RESEARCH TERMS ASWB EXAM
Qualitative Research - answer-systemic investigations that include inductive in depth studies of people,
groups and organizations; focuses on the why and how of decision making to better understand human
behavior
independent variable - answer-The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is
being studied.
construct validity - answer-the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure
Quantitative Research - answer-Research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such
as ranks or scales.
quasi-experimental research - answer-A research technique in which the two or more groups that are
compared are selected based on predetermined characteristics, rather than random assignment
Validity - answer-the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
dependent variable - answer-The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to
manipulations of the independent variable.
external validity - answer-extent to which we can generalize findings to real-world settings
pretest - answer-A questionnaire or other data-gathering instrument
administered to a subject just before a period of inquiry that provides a baseline for comparison with
the end results.
experimental study - answer-research that manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the
response to that of a control group that was not exposed to the same variable
single subject design - answer-used in clinical situations to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention.
the behavior of client is used as a comparison and a control
inter-rater reliability - answer-the degree to which different people give
similar scores for the same observations, refers to the consistency of a measure.
median - answer-the middle score
longitudinal study - answer-Repeated testing of the same group of subjects of an extended period
internal validity - answer-the degree to which the effects observed in an experiment are due to the
independent variable and not other biasing effects
exploratory study - answer-a type of study design used to explore or gain
insights into a phenomenon.
mode - answer-The value that occurs most frequently in a given data set.
Qualitative Research - answer-systemic investigations that include inductive in depth studies of people,
groups and organizations; focuses on the why and how of decision making to better understand human
behavior
independent variable - answer-The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is
being studied.
construct validity - answer-the extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure
Quantitative Research - answer-Research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such
as ranks or scales.
quasi-experimental research - answer-A research technique in which the two or more groups that are
compared are selected based on predetermined characteristics, rather than random assignment
Validity - answer-the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to
dependent variable - answer-The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to
manipulations of the independent variable.
external validity - answer-extent to which we can generalize findings to real-world settings
pretest - answer-A questionnaire or other data-gathering instrument
administered to a subject just before a period of inquiry that provides a baseline for comparison with
the end results.
experimental study - answer-research that manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the
response to that of a control group that was not exposed to the same variable
single subject design - answer-used in clinical situations to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention.
the behavior of client is used as a comparison and a control
inter-rater reliability - answer-the degree to which different people give
similar scores for the same observations, refers to the consistency of a measure.
median - answer-the middle score
longitudinal study - answer-Repeated testing of the same group of subjects of an extended period
internal validity - answer-the degree to which the effects observed in an experiment are due to the
independent variable and not other biasing effects
exploratory study - answer-a type of study design used to explore or gain
insights into a phenomenon.
mode - answer-The value that occurs most frequently in a given data set.
