Midterm #2 - Non-Experimental Designs

Question 1

nonexperimental research

Answer 1

• lacks a manipulated IV and random sampling/assignment
• used when not possible or ethical to manipulate or randomly assign

Question 2

types of nonexperimental research

Answer 2

• single variable
• single case
• correlational
• quasi-experimental

Question 3

advantages

Answer 3

• real life situations
• prediction
• can study aspects of people
• can study variables that would be unethical to manipulate

Question 4

disadvantages

Answer 4

• can’t tell direction of relationships
• uncontrolled 3rd variables

Question 5

internal validity

Answer 5

• extent to which the IV caused the observed change in the DV
• tends to be highest in experimental research, then quasi, then non experimental

Question 6

single variable research

Answer 6

• focusing on one variable related to a population or phenomenon
• isolate and understand the effects of a single variable

Question 7

designing single variable research

Answer 7

1. select variable of interest
2. choose relevant pop and sampling strategy
3. define methods for measuring the variable

Question 8

ecological validity

Answer 8

• measures how well research findings apply to real world settings outside the study environment
• need to balance the experimental control with the complexity of naturalistic environments

Question 9

“can” studies

Answer 9

• investigate maximum capability/potential of an individual or system

Question 10

“do” studies

Answer 10

• examine behaviour or performance in everyday contexts

Question 11

non-concealed observation

Answer 11

• observer informs participants that they are under observation

Question 12

concealed observation

Answer 12

• participant doesn’t know they’re being observed

Question 13

coding system

Answer 13

• rules to guide how researcher classifies and records behaviours under observation

Question 14

duration recording

Answer 14

• documenting length of time a behaviour occurs/time elapsed between behaviours

Question 15

frequency count recording

Answer 15

• record when target behaviour occurs

Question 16

observation schedule

Answer 16

• where observers note the particulars of the observed behaviour/phenomenon

Question 17

experimental criterion for evaluating change

Answer 17

• repeated demo of behavioural change should occur with intervention introduction
• no overlap between phases

Question 18

therapeutic criterion for evaluating change

Answer 18

• clinical significance
• social validation
• social comparison
• subject evaluation

Question 19

external validity

Answer 19

• the extent to which study findings are applicable/generalizable outside the data collection setting

Question 20

inter-observer reliability

Answer 20

• the level of agreement between 2 observers’ coding of the same phenomenon

Question 21

intra-observer reliability

Answer 21

• the extent to which an observer consistently codes a phenomenon

Question 22

mode

Answer 22

• most frequently occurring value in a set of scores

Question 23

mean

Answer 23

• the mathematically calculated average of a set of scores

Question 24

median

Answer 24

• the value found at the exact middle of the set of scores