Chapter 10 - Non-experimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies

Question 1

Which research strategy produces a description of the relationship between 2 variables but does not attempt to explain the relationship?

Answer 1

nonexperimental strategy

Question 1

How is data collected for a nonexperimental strategy?

Answer 1

Measure scores for 2 different groups of participants or for one group at 2 different times

Question 2

Which research strategy attempt to produce a cause-and-effect explanation but fall shorts?

Answer 2

quasi-experimental strategy

Question 3

How is data collected for a quasi-experimental strategy?

Answer 3

Measure before/after scores for one group that receives treatment and for a different group that does not receive the treatment

Question 4

What is the distinction between a non-experimental and quasi-experimental strategy?

Answer 4

Non-experimental designs make little or no attempt to control threats to internal validity whereas quasi-experimental designs actively attempt to limit threats to internal validity.

Question 5

Why is non-experimental and quasi-experimental designs different from an experimental design?

Answer 5

The different groups or treatment conditions are NOT created by manipulating an independent variable, instead, the groups are usually defined in terms of a specific participant variable (e.g., college graduate/no college) or in terms of time (e.g., before and after treatment

Question 6

What are two general categories of non-experimental and quasi-experimental designs produced from the two methods of defining groups?

Answer 6

1. Between-subjects designs, also known as nonequivalent group designs
2. Within-subjects designs, also known as pre–post designs

Question 7

What design makes no attempt to minimize threats to validity?

Answer 7

Non-experimental design

Question 8

A study comparing self-esteem scores for children with a learning disability versus scores for children without a learning disability is an example of what kind of study design.

Answer 8

Non-experimental design

Question 9

A researcher may want to compare student performance for a high school that encourages students to use their phones and tablets during class with student performance in a high school that bans the use of electronic device, what is the research design called?

Answer 9

A Nonequivalent group design

Question 10

What is the definition of a nonequivalent group design?

Answer 10

A research study in which the different groups of participants are formed under circumstances that do not allow the researcher to control how people are assigned to groups because they already exist naturally

Question 11

What type of research design is individual differences the primary interest?

Answer 11

Non-experimental Designs in Nonequivalent Groups

Question 12

What is a differential research design?

Answer 12

A research design that simply compares preexisting groups

Question 13

What research design is best for conducting a study between kids who group up in a 2 parent vs 1 parent household?

Answer 13

A differential research design

Question 14

What is another name for a differential research design?

Answer 14

Ex post facto design

Question 15

A Nonequivalent control group design is a…

Answer 15

type of nonequivalent group design that also using preexisting groups. One group serves in the treatment condition and the other group serves in the control condition.

EX. examing students that took this course and students who have not

Question 16

A common example of the nonequivalent control group design is the…

Answer 16

posttest-only nonequivalent control group design.

Question 17

What is the structure of a posttest-only nonequivalent control group design?

Answer 17

one group of participants is given a treatment and then is measured after the treatment (this is the posttest) – the scores for the treated group are then compared with the scores from a nonequivalent group that has not received the treatment

Question 18

Pretest–posttest nonequivalent control group design involves

Answer 18

adding a pretest that obtains measurements of both groups before the treatment is administered

Question 19

Because pretest–posttest nonequivalent control group design attempts to limit threats to internal validity, it is classified as…

Answer 19

quasi-experimental

Question 20

For which of the following studies does the researcher not control which individuals are assigned to which group?

Answer 20

Nonequivalent group design

Question 21

Which of the following is the primary threat to internal validity for nonequivalent group designs?

Answer 21

Individual differences between treatment groups

Question 22

Which research design is used by a researcher comparing self-esteem scores for children from divorced families versus scores for children from families with no divorce?

Answer 22

Differential research design

Question 23

Which of the following is the primary advantage of a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design, in comparison to other nonequivalent group designs?

Answer 23

The pretest scores can help reduce the threat of individual differences between groups.

Question 24

What is a research study in which a series of observations is made over time for one group of participants called?

Answer 24

a pre-post design

Question 25

The goal of a pre-post design is to…

Answer 25

evaluate the influence of the treatment or event by comparing the observations made before treatment with the observations made after treatment

Question 26

In which design each individual in a single group of participants is measured once before treatment and once after treatment

Answer 26

pretest-posttest design.

Question 27

A SERIES of observations for each participant before a treatment or event and a series of observations after the treatment or event is know as what design?

Answer 27

A time-series design

Question 28

What design is being used by a researcher comparing depression scores before and after treatment in one group of clients?

Answer 28

Pre-post design

Question 29

Which of the following is common in within-subjects experimental designs but is impossible in a pre-post design?

Answer 29

Counterbalance order of treatments

Question 30

A clinical psychologist measures body satisfaction for a group of clients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa each day for 1 week before and for 1 week after the psychologist begins a series of group therapy sessions. What kind of design is being used?

Answer 30

Time-series

Question 31

What can a researcher determine by using a series of observations before treatment?

Answer 31

If scores are influenced by some factor unrelated to the treatment

Question 32

A between-subjects design that involves a different group of participants for each of the ages being compared is…

Answer 32

A cross-sectional developmental research design

Question 33

A researcher wants to examine the relationship between IQ and aging.
They selected three different groups of people—40-year-olds, 60-year-olds, and 80-year-olds—and measured IQ for each group. This is an example of the…

Answer 33

cross-sectional developmental research design

Question 34

What is one advantage of the cross-sectional developmental research design?

Answer 34

It allows the researcher to quickly collect data on age-related changes without the need for long-term tracking

Question 35

Differences across age groups may be impacted by variables other than age, such as changes in environmental circumstances and life experiences are known as?

Answer 35

cohort effects

Question 36

What is one disadvantage of the cross-sectional developmental research design?

Answer 36

Cohort effects might jeopardize the studies internal validity.

Question 37

A research design involving evaluating a variable in the same group of people throughout a period usually every few months or years is known as the?

Answer 37

longitudinal developmental research design

Question 38

What is one advantage of the longitudinal developmental research design?

Answer 38

It involves evaluating a variable in the same group of people throughout a period of time, it eliminates the influence of cohort effects

Question 39

What is one disadvantage of the longitudinal developmental research design?

Answer 39

Very time consuming and requires long term commitment from all parties

Question 40

A cross-sectional developmental design is an example of which general category of research designs?

Answer 40

Nonequivalent group designs