Chapter 5: Context

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. What is meant by the “context” of a research study?

A. the “what” and “who” or which of cases

B. the “how” and “where” or location of cases

C. the “how,” “what,” and “when” of the study

D. the “who,” “'when,” and “where” of the study

Learning Objective: 5-1: Identify the dimensions of context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Is Context?

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. The average population density of Mongolia is 2 per square km, whereas, it is,1,260 per square km in Bangladesh. Which study factor must be kept in mind when researching population density data of these countries?

A. dimensions

B. measurement

C. plausibility

D. topic of study

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: How Context Affects Plausibility

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. In research studies, what does the term “exclusion criteria” mean?

A. Data not available for public use or study

B. Context limits that disqualify some cases

C. Exclusion of some context factors from study

D. Data that have misleading units of measure

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. On a visit to Thailand, you see an electronic board showing the current temperature as 30°. Which context criteria makes it difficult to interpret this number?

A. location

B. time period

C. type of case

D. study topic

Learning Objective: 5-3: Explain how measurement can vary by context.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: How Context Affects Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. The weight of people were measured in pounds in Iceland until 1907. Since then, weight has been measured in the country using the metric system. Which context factor should be kept in mind for longitudinal studies on weight in Iceland?

A. type of case

B. location

C. time period

D. study topic

Learning Objective: 5-3: Explain how measurement can vary by context.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: How Context Affects Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. In research studies, what does the term “population” refer to?

A. count of people

B. class of people

C. subset of things

D. set of all entities

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. In a study of retail outlets in Middlesex county that exclusively sell flowers, what would be termed as the basic “element” of this study?

A. a retail outlet in Middlesex

B. a flower outlet

C. a flower outlet in Middlesex

D. a retail shop

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. In the study given in Question 7, what would be the “entity” of the study?

A. flower outlets in Middlesex

B. retail shop

C. outlets selling flowers

D. retail outlets in Middlesex

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. What does the term “sample” refer to?

A. a subset of entities from all entities

B. a subset from the population of study

C. the first 20th percentile of a data set

D. a small set of typical elements in study

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. A random set of 200 data points selected from a data set was found to have the same general composition as the full data. What term best describes these 200 data points?

A. a sample

B. a subset

C. a representative sample

D. a random set

Learning Objective: 5-5: Define representativeness.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Representativeness

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. A data set has 2,000 observations of five dimensions of a topic. A subset of 500 observations is drawn from this data set. The data set had 20% observations with “Y” as value for the first dimension, whereas the subset had 17% of its observations with “Y” as value for the same first dimension. What term would be used for these 17% observations?

A. underrepresented dimension

B. overrepresented dimension

C. representative subgroup

D. underrepresented sample

Learning Objective: 5-5: Define representativeness.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Representativeness

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following best describes the phrase “target population?”

A. the population of the topic of a research study

B. the group to which study findings are applied to

C. a subset of the population that is of interest

D. population of a different topic than the one studied

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Hard

13. What is a “sample generalization?”

A. extrapolate the results from sample analysis to multiple population groups

B. apply conclusions from sample to population from which the sample is drawn

C. generalize sample characteristics to multiple samples drawn from the data

D. apply sample conclusions to other samples with similar characteristics

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Hard

14. A result of a study on education levels of adult working women in Manhattan was extrapolated to all the five boroughs of New York City. What term is used to refer to this type of application?

A. sample generalization

B. generalization fallacy

C. sample extrapolation

D. cross-population generalization

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. What does the term “external validity” refer to?

A. validate sample results using alternative statistical techniques

B. confirm conclusions made from a study by another researcher

C. extent to which study results can be generalized to a larger group

D. overlap of study results from a sample, with another study

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. A medical study was conducted in 1980 with people having “above normal” body temperatures. “Above normal” referred to those with body temperatures above 98.6°F. It has now been accepted for several decades that normal body temperature could range from 97°F to 99°F. What term could be used for making conclusions today based on the 1980 study results?

A. sample generalization

B. cross-population generalization

C. generalization fallacy

D. sample extrapolation

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Hard

17. What does stereotyping mean in the context of research?

A. generalizing from a few cases to an entity

B. extrapolating characteristics from one case to another

C. making assumptions about a case from an entity

D. generalizing from a sample to a different sample

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Errors in Generalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Observing poor results of an IQ test taken by three of his students, a professor assumed that his entire student class had below average IQ. What term is used to describe this assumption?

A. overgeneralization

B. generalization fallacy

C. selective observation

D. sample extrapolation

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Errors in Generalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. What does “level of analysis” mean in a research study?

A. type of analysis method or technique

B. level of aggregation of elements

C. type of research of the study

D. level of measure of each case

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. What term or phrase is used to describe making an inference for one level of analysis based on the findings from another level of analysis in a study?

A. sample to target

B. false negatives

C. fallacy of level

D. stereotyping

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. A person from Nepal was assumed to be of the Hindu faith, as Nepal is a self-proclaimed Hindu country. What type of fallacy would this assumption fall under?

A. reduction fallacy

B. macrolevel fallacy

C. microlevel fallacy

D. ecological fallacy

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. What type of fallacy is likely if the median income of a country is taken to be equivalent to the median income of its metropolitan cities?

A. macrolevel fallacy

B. reductionism

C. microlevel fallacy

D. ecological fallacy

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. What does the term “inclusion criteria” refer to?

A. rules to include a case in a sample

B. criteria for inclusion in a target set

C. criteria for including a case in a study

D. logic for populating a representative set

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Highlights

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. The way a concept is measured could vary due to which of the following?

A. location of the study

B. person taking the measurement

C. conversion of units

D. person designing the study

Learning Objective: 5-3: Explain how measurement can vary by context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Highlights

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. What is a sample with very similar characteristics as those of the population called?

A. a random sample

B. a stratified sample

C. a representative sample

D. a basic sample

Learning Objective: 5-5: Define representativeness.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Highlights

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. Context refers to the “what” and “how” of a research study

Learning Objective: 5-1: Identify the dimensions of context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Is Context?

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Context is also known as the setting of a research study.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: How Context Affects Plausibility

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Numeric values of a topic that are plausible in one country, may not be plausible in another country.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: How Context Affects Plausibility

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Context does not refer to inclusion or exclusion criteria for data used in the study.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. For a study that conducts a survey to collect data, inclusion criteria will be limited by those who respond to the survey.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The term “population,” in research, denotes only people that are of interest in the study being conducted.

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Hard

7. A sample is the set of cases for which data have been collected for a study.

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. An entity refers to the category or type of element used in a research study.

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. An unrepresentative sample is one where topic characteristics are overrepresented compared to the population.

Learning Objective: 5-5: Define representativeness.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Representativeness

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Extrapolating the findings from one or a few cases to all cases of the same type is known as stereotyping.

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Errors in Generalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer

1. Using the list of Ws, explain what is the context of a research study. Provide an example for each.

Learning Objective: 5-1: Identify the dimensions of context.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Is Context?

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Illustrate with an example, how context with respect to location affects the plausibility of numbers in a study.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: How Context Affects Plausibility

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. In your own words, explain how an inclusion criteria could make some cases implausible for the research study. Provide an example.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Sometimes, the cases of a study are limited to those cases for which data is available. Do you agree with this statement? Explain with an example.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. In addition to the list of W's for context, discuss some of the other dimensions of context that could generally be found in a research study. Illustrate with an example.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Context as Limiting the Set of Cases Studied

Difficulty Level: Hard

6. Describe a topic of study where measurement could be affected due to the context of time. Provide an example.

Learning Objective: 5-3: Explain how measurement can vary by context.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: How Context Affects Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. With the help of an example, explain the difference between an “element” and an “entity.”

Learning Objective: 5-4: State the difference between a sample and a population.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Population Versus Study Sample

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. What is a representative sample? Illustrate with an example.

Learning Objective: 5-5: Define representativeness.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Representativeness

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Explain what is meant by cross-population generalization with the aid of an example.

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generalization

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. What is a “fallacy of level?” Give an example to explain your answer.

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Discuss why the context of any research study is critical to making sense of numbers used in the study. Illustrate with examples.

Learning Objective: 5-2: Describe how context can affect plausible numeric values for a particular topic and measure.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: How Context Affects Plausibility

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Provide a real-world study case where overgeneralization would likely occur. What could be done to correct this error of generalization?

Learning Objective: 5-6: Name the two types of generalizability and how they are used to apply research findings.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Errors in Generalization

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Distinguish between ecological fallacy and reductionism with the help of examples. What steps would you take to correct an ecological fallacy made in a research study?

Learning Objective: 5-7: Identify the level of analysis used in a study, and avoid fallacy of level reasoning errors.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Level of Analysis and Fallacy of Level

Difficulty Level: Hard