Research – Flashcard

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A major difficulty with knowledge based on personal sensory experience is that it:
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is incomplete
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Knowledge arrived at by consensus or majority agreement
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is often in error
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Knowledge that is based on expert opinion
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is limited by the expert's experience
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Knowledge based on logical reasoning
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has specific prerequisites
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The essential characteristic of the scientific method is
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its public nature
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An investigator wishes to determine how much coverage current high school history texts give to the contributions of African Americans to our history. She should conduct
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content analysis
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Mixed-method research refers to use of both
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quantitaive and qualitative methods
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"Critical researchers" emphasize the importance of all the following except
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weak methodology
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Which of the following factors shoul dnot influence the decisions when on eis selecting a topic or problem for research?
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Will I be able to prove that my previously held beliefs are true?
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In conducting research, which of the following steps should generally be taken first?
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Formulation of the problem to be solved
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Operational definitions are encouraged in research in order to
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Make terms used in a study as explicit as possible
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"In this study interest in science is represented by the sciences area score on the Occupational Interest Inventory, Grades 7 to Adult, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1956." The preceding statement illustrates a(n):
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Operational definition
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Which of the following statements can be checked by means of scientific inquiry?
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The accident rate of driver education graduates is lower than the accident rate of those who have not had driver education.
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Which of the following definitions of the term "aggressive behavior" is operational?
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An "aggression" score on the XYZ behavior scale
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A constitutive definition is one that
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Is obtained from a published dictionary
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Whether or not a given study has the possibility of causing harm to participants
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must be determined by a review board established by the sponsoring institution
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Ethical behavior of educational researchers is guided primarily by
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ethical standards established by the profession
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Confidentiality requires that
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access to collected data be limited to research staff
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Which of the following groups are not protected by laws governing privileged communication?
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Researchers
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Research with minors presents special ethical concerns because
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they are less likely to understand what is being asked of them
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"Students taught first aid by programmed instruction will achieve at a higher level than those taught first aid by the transitional method." The independent variable in this hypothesis is
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method of instruction. In this example the dependent variable is- Level of achievement
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Statements or pedictions that are tested by collecting and analyzing objective evidence are called
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hypotheses
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"Learning disable children who attend publich school programs will show greater increases in social competence than will comparable child who attend institutional programs." This is an example of a(n)
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directional research hypothesis
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Empirically testing a hypothesis is the process of determining
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if systematic observation confirms it
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A research report states that Group A was exposed to a new teaching method and Group B was exposed to a traditional method. At the end of a four-month period, each group was given the same achievement test. Group A had a mean score that was higher than the mean score for Group B. The dependent variable in this study was the
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achievement scores of the students
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When a hypothesis is confirmend, one should conclude that
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the data provide evidence favorable to the belief that the hypothesis is true
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If a researcher studies the effects of frustration on the frequency of aggressive behavior, degree of frustration should be regarded as a(n)
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independent variable
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The dependent variable is so called because
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scores on this variable are hypothesized to depend on, and vary with, the value of the independent variable
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Characteristics of persons or things that can assume different values are called
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variables
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A categorical variable is one that varies in
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type but not amount
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An outcome variable is most similar to a(tiven)
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dependent variable
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In a study comparing methods of improving critical thinking, what type of variable is "critical thinking"
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Dependent, outcome, quantitative
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Which of the following is a quantitative variable?
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Self-Esteem
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Which of the follwoing is a nondirectional hypotheses?
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Boys and girls will differ in their attitudes towards school
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The first step in selecting a sample should be to
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define the population
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Generalizing research findings from a sample to the population is most likely to be justifiable when
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a large random sample is used
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A researcher drew a sample by selecting every tenth name in a telephone directory. Which of the following types of sampling did she use?
