Ch 3. Research methods with children and families

Question 1

Affective bias

Answer 1

A form of wishful thinking in which our perceptions are influenced by our desires, motives, and emotions

Question 2

Attrition

Answer 2

A threat to a study’s internal validity caused by the loss of participants over the course of the study

Question 3

Assent

Answer 3

Agreement by a child to participate in a research study; includes explaining the study’s purpose and procedures using language that the child can understand, communicating that participation is voluntary, and answering questions about the study

Question 4

Beneficence

Answer 4

An ethical principle that involves balancing the benefits of one’s actions against the risks or costs involved

Question 5

Case study

Answer 5

A research design that provides a detailed description of a person, group, or phenomenon

Question 6

Confirmatory bias

Answer 6

A form of selective thinking in which our perceptions are influenced by our beliefs, thoughts, and expectations

Question 7

Correlation coefficient (r)

Answer 7

A statistical measure of the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables

Question 8

Correlational study

Answer 8

A research design that examines the relationships between variables.

Question 9

Critical thinking

Answer 9

A tendency to be skeptical and seek plausible alternative explanations for phenomena rather than rely on others’ beliefs or opinions

Question 10

Cross-sectional study

Answer 10

A type of research design that examines the association between variables at the same point in time

Question 11

Debriefing

in research

Answer 11

A feature of a study in which researchers describe the nature, results, and conclusions of the study and answer questions about the study that participants might have

Question 12

Deception

in research

Answer 12

A feature of a study in which researchers deliberately provide false or incomplete information to participants in order to mislead them; can only be used under limited conditions

Question 13

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

Answer 13

A neuroimaging method that measures the density and volume of white matter in the brain to estimate connectivity between brain regions

Question 14

Double-blind study

Answer 14

A research design in which neither participants nor researchers know which participants are receiving treatment and which are serving as controls

Question 15

Effect size

Answer 15

In meta-analysis, a number that reflects the weighted mean difference between treatment and control groups at the end of a treatment outcome study

Question 16

Empirical data

Answer 16

Information acquired through our senses, especially direct observation and careful measurement

Question 17

Experiment

Answer 17

A research design that allows researchers to conclude causal relationships between variables; essential features include random assignment, the systematic manipulation of one variable, and holding all extraneous factors constant

Question 18

External validity

Answer 18

The degree to which the results of a study generalize to other people and situations

Question 19

Falsifiability

Answer 19

The capacity for an idea to be proven wrong; an essential feature of all scientific hypotheses.

Question 20

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Answer 20

A neuroimaging method that measures brain activity by detecting blood oxygen concentrations during a mental task.

Question 21

Hypothesis

Answer 21

A specific, falsifiable prediction about the relationship between two or more variables.

Question 22

Idiographic assessment

Answer 22

Data collection that evaluates a person’s unique abilities, experiences, and behaviors.

Question 23

Informed consent

in research

Answer 23

An ethical requirement for all research studies; involves making sure that participants are aware of the purpose and nature of the study, agree to participate freely, and know that they can withdraw at any time.

Question 24

Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

Answer 24

A federally mandated and locally organized committee that reviews research projects involving human participants prior to data collection; members make sure participants are treated with respect, beneficence, and justice and are not harmed.

Question 25

Internal validity

Answer 25

The degree to which we can conclude that the manipulation of the independent variable in a study (e.g., treatment) caused a corresponding change in the dependent variable (e.g., outcome).

Question 26

Longitudinal study

Answer 26

A type of research design that examines the association between variables at different points in time; specifies the temporal relationship between the variables.

Question 27

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 27

A neuroimaging method in which a strong magnetic field is used to create a static, detailed image of the body.

Question 28

Mediator | (a type of variable)

Answer 28

A variable that can help explain how two other variables are related; usually a continuous variable.

Question 29

Meta-analysis

Answer 29

A statistical technique that is used to combine the results of multiple research studies into a single, overall numerical result called an effect size.

Question 30

Moderator | (a type of variable)

Answer 30

A variable that affects the direction or strength of two other variables; usually a categorical variable.

Question 31

Nomothetic assessment

Answer 31

Data collection that evaluates how groups of people typically think, feel, or act.

Question 32

Nonequivalent groups study

Answer 32

A type of quasi-experimental study in which researchers compare treatment and control groups, but participants are not randomly assigned to these groups.

Question 33

Nonmaleficence

Answer 33

An ethical principle that means avoiding harm or inflicting the least discomfort possible to reach a beneficial outcome.

Question 34

Open-label study

Answer 34

A research design in which participants and researchers know which participants are receiving treatment and which are serving as controls.

Question 35

Operational definition

Answer 35

A precise description of how a variable in a research study will be measured.

Question 36

Parsimony

Answer 36

A scientific principle that dictates that simpler explanations should be selected over more complex explanations.

Question 37

Placebo effect

Answer 37

People’s tendency to alter their behavior simply because they know they are receiving treatment; a threat to the internal validity of a study.

Question 38

Precision | in research

Answer 38

Care in the manner in which scientists collect data and draw conclusions from their observations.

Question 39

Pretest-posttest study

Answer 39

A type of quasi-experimental study in which the same group of participants is assessed before and after treatment.

Question 40

Pseudoscience

Answer 40

Statements, beliefs, and practices that people claim to be evidence based but are incompatible with scientific thinking; based largely on biases, opinions, and appeals to authority.

Question 41

Quasi-experimental study

Answer 41

A research design that involves the manipulation of an independent variable without the random assignment of participants to groups.

Question 42

Random assignment

Answer 42

A research method in which each participant has an equal chance of being part of each experimental condition; an essential feature of an experiment.

Question 43

Random selection

Answer 43

A manner of recruiting participants for a research study in which each person in a given population has an equal chance of being included.

Question 44

Randomized controlled trial

Answer 44

A special type of experiment used to test the efficacy of treatment; participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups.

Question 45

Replication crisis

Answer 45

Refers to the finding that the results of many scientific studies are difficult or impossible to reproduce.

Question 46

Reproducibility | in research

Answer 46

Scientific principle that the results of research studies must be replicated before they are accepted.

Question 47

Science

Answer 47

A set of principles and procedures that are used to guard against biased thinking; relies on the careful, systematic collection of data to understand ourselves and the world.

Question 48

Scientific method

Answer 48

Procedures used to gather, evaluate, and organize information about the natural world.

Question 49

Selection bias

Answer 49

A systematic difference between participants in the treatment and control groups that can emerge when participants are not randomly assigned; a problem often seen in nonequivalent group studies.

Question 50

Single subject study

Answer 50

A type of quasi-experimental study in which one participant’s behavior is assessed over time, usually with and without treatment.

Question 51

Theory

Answer 51

An integrated set of ideas that explain and predict broad aspects of behavior or development.

Question 52

Threats to internal validity

Answer 52

Characteristics of research studies that limit our ability to make causal inferences: maturation, environmental factors, repeated testing, attrition, and selection bias.

Question 53

Treatment As Usual (TAU)

Answer 53

The most stringent type of control group in which participants are referred to practitioners in the community and receive whatever treatment they provide.