Exam 11: Single-Case, Quasi-Experimental, and Developmental Research

In one-group pretest-posttest design, which of the following will occur whenever researchers gather a set of extreme scores taken at one time and compare them with scores taken at another point in time?

A compromise between the longitudinal and cross-sectional methods is the _____ method.

A researcher wants to study the effect of weather on college students' study habits. On a sunny day, the researcher sits in the quad and records the number of minutes of study per student. Identify the crucial element missing in this design.

At the beginning of the term, researchers measured the attitudes of students taking a class in cross-cultural communication. At the end of the term, the students' attitudes were measured again. This is an example of a(n) _____ design.

What is the advantage of the pretest in the nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design?

A researcher administers a reading test to a group of fourth graders at the beginning of the school year. During the year, the students receive an intensive program designed to improve reading skills. At the end of the year, the reading test is given again and a large improvement in test scores is discovered. Identify the type of study.

Clara examines the number of traumatic head injuries that occurred in California for five years before and after the passage of a law that made it mandatory for riders to wear a helmet. Clara's research design would be classified as a(n):

In the context of reversal designs, the ABAB design:

If a researcher wants to use an interrupted time series design to examine whether lowering the legal limit of blood alcohol level (BAL) for driving under the influence affects the frequency of arrests, the researcher would:

_____ in quasi-experimental designs is more difficult than in true experiments because quasi-experimental designs lack the important features of true experiments such as random assignment to conditions.

Amelia realized that her 7-year-old daughter, Violet, was especially motivated by money. Amelia began a reinforcement program whereby Violet earned 5 cents every time she brushed her teeth. A month later, Amelia instituted a payment schedule of 10 cents every time Violet went to bed on time without complaining. Once these behaviors were firmly established, Violet began earning money for every book she read. What kind of single-subject design did Amelia employ?

Which of the following are two general methods for studying individuals of different ages?

A park ranger records the daily number of individuals visiting a park six months before and six months after an admission fee is imposed. During the same time period, he compares the number of visits to two comparable parks that have no admission fee. This quasi-experimental design would be an example of a(n):

A researcher pretests a group of participants to determine their attitudes toward the use of alternative energy sources to replace crude oil. The researcher then initiates a program to convince them that they should invest in such alternatives. During this time, the price of gasoline rises $.50 per gallon. At the end of the program, the researcher retests and finds that the participants are much more positive in their attitudes. What threat to internal validity most likely accounts for this change?

_____ designs address the need to study the effect of an independent variable in settings in which the control features of true experimental designs cannot be achieved.

Single-case experiments were developed from a need to:

Dr. Jayden is studying the effect of exercise on cholesterol level. He first measures his patients' cholesterol level before recommending an exercise program and after one month of participating in an exercise program, he measures their cholesterol level again. What type of research design has Dr. Jayden employed?

Events that occur between the first and second measurement period but are not part of the manipulation are called _____ effects.

A researcher assesses participants' attitude toward marijuana, presents them with a persuasive communication favoring liberalization of marijuana laws, and then reassesses their attitude toward the drug. However, between assessment 1 and assessment 2, the President also advocates liberalization of marijuana laws. If the researcher doesn't use a control group, any differences that he or she observes are likely to be caused by _____ effects.

Which of the following is a threat to the internal validity of studies using one-group pretest-posttest design?