EIP FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is internal validity - Answers- The certainty to which we can attribute the study
outcome to the independent variable
What is external validity - Answers- relates to patient population, clinical setting,
treatment and measurement variables that the study can be generalized to
Threats to internal validity - Answers- history
maturation
testing
attrition
regression to the mean
selection bias
instrumentation
sequence events
contamination (diffusion, rivalry, resentment)
History is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2_______. The researcher can
respond to the threat by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. Events can occur (i.e social issue) that unduly influence the outcome beyond the
experimental treatment.
3. having both the experimental and control groups experience the same external event
Maturation is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2_______. The researcher
can respond by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. participants may mature or change during the experiment, thus influencing the results
3. selecting participants who mature or change the same rate (i.e same age) during the
experiment
Regression is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2________. The researcher
can respond by 3_________. - Answers- 1. Internal Validity
2. participants with extreme scores that are selected for the experiment will change
during the experiment, with subsequent scores regressing towards the mean
3. Selecting participants who do not have extreme scores as entering characteristics for
the experiment
Selection is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2_________. The researcher
can respond by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
, 2. participants who have certain characteristics that can predispose them to have
certain outcomes (i.e higher IQ)
3. randomly selecting participants so characteristics have the probability of being
equally distributed among the experimental group
Diffusion of treatment is a threat to 1______. It is a threat because 2_________. The
researcher can respond by 3_________. - Answers- 1. Internal Validity
2. participants between control and experimental groups that communicate with each
other can influence how both groups score on the outcomes
3. keep the two groups as separate as possible during the experiment
Attrition/mortality is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2_________. A study
should retain about 3________% of its subjects. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. People dropping out of the study will potentially decrease the accuracy of interpreting
statistical results
3. 80%
Compensatory/resentful demoralization is a threat to 1______. it is a threat because
2_________. The researcher can respond by 3__________. - Answers- 1. Internal
validity
2. The benefits of the experiment may be unequal or resented when only the
experimental group receives a beneficial treatment i.e physical therapy
3. provide benefits to both groups, such as giving control group the treatment after the
experiment ends of giving the control a different type of treatment during the experiment
Compensatory rivalry is a threat to 1______. It is a threat because 2_________. The
researcher can respond by 3__________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. participants may boost performance so they don't look bad
3. taking steps to create equality between the two groups, such as reducing
expectations
Sequence effects (testing) is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2__________.
The researcher can respond by 3______. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. Prior experience can affect current performance
What is internal validity - Answers- The certainty to which we can attribute the study
outcome to the independent variable
What is external validity - Answers- relates to patient population, clinical setting,
treatment and measurement variables that the study can be generalized to
Threats to internal validity - Answers- history
maturation
testing
attrition
regression to the mean
selection bias
instrumentation
sequence events
contamination (diffusion, rivalry, resentment)
History is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2_______. The researcher can
respond to the threat by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. Events can occur (i.e social issue) that unduly influence the outcome beyond the
experimental treatment.
3. having both the experimental and control groups experience the same external event
Maturation is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2_______. The researcher
can respond by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. participants may mature or change during the experiment, thus influencing the results
3. selecting participants who mature or change the same rate (i.e same age) during the
experiment
Regression is a threat to 1________. It is a threat because 2________. The researcher
can respond by 3_________. - Answers- 1. Internal Validity
2. participants with extreme scores that are selected for the experiment will change
during the experiment, with subsequent scores regressing towards the mean
3. Selecting participants who do not have extreme scores as entering characteristics for
the experiment
Selection is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2_________. The researcher
can respond by 3________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
, 2. participants who have certain characteristics that can predispose them to have
certain outcomes (i.e higher IQ)
3. randomly selecting participants so characteristics have the probability of being
equally distributed among the experimental group
Diffusion of treatment is a threat to 1______. It is a threat because 2_________. The
researcher can respond by 3_________. - Answers- 1. Internal Validity
2. participants between control and experimental groups that communicate with each
other can influence how both groups score on the outcomes
3. keep the two groups as separate as possible during the experiment
Attrition/mortality is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2_________. A study
should retain about 3________% of its subjects. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. People dropping out of the study will potentially decrease the accuracy of interpreting
statistical results
3. 80%
Compensatory/resentful demoralization is a threat to 1______. it is a threat because
2_________. The researcher can respond by 3__________. - Answers- 1. Internal
validity
2. The benefits of the experiment may be unequal or resented when only the
experimental group receives a beneficial treatment i.e physical therapy
3. provide benefits to both groups, such as giving control group the treatment after the
experiment ends of giving the control a different type of treatment during the experiment
Compensatory rivalry is a threat to 1______. It is a threat because 2_________. The
researcher can respond by 3__________. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. participants may boost performance so they don't look bad
3. taking steps to create equality between the two groups, such as reducing
expectations
Sequence effects (testing) is a threat to 1_______. It is a threat because 2__________.
The researcher can respond by 3______. - Answers- 1. Internal validity
2. Prior experience can affect current performance
