Homework Exercise

Answer the following questions, covering material from Ch. 11 of the Methods in Behavioral Research text:

What are single-case designs and when are they most useful?

How may a researcher enhance the generalizability of the results of a single case design?

What is the relationship between quasi-experiments and confounding variables? Provide an example.

Provide examples of: one-group posttest designs and one-group pretest and posttest designs. What are the limitations of each?

Provide examples of non-equivalent control group designs. What are the advantages of having a control group?

What is a quasi-experimental research design? Why would a researcher use a quasi-experimental design rather than a true experimental design?

What is the difference between a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study? What is a sequential study? Which of these designs is most vulnerable to cohort effects? Which design is most vulnerable to the effects of attrition?

What are the differences between: needs assessment, program assessment, process evaluation, outcome evaluation, and efficacy assessment? Why is program evaluation important to the field?

A researcher wants to investigate patriotic behavior across the lifespan. She samples people in the following age groups: 18-28, 29-39, 40-50, 51-60, and 61 and above. All participants are interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires and rating scales about patriotic behavior. This type of developmental research design is called ________________. What is the primary disadvantage of this type of design? Explain.