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Systematic
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The most important consideration in selecting a sample is that the sample be
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representative of the population
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In random sampling, it is necessarily true that
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each sampling unit has an equal probability of being selected
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The entire collection of people, elements, scores, or measurements to which conclusions are applied is
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a population
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The validity of generalizations based on a sample depends on the
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representativeness of the sample
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The sampel in a particular study is the
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group on which data are obtained
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The accessible population in a study is the
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group from which one selects a sample
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The most imporant feature of a table of random numbers is that
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there is no pattern to the numbers in the table
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Two stage cluster sampling refers to
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selecting groups and then individuals
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Random sampling is least effective when
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the sample size is very small
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A stratified random sample is used when
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the researcher wants to guarantee representativeness on specified variables
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When a convenience sample is used, the researcher should not
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generalize to a specified population
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The term "external validity" includes
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population generalizability and ecological generalizability
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Ecological generalizability includes the
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characterstics of the environment
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In reading a table of random numbers, the researcher begins
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with any number
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The best way to obtain a representative sample is to
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use a large simple random sample
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In which of the follwoing would one be most likely to find a professional evaluation of a particular commercial standardized test?
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The Buros Mental Measurement Yearbook
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The most serious limitation in the use of mailed questionnaires in research is in connection with
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obtaining responses
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Most widely used standardized achievement tests are useful because
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they have been carefully prepared, tried out, and refined through research
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One advantage that the interview has over the questionnaire is that it
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is more useful in probing for underlying feelings and attitudes
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Rapport is most essential when which data-gathering device is used?
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Interview
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Which is an example of a subject-completed instrument?
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Attitude scale
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How is "instrumentation" different from "instrument"?
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Instrumentation includes the way in which the instrument is used
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Which of the following is the best synonym for validity?
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Truthfulness
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Which of the following is the best synonym for reliability?
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Consistency
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The use of previously developed instruments in a study is desirable because
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instrument development is a complex undertaking
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A previously existing instrument
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may be inadequate for purposes of the researcher
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A performance checklist
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minimizes observer judgment
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Aptitude tests differ from ability tests primarily in their
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purpose
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Which of these could be used as an aptitude test
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The Stanford Achievement Test
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Which of the following would be the least appropriate variable to assess with an observational tally sheet?
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Critical thinking
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A score repored as 17-6 is most likely
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an age equivalent score
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A commonsense definition of validity refers to an instrument that
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measures what it is supposed to measure
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Reliability of measurement is concerned with
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consistency
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An indipensable quality required for a good measuring instrument is that it produce evidence that is
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valid
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The validity of scores on a teacher-made classroom achievment test should be appraised in terms of
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its relation to the content and objectives of the course
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The longer the time interval between a predition and the event to be predicted, the
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smaller are the chances of making a good prediction
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An arithmetic test is given twice within a few days to a student. The higest possible score is 40. He receives a score of 35 the first time and a score of 18 the second time. If similarly varying results are obtained with other students, the test is probably
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unreliable
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Which of the following is the best way to control for the unwanted influence of maturation processes in an experiment?
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Use a control group
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Which of the following is a question of internal validity in experimental research?
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Has maturation influenced the dependent variable
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Subjects performing well merely because they are being observed (and not necessarily becasue of any effect of treatment) are considered to be under the influence of
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The Hawthone effect
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The threate of "subject characteristics" refers to differences among subjects on
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an extraneous variable
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Loss of subjects in a threat to internal validity because
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those "lost" may differ on the dependent variable from the remainder
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Which of the following is not an example of a possible location threat?
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All tests are given in a noisy gym
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Instrument decay refers to the possibility that
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the instrument is systematically alered during the course of a study
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Loss of subjects is a serious threat to internal validity in a experimental study if
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more are lost from one group
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When the same questionnaire is scored for opinions on two or more topics, a threat to internal validity may exhists because
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respondentns may psych out the researcher's hypothesis
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Which of teh following illustrates an attitudinal threat to internal validity?
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Students resented not receiving the new curriculum
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A regression threat to internal validity refers to the fact that
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groups selected at extremes will score closer to the average on retesting
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Which threat would not apply to a correlational study?
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History
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The maximum possible correspondence or correlation between two variables is represented by a Pearson product-moment coefficient of
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-1.00
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Which one of theses correlation coefficients has the least predictive value?
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.19
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The kind of graph on which one would determine the frequency of a given score by noting the height of the line is calle a
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frequency polygon
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If there are only a few very high scores and a large number of closely bunched low scores ina distribution
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the mean will be higher than the median
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When scores are grouped in constructing a frequency polygon or scatterplot
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all intervals must be the same size
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A z-score is obtained by
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subtracting the mean from the score and dividing the standard deviation
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In a normal distribution, +-1 z-score includes about
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70% of the scores
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The median is equal to
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the 50th percentile
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The standard deviation tells how
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much the scores in a distrbution are spread out
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An advantage of z-scores is that
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scores on different instruments can be compared
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a scatterplot can be used only when
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both variables are quantitative
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Crossbreak tables are used when
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both variables are categorical
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A relationship is show in a crossbreak table by
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a large discrepancy between actual and expected frequencies
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the purpose of inferential statistics is
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to permit inferences from sample results to a population
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An assumption basic to all inferential statistics is
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the sample must be randomly selected
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A sampling distribution is
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a frequency polygon made from sample values
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A disadvantage of noparametric inference tests is that they
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are less likely to show statistical signifiance than parapmetric tests
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The magnitude of Chi-Square depends on the
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differences between observed and expected frequencies
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Why are control groups necessary in certain experiments?
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to make it easier to estimate the influence of the independent variable
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One differnce between the experimental and other methods in research has to do with the
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control of variables
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The feature that best characterizes experimental research is
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systematic variation of conditions
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Experimental research is the most powerful research method for
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determining cause and effect
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A major problem with experimental research in education is that
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the researcher may not have sufficient control over treatment
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Which is not a serious threat in a one group pretest posttest design?
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Characterstics of subjects
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An important difference between experimental and noexperimental research is that the independent variable in experimental reserach is
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manipulated
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A researcher would be liekly to use matching in a randomized posttest control group design
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if the number in each treatment group is small
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A researcher would use matching rather than random assignment when
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random assignment is impossible
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Which of the following is not possible in causal-comparative research?
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Random assignment to treatment or comparision groups
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One way of providing some control in a causal-comparative research design is to
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match the subjects in the groups to be compared on as many extraneous variables as possible
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Causal comparative research is so named because
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it is a way of exploring cause effect relationships
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The causal comparative and experimental methods are similar in that both
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involve at least on categorical variable
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The appropriate statistical procedure when all variables are categorical is the
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crossbreak table
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In a causal comparative study, comparision group
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are already in existence
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The major threat to internal validity in a causal comparative study is
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subject characteristics
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A correlation coefficient of -0.79 between time spent in typing practice and the number of typing errors means that
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as time spent in practice increased, errors tended to decrease
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In which of the following would be most likely to find a correlation coefficient of zero or close to zero
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Show sizes of adult males correlated with their salaries
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A researcher studied the relationship between the use of alcohol and grades in college. She found that a larger proportion of drinkers received low grades than did teetotalers. She should conclude that
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drinking habits and grades are related
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Correlational reserach differs from experimental research in that
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there is no manipulation of variables
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A regression line is used to
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estimate the score on one variable from the score on another variable
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Multiple regression is a technique for
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predicting a vriterion from two or more predictors in combination
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Survey research is concerned primarily with
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reporting existing conditions
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The purpose of most survey is to
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describe the characteristic of a population
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In a panel study, the researcher obtains information from
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the same sample at different points in time
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The primary advantages of the interview are
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high response rate and opportunity for clarification of questions
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An advantage of multiple choice questions as compared to open ended questions is that they
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are easier to score
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A cover letter should accomplish all of the following except
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clarifying the researchers hypothesis
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Interviewers should trained to do all of the follwoing except
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show their own views regarding the study
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A basic differnce between positivism and its critics pretains to
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the nature of reality
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Which of teh following is more likely to be found in a qualitative study compared to other methods?
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A description of the patterns of interaction among the members of a group
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Hypotheses in qualitative research usually
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emerge as the study progresses
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In qualitative reserach, process is seen as
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an important aspect to be investigated
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The unique perceptions of individuals are most likely to be viewed by qualitative researchers as
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an essential part of an investigation
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Data analysis in qualitative studies, compared to quantitative studies is
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inductive rather than deductive
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Qualitative researchers prefer natural settings because
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they believe context is crucial
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Generalization in qualitative researchh is
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different from quantitative reserach
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Advantages of Mixed Method studies are
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comprehnensiveness and thoroughness
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Essential features of a good action research study are
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local focus and plan of action
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"Stakeholders" in action research are those who
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are affected by the problem
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Which is not a criticism of participatory action research
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It cannot provide useful knowledge
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Action reserach and formal research differ in
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generalizizability
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Generalization in action research is best accomplished by
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replication
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Action reserach and "formal" research are similar in
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methodology
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