1. In general, when selecting factors for a study, you want to be sure of which of these?
they have been investigated before
they are available to investigate
they are not of interest to you
they do not lead to another question
2. Identify and select the correct order of steps in scientific inquiry.
a. formulating a hypothesis, collecting relevant information, testing the hypothesis, working with the hypothesis reconsidering the theory, asking new questions, identifying the important factors, collecting relevant information asking the question, identifying the important factors, asking new questions, testing the hypothesis asking new questions, reconsidering the theory, working with the hypothesis, testing the hypothesis
3. Nonexperimental research methods consist of which of the following?
test causal relationships between variables
only describe characteristics of existing phenomenon
can be descriptive, historical or correlational
examine factors that are not related
4. Hannah assigns children to different teaching method groups and tests their math performance after six weeks. This is an example of what type of research?
descriptive
historical
experimental
uncontrolled
5. Which of the following methods provides information about past trends?
historical
correlational
experimental
descriptive
55
6.Matthew thinks that there is a relationship between parenting style and self-esteem in
children. Which research method should he use?
correlational
quasi-experimental
descriptive
historical
7. When variables compete to explain the same effects, what are they sometimes called?
contradictory
intertwining
confounding
interdependent
8. What is another term for the independent variable?
treatment variable
dependent variable
control variable
factorial variable
9.What type of variable masks the true relationship between the independent and dependent
variables?
extraneous variable
moderator variable
control variable
neutral variable
10. Why is a null hypothesis said to be implied?
a.lt's always directly tested.
It's never directly tested.
You do not need to test it to know that it is false.
It is stated in a question form.
The interpretation of "differences are significant" means that the differences found
are _
probably not due to chance
due to chance
creative outcomes
not dictated by the hypothesis
56
12. The best dependent variable is defined by which of the following characteristics?
independent of any other variable in the same study
sensitive to changes in the treatment
can be manipulated by the researcher
interacts with the independent variable
13. Which of the following is a good way to find a research topic?
personal experience
getting an idea from your advisor
looking for the next step in the research process
All of the above.
14. Which type of source is NOT typically included in a literature review?
tertiary sources
general sources
secondary sources
primary sources
15. What is one of the advantages of using online search services?
you are not likely to miss very much
this is an outdated method
it IS stated In a declarative form
you can enter the data for anyone reference using a standard form
16. Forcing someone to participate in a study is an example of what ethical issue/concern?
protection from harm
maintenance of privacy
informed consent
coercion
17. What is the best definition of an institutional review board?
a group of people who make decisions regarding an institution's human resources
a group of people found in most public institutions and private agencies who render a
judgment as to whether experiments carried out in their facilities are free from risk
a group of people who review the literature produced by researchers in their
institution in order to keep an accounting of it
d. a group of people representing many different institutions who meet to review the
current literature in their respective fields
57
18. What does the ethical principle of "sharing benefits" mean?
a. all participants in the same study should receive an equal share of the benefits or
subject payments
b. all those who belong to the population being studied will share equally from the
benefits the study produces
the results of studies must be shared with the public so society may benefit from the
increased knowledge
all groups involved in a study should eventually be given an opportunity to receive any
treatments that were found to be effective in the study
19. Which is NOT a component of informed consent?
the purpose of the research
who you are
how the participant can get a copy of the records
a computer simulation of the data
20. What is the purpose of a table of random numbers?
determine the number of subjects in a study
decide what statistical test to use
randomly assign people to groups
number items on a questionnaire
21. What does generalizability refer to?
results that may be applied to different populations in different settings
results that apply only to the sample studied
convenience sampling
using a table of random numbers
22. A table of random numbers _
is used in nonprobability sampling methods
can be used to create a stratified sample
works well with convenience sampling
is a list of ordered numbers from which the researcher closes his eyes and randomly
points until he obtains the desired number for his sample
58
23. What is the most unbiased tool that can be used in random selection?
random sampling
table of random numbers
quota sampling
direct sampling
24. When is a stratified sample an appropriate sampling technique?
specific characteristics of the population are of no concern
individuals in a population are not equal
each member must have an equal chance of being selected
you have a small population
25. Which of the following is NOT a probability sampling method?
simple random sampling
quota sampling
stratified sampling
cluster sampling
59
Multiple Choice Questions (Enter your answers on the enclosed answer sheet)
1. The ratio level of measurement would include which of the following?
political affiliation
amount of books owned
order of finishing test
GRE score
2. Which level of measurement conveys the most information?
nominal
ordinal
interval
ratio
3. Which of the following is NOT an example of reliability?
consistency
performing the same in the future as in the past
the test doing what it is supposed to do
measuring the same thing more than once with the same outcome
4. A score that you would actually record is a(n) score.
observed
true
c.error
d. false
5. What are the two components of error scores?
method error and consistent error
standard error and method error
trait error and standard error
trait error and method error
96
6. A measure of how stable a test is over time is an example of which of the following?
inter-rater reliability
test-retest reliability
parallel forms reliability
internal consistency
7. describes a measure used to compare two different tests with the same group of
participants to see how closely correlated the two sets of scores are with each other.
Inter-rater reliability
Test-retest reliability
Parallel-forms reliability
Internal consistency
What is the name of the individual credited with devising levels of measurement in which
different measurement outcomes can be classified?
Binet
Stevens
Cattell
Wechsler
9. What is one way to obtain a criterion validity estimate?
ask an expert for hi~ or h",r opinion
assess the underlying construct on which the test is based and correlate these
scores with the test scores
select a criterion and correlate scores on the test with scores on the criterion
obtain a Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient for two different forms of the
test given at different times
1 O.lntelligence tests usually compare the performance of a child against other children of the
same age. This type oftest is called a(n) test.
achievement
standardized
norm-referenced
criterion-referenced
11. Tests such as the Denver Developmental Screening Test are used _
as dependent variables
for entrance to a program to identify strengths and weaknesses
to distinguish among people for selection purposes
to determine if program goals were met
97
What type of test defines a specific level of performance (or mastery) of some content
domain?
standardized test
researcher-made test
norm-referenced test
criterion-referenced test
13. The Graduate Record Examination and the Miller's AnalogyTest are generally used for
placement
selection
evaluation of a program
diagnosis
14. What is the computed number for the proportion of test takers who get an item correct?
item analysis
discrimination index
difficulty index
attitude index
What is the computed number for how well an item distinguishes between the "knowing"
and the "unknowing"?
item analysis
discrimination index
difficulty index
attitude index
16. Which one of the following is a disadvantage of multiple choice tests?
a. can be used to assess almost anyone
b.limits the kind of content assessed
are relatively easy to score
poor writers are not penalized
17. Which level of measurement is very similar to Thurstone-like scales?
ordinal
nominal
interval
ratio
98
18. What is the range of 5, 8, 10, 14, and 11?
a.48
b.9.6
c. 10
d.9
19. What is the average amount that each score varies from the mean of the set of scores?
the range
the standard deviation
the mean
the normal curve
20. How can descriptive statistics be defined?
describing elements of a distribution
relating the data to a larger population
developing a research question
identical to inferential statistics
Which measure of variability is the most direct way to measure how dispersed a set of scores
is?
the mean
standard deviation
range
variance
When computing the standard deviation, what does it mean when the sum of the deviation
about the mean is NOT O?
The data set has a great amount of variability.
The data set has at least one extreme score.
The data is too small.
The mean of the data set was computed incorrectly.
23. Which measure of variability describes the average deviation of each score from the mean?
range
standard deviation
mode
mean
99
24. What measure would be used to compute the average gender of subjects?
mean
mode
median
standard deviation
25. Which measure would be used to describe the average class ranking of algebra students?
mean
mode
median
standard deviation
100