Applied Research Methods
Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Applied Research Methods provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practices of conducting research in real-world settings across various disciplines. The course covers the formulation of research questions, selection of appropriate methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods), data collection and analysis techniques, and ethical considerations. Emphasis is placed on developing practical skills for designing and implementing research projects, interpreting results, and communicating findings effectively. Through hands-on activities and case studies, students learn to critically evaluate research literature and apply methodological approaches to address practical problems in their field of interest.
Recommended Textbook
Exploring Research 8th Edition by Neil J. Salkind
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Chapter 1: The Role and Importance of Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ann divides her classes into two groups - a treatment group and a non-treatment group - to test whether her new method of teaching subtraction is better than her old method. This is an example of what type of research?
A) historical
B) quasi-experimental
C) correlational
D) experimental research
Answer: D
Q2) Jacob is interested to see if there is a relationship between student absentee rate and national test scores. Which would be the appropriate research method to use?
A) historical
B) correlational
C) descriptive
D) longitudinal
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: The Research Process: Coming to Terms
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Sample Questions
Q1) A nondirectional research hypothesis is similar to a directional hypothesis in what way?
A) both specify the direction of the difference between groups
B) both reflect differences between groups
C) both are non-specific regarding the direction of group differences
D) both make no suggestion of group differences
Answer: B
Q2) In testing whether riding a bicycle at least 30 minutes each day reduces weight, what would be the independent variable?
A) the person's age
B) amount of time bicycling each day
C) the person's weight
D) the person's diet
Answer: B
Q3) Which type of study may NOT have an implied null hypothesis?
A) correlational
B) descriptive
C) quasi-experimental
D) experimental
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: A: Selecting a Problem and Reviewing the Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a fatal error in research problem selection?
A) refining your idea upon review of the literature
B) sticking with the first idea that comes to mind
C) selecting a problem you are genuinely interested in
D) doing something meaningful
Answer: B
Q2) What are the most important primary sources of information about a topic?
A) newspapers
B) magazines
C) journals
D) books
Answer: C
Q3) What is a listserv discussion group?
A) same as e-mail
B) universal resource locator
C) search engine
D) automatic depository for information
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: B: Ethics: the Basic Principles
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Sample Questions
Q1) What does the ethical principle of "sharing benefits" mean?
A) all participants in the same study should receive an equal share of the benefits or subject payments
B) all those who belong to the population being studied will share equally from the benefits the study produces
C) the results of studies must be shared with the public so society may benefit from the increased knowledge
D) all groups involved in a study should eventually be given an opportunity to receive any treatments that were found to be effective in the study
Q2) You can quote and analyze online information without asking for permission as long as the information is officially and publicly archived, not password protected and nothing on the site prohibits the use of this information.
A) True
B) False
Q3) What is the role of professional organizations in promoting ethical standards in human research studies?
Q4) Discuss two of the general issues in ethical research behavior.
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Chapter 4: Sampling and Generalizability
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a study focused on group difference, what is the general rule of thumb regarding the number of individuals per group?
A) 15
B) 30
C) 50
D) 100
Q2) Susan calls every 10th name in the student phone book to ask them to participate in her study. This is an example of ________________________.
A) simple random sampling
B) stratified sampling
C) convenience sampling
D) quota sampling
Q3) Which of these statements is true regarding cluster sampling?
A) one example of a nonprobability sampling method
B) individuals grouped together based on cluster of profile characteristics
C) minimizes the risk of bias due to a heterogeneous population
D) a great time-saver compared to simple random sampling
Q4) Why is generalizability the key to a successful study?
Q5) What is the difference between probability and nonprobability sampling?
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Chapter 5: Measurement, Reliability, and Validity
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the two components of error scores?
A) method error and consistent error
B) standard error and method error
C) trait error and standard error
D) trait error and method error
Q2) Which of the following is NOT an example of reliability?
A) consistency
B) performing the same in the future as in the past
C) the test doing what it is supposed to do
D) measuring the same thing more than once with the same outcome
Q3) Why are repeated scores on most variables always different from one another?
Q4) Dr. Brown finds that results from different methods used to assess the same trait are highly correlated and results from different methods used to assess different traits are not
Significantly correlated. These results demonstrