex post facto hypothesizing.
2
, Test Bank For Empowerment Series: Essential Research Methods for Social Work
Chapter 1
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. selective observation.
e. mystification.
ANS: B PG: 14 EPAS: 2.1.3
9. A social worker invents a new therapy that brings her fame, fortune, and a large following
of professional disciples. Two studies evaluate her new therapy. One is scientifically
weak in its design, and concludes that her therapy is extremely effective. The other is
scientifically very strong in its design, but concludes that her therapy is not effective at
all. She writes a letter to the journal publishing both studies. In her letter she severely
criticizes the design of the strong study (and therefore also criticizes the credibility of its
findings), and she praises the design and findings of the weak study.
a. overgeneralization.
b. ego-involvement in understanding.
c. premature closure of inquiry.
d. made-up information.
e. mystification.
ANS: B PG: 14 EPAS: 2.1.3
10. Which of the following statements is (are) true regarding entering your first job as a
professional social worker?
a. You should disregard agency traditions.
b. You should disregard advice based on authority, even if the authority figure has a high
level of training, credentials and experience.
c. You should keep in mind that knowledge based on tradition and authority could be
wrong, and seek evidence that might support or challenge that knowledge.
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
ANS: C PG: 9-10 EPAS: 2.1.3
11. According to the scientific method, all knowledge should be
a. provisional.
b. subject to refutation.
c. based on evidence supported by objective observations.
d. All of these
ANS: D PG: 7-8 EPAS: 2.1.3
12. Scientific evidence should be based on
a. observations gathered in ways that seek to reduce the influence of researcher biases.
b. systematic and comprehensive observations.
c. a large and diverse sample of observations.
d. All of these.
3
