The research design for a quantitative study involves decisions with regard to which of the following?
Select all that apply.
A) Which conceptual framework to use
B) Whether there will be an intervention
C) What types of comparisons will be made
D) How many times data will be collected - Answers B, C, D
Which of the following are key criteria for making causal inferences about the relationship between
two variables? Select all that apply.
A) Lack of temporal ambiguity about which variable occurred first
B) Statistical confirmation that a relationship between the two exists
C) The ability to randomly assign study participants to groups
D) The ability to rule out other factors as potential causes of the outcome - Answers A, B, D
An important function of a rigorous research design in a quantitative study is to have control over
which of the following?
A) Outcome variables
B) Mediating variables
C) Carryover variables
D) Confounding variables - Answers D
A true experiment requires which of the following? Select all that apply.
A) Control
B) Intervention
C) Blinding
D) Randomization - Answers A, B, D
The use of a random numbers table for assigning subjects to groups eliminates which of the
following?
A) Selection threat
B) Intervention fidelity
C) Attrition
D) Carryover effects - Answers A
Which of the following is invariably present in quasi-experimental research?
A) A control group
B) An intervention
C) Matching of subjects
D) Randomization - Answers B
A one-group pretest-posttest design is an example of which of the following?
A) A crossover design
B) A true experimental design
C) A quasi-experimental design
D) A retrospective design - Answers C
A pretest is to a posttest as which of the following?
A) The placebo effect is to the Hawthorne effect
B) A baseline measure is to a final outcome measure
C) Blinding is to matching
D) Attrition is to a mortality threat - Answers B
One weakness associated with cause-probing correlational research is which of the following?
A) Artificiality of the settings in which it occurs
B) Difficulty in linking the research to a theoretical framework
C) Problem of self-selection into groups
D) Inability to generalize the findings beyond the sample - Answers C
Which of the following research designs is weakest in terms of the researcher's ability to establish
causality?
A) Experimental
B) Retrospective case-control
C) Prospective cohort
D) Quasi-experimental - Answers B
, If a researcher wanted to describe the relationship between women's age and frequency of
performing breast self-examination, the study would be classified as which of the following?
A) Descriptive correlational
B) Quasi-experimental
C) Longitudinal
D) Experimental - Answers A
Studies that collect data at one point in time are called which of the following?
A) Time series
B) Cross-sectional studies
C) Longitudinal studies
D) Crossover studies - Answers B
A study that followed, over a 20-year period, 500 users and 500 non-users of oral contraceptives to
determine if there were any long-term side effects would be which of the following?
A) Time series
B) Retrospective study
C) Prospective study
D) Crossover study - Answers C
Constancy of conditions is often enhanced through which of the following?
A) Collect data at the same time every day
B) Using a crossover design
C) Maximizing the external validity of the study
D) Avoiding carryover effects - Answers A
Using homogeneity as a strategy for controlling confounding variables can reduce which of the
following?
A) Construct validity
B) External validity
C) Intervention fidelity
D) Internal validity - Answers B
Which of the following is the most effective method for controlling participant factors?
A) Using a homogeneous sample
B) Statistical control
C) Matching subjects
D) Randomization - Answers D
In a case-control design, a frequently used method of controlling confounding variables is which of
the following?
A) Using participants as their own controls
B) Matching of cases and controls on confounding variables
C) Randomization to groups
D) Homogeneity of the sample - Answers B
The researcher does not have to know in advance which confounding variables have to be controlled
for which of the following procedures?
A) Matching
B) Randomization
C) Statistical control
D) Homogeneity - Answers B
The threat to internal validity that occurs when external co-occurring events or conditions affect
outcomes is the threat known as which of the following?
A) Maturation
B) Selection
C) Testing
D) History - Answers D
In a nonequivalent control group design, the most serious threat to internal validity is which of the
following?
A) Testing
B) Selection
C) Maturation
D) History - Answers B