Chapter 3: Quantitative Research Designs

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Quantitative research has been associated with the philosophical paradigm of ______.

A. positivism

B. dualism

C. existentialism

D. ontology

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Quantitative research by definition is associated with ______ control by the researcher.

A. decreased

B. increased

C. no

D. limited

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Control over the variables being studied ______ the predictions a researcher can make.

A. decreases

B. increases

C. limits

D. eliminates

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. One weakness of quantitative research is that it requires the use of ______ sample sizes.

A. larger

B. smaller

C. randomized

D. stratified

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. A(n) ______ variable is an event, condition, or measured attribute or characteristic that the researcher for the most part controls.

A. confounding

B. dependent

C. independent

D. control

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. An independent variable must have at least ______ or more levels or groups to compare.

A. one

B. two

C. three

D. four

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. The ______ variable is defined in terms of changes in the subject as a consequence of the independent variable.

A. confounding

B. dependent

C. independent

D. control

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. ______ variables are considered to be either uncontrolled or unknown factors that can potentially affect the results or the response to the dependent variable.

A. Confounding

B. Extraneous

C. Independent

D. Control

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. ______ type of design is one in which there is a manipulation that is controlled by the researcher but no random assignment to groups.

A. Quasi-experimental

B. Correlational

C. True experimental

D. Preexperimental

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Quasi-Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. ______ type of design typically do not allow for detection of differences through comparisons with other groups or with multiple assessments of baseline.

A. Quasi-experimental

B. Correlational

C. True experimental

D. Preexperimental

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Pre-Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. ______ type of design involve no random assignment to groups, nor is there any manipulation of an independent variable.

A. Quasi-experimental

B. Correlational

C. True experimental

D. Descriptive

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Descriptive Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. The static group comparison is an example of ______.

A. quasi-experimental design

B. descriptive design

C. preexperimental design

D. true experimental design

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Preexperimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. A pretest–posttest is found in what type of experimental design?

A. true experimental design

B. quasi experimental design

C. preexperimental design

D. descriptive design

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Those characteristics about a person that the researcher cannot manipulate are referred to as ______.

A. dependent variables

B. discrete variables

C. control variables

D. attributes

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. The symbol ______ is used by researchers to represent an assignment that is random.

A. R

B. RX

C. X

D. O

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. The symbol ______ is used by researchers to represent exposure of the group to treatment.

A. R

B. RX

C. X

D. O

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. The symbol ______ is used by researchers to represent measurement of the dependent variable.

A. R

B. RX

C. X

D. O

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. A ______ amount of control used by researchers is seen in a true experimental type of design.

A. high

B. minimal

C. moderate

D. none of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. A ______ amount of control used by researchers is seen in a quasi-experimental type of design.

A. high

B. minimal

C. moderate

D. none of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. A ______ amount of control used by researchers is seen in a preexperimental type of design.

A. high

B. minimal

C. moderate

D. none of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Descriptive designs are an attempt by the researcher to characterize events or conditions of an identified population.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Descriptive Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. True experimental designs don’t always include random assignment to groups and manipulation of the independent variable.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. The use of correlational research may be particularly relevant in education and counseling given that there is a need to study complex human issues and understand their relationship.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Descriptive Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Preexperimental research has been noted to include four different approaches: survey, observational, correlational, and causal comparative.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Preexperimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. A type of quasi-experimental design is the multiple time series design.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Quasi-Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Manipulation refers to the researcher’s having some control over or ability to alter an event or condition of interest for an individual or group.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Dependent variables are influenced by and dependent on independent variables.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Extraneous variables are considered to be either uncontrolled or unknown factors that can potentially affect the results or the response to the independent variable.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. A Solomon Four-Group Design is not used often, mainly because it is expensive to conduct.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. When the researcher is unable to use random assignment to groups, there are fewer threats to the internal validity of the study because there are possible differences between the group members prior to the intervention.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. How do Tuli (2010) define a positivism approach?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative Research

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. How does Creswell (2012) define a variable?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. What is an independent variable?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. What is a dependent variable?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. List and discuss four of the major categories of research designs.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Research Designs | Table 3.1: Categories of Quantitative Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. What are the two criteria used in distinguishing true experimental designs from other designs?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs | Table 3.1: Categories of Quantitative Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Researchers have developed methods of representing research designs with symbols. What does the symbol “X” indicate?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs | Table 3.1: Categories of Quantitative Research Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. What is a Solomon Four-Group Design?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: True Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. What is a multiple time series design?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Quasi-Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. What two types of research designs have been categorized as preexperimental?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Preexperimental Deigns

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Define “attributes” and provide three examples.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. What is a quasi-experimental design? Define and provide an example of a study which uses this type of design.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Quasi-Experimental Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Explain the three methods of addressing extraneous variables, so they become control variables.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Types of Variables

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. List and discuss the four different approaches of descriptive research.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Descriptive Designs

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. What is a true experimental design? Define and provide an example of a study which uses this type of design.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: True Experimental Design

Difficulty Level: Medium