Week 2: Research Methods + Evaluation (Chapter 3 + 4)

Question 1

Applied Psychology Intervention

Answer 1

Any strategy, procedure, or process that is designed to influence people’s behaviour with the end goal of improving their functioning in some way.

Question 2

Scopes of Interventions

Answer 2

• Personal Interventions
• Programmatic Interventions
• Trial Interventions
• Pilot Interventions

Question 3

Personal Interventions

Answer 3

The smallest scope.

Interventions that people carry out in the course of their daily lives.

• When they use their knowledge of social psychology to improve their own circumstances or those of people around them.

Question 4

Programmatic (Program) Interventions

Answer 4

A scope on a larger scale.

Interventions used to bring about positive change.

Question 5

Trial (Pilot) Interventions

Answer 5

A scope used as a small trial before broadening.

A type of intervention that is used to determine if interventions, as designed, have the intended positive consequences.

Question 6

4 Key Tasks in Implementation of Interventions

Answer 6

1. Identify the Problem
2. Develop A Solution
3. Set Goals + Design the Intervention
4. Implement the Intervention

Question 7

Requests for Proposals (RFPs)

Answer 7

• A business document that announces a project, describes it, and solicits bids from qualified contractors to complete it.
• Called for by a company in order to solve a problem.

Question 8

Stakeholders

Answer 8

• Anyone who is interested in the development/implementation and outcomes of the intervention.
• Anyone who can lose or gain something from the intervention.

Question 9

Needs Assessment

Answer 9

• Can be a formal or informal process of defining the problem.
• Must be carried out prior to RFP by organization/researcher.

Question 10

Precipitating Factors

Answer 10

Factors that CAUSED the problem.

Question 11

Perpetuating Factors

Answer 11

Factors that keep the problem from being solved.

• Often occurs AFTER precipitating factors have been resolved.

Question 12

Intervention Hypotheses

Answer 12

“If-then” statements that summarize the intervention and the expected outcomes.

• Developed based on theory.

Question 13

Goals

Answer 13

Refer to ultimate or LONG-term outcomes that one hopes to accomplish through an intervention.

Question 14

Objectives

Answer 14

SHORT-term steps that we aim to meet along the way to our goals.

• Can be achieved during the intervention or immediately after.

Question 15

SMART Framework

Answer 15

Make sure the goals you set are…

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Question 16

Logic Model

Answer 16

The intervention roadmap.

• An explanation or blueprint that lays out the input, activities, objectives, and goals.

Question 17

Theory of Change Model

Answer 17

Explains how the intervention is expected to bring about the desired outcome with explicit reference to existing evidence.

• Based on a step-by-step approach of getting to the desired goal with required resources needed + possible roadblocks included.

Question 18

Evaluating Interventions

Answer 18

• AKA step 5 in our implementation.
• Requires thoughtful and deliberate planning BEFORE engaging in the intervention process.
• Includes an evaluation of both cost and intervention effectiveness.

Question 19

Reasons to Evaluate Interventions

Answer 19

Scientific

• Intervention is guided by theory.

Ethical

• Intervention is received positively and not making things worse.

Financial

• Must use money wisely.

Program Development

• Cost effective (want value for that dollar)

Question 20

Reactance

Answer 20

A reason that interventions fail.

• The idea that when a source of influence threatens people’s sense of freedom to think or have as they see fit, people will act against said influence to protect their freedom.

Question 21

Types of Evaluation

Answer 21

• Process Evaluation
• Outcome Evaluation
• Developmental Evaluation

Question 22

Process Evaluation

Answer 22

Also known as formative evaluation.

• Was the program implemented in the way it was planned?
• Did the information reach its intended audience?
• Was the planned process carried out as stated in the logic model?

Question 23

Outcome Evaluation

Answer 23

Also known as summative evaluation.

• Did the program meet its predefined objectives?
• How well is the program meeting its long-term goals?

Question 24

Developmental Evaluation

Answer 24

• Ongoing engagement, adaption, and adjustment to allow for innovation in uncharted territory.

Question 25

Quasi-Experiments

Answer 25

Allow for comparisons to be made in observations across time and among groups with the assumption thatches groups may not be equivalent to each other.

• Manipulation of independent variable(s) or distinguish between categories of people.
• NO random assignment.
• Comparison of groups on measured variable(s).