Research

Question 1

What kind of study examines characteristics, attitudes, or behaviors of two or more groups at one point in time?

Answer 1

A cross-sectional study

An example is the US census

Question 2

The highest possible degree of correlation is:

Answer 2

1 or -1

Question 3

Smoking frequently leading to lung cancer is an example of what kind of correlation?

Answer 3

High positive correlation

Question 4

As one variable increases, another variable reliably decreases–this describes:

Answer 4

Negative correlation

Question 5

The number of mistakes made on simple tasks increases as average hours of sleep per night decreases–this is an example of:

Answer 5

Negative correlation

Question 6

What is a variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure?

Answer 6

Independent variable

Question 7

Which variable is manipulated and which is measured?

Answer 7

Independent is manipulated, dependent is measured

Question 8

What is the process of creating subgroups in a dataset according to various factors such as age, gender, income level, or education called?

Answer 8

Stratified random sampling

Question 9

What is the definition of validity?

Answer 9

an instrument or a test measures what it is supposed to measure

Question 10

A test for reliability involves:

Answer 10

duplicating the same or close to the same results upon multiple testing

Question 11

A statistical procedure used to determine the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis is called a:

Answer 11

A test of statistical significance

Question 12

What is one standard deviation?

Answer 12

68%

Question 13

What is two standard deviations?

Answer 13

95%

Question 14

What is the definition of standard deviation?

Answer 14

a quantity calculated to indicate the extent of deviation for a group as a whole

Question 15

When scores are clustered close to the mean, there are few very high or very low scores relative to the mean or average score. When this happens, the standard deviation is calculated to be:

Answer 15

relatively small

Question 16

The measure of central tendency that provides the least information is the:

Answer 16

median

Question 17

A theory is used to:

Answer 17

Explain a hypothesis and delimit the scope of the data collected

Question 18

If a researcher plans to study the norms of the aged at a residential hotel, the most effective method is to:

Answer 18

Ask active residents about the norms.

Question 19

A definition of a grounded theory research study is that:

Answer 19

it creates new theories based upon research with small samples

Question 20

Focus groups work best for:

Answer 20

finding diverse opinions on a single subject

Question 21

Informed consent occurs when:

Answer 21

subjects are aware of the possible risks and benefits of a study

Question 22

A probability sample is not represented by a

1. Simplified sample
2. Stratified random sample
3. Quota sample
4. Random sample

Answer 22

The correct answer is 1.

In sampling methodology, the simplified sample is not among the possible probability samples.

Question 23

What ethical issue might arrive for social workers engaging in research?

Answer 23

withholding or delaying specific services to clients when this is called for by research protocols

Question 24

When researchers report that their findings were significant at the .01 level, they are stating
1. There is no significance
2. There is one chance in 10 that the result occurred by chance
3. There is one chance in a 100 that the result occurred by chance
4. The sample was too small

Answer 24

The correct answer is 3.

The decimal .01 is the numerical symbol for one hundredth of one. The significance level refers to the probability that a result or outcome would occur by chance. Therefore, a significance level of .01 refers to the probability of one in a hundred that the outcome did not occur by chance.

Question 25

Construct validity is:

Answer 25

**the relationship between a concept and the certainty that the researcher is measuring what she/he would like to measure.** For example, if the researcher were interested in measuring intelligence, an instrument must be known to actually measure intelligence and not something else such as mood or maturity. The degree to which there is certainty about what is being measured would be the construct validity.

Question 26

The closer the “r” value gets to 1:

Answer 26

**The stronger the association** The association gets stronger the closer the number gets to 1.0. 1.0 is a perfect positive association between two variables, and -1.0 is a perfect negative association. Perfect associations rarely occur and when they do, there is a possibility that the variables are accidentally the same variables.

Question 27

What is the difference between association and correlation?

Answer 27

Association is a very general relationship: one variable provides information about another. Correlation is more specific: two variables are correlated when they display an increasing or decreasing trend.

Question 28

The source of illness among smokers can only be conclusively and unequivocally proven by 1. A descriptive study 2. A longitudinal study 3. An experimental study 4. Epidemiological evidence

Answer 28

**The correct answer is 3.** **An experimental study that includes an experimental and a control group is the only true means of approaching causality.** Answer 1, a descriptive study will describe the data. Answer 2, a longitudinal study is a long term study and answer 4, an epidemiological study is a retrospective study (a study of past events).

Question 29

What procedure is defined as a method of estimating reliability by dividing a test into two halves and measuring the correlation between the scores of each half? This procedure helps assess the consistency of the test items and their equivalence.

Answer 29

split-half correlation

Question 30

What does a panel study do?

Answer 30

A panel study observes changes among the same subjects over time

Question 31

This phenomenon, named after a study of industrial workers being observed for their efficiency between 1927 and 1932, is the concept that people improve performance when they know they are being observed:

Answer 31

The Hawthorne Effect

Question 32

In a study measuring whether people are willing to spend more time or less time commuting to work, the level of measurement used would be:

Answer 32

Ordinal

Question 33

What level of measurement refers to data that can be ranked and can consist of categories or values that do not have equal intervals?

Answer 33

Ordinal

Question 34

What level of measurement stands for numbers that have equal distances between each integer (eg 1 and 2)?

Answer 34

Interval

Question 35

What level of measurement is similar to interval but has the possibility of zero as a value?

Answer 35

Ratio

Question 36

What level of measurement refers to categories or values that are mutually exclusive and cannot be ranked?

Answer 36

Nominal

Question 37

While in a medication trial, the subject suffers a loss of a family member--this is an example of what kind of variable?

Answer 37

Intervening

Question 38

Dissatisfaction with community surveys is most often related to their:

Answer 38

Diffuse quality and lack of precision

Question 39

Social work research has contributed least to 1. General theory 2. Treatment 3. Causes of dysfunctions 4. Questions for further research

Answer 39

**The correct answer is 1.** Social work is considered to be an applied discipline that borrows theory from other disciplines that are more firmly rooted in the social and biological sciences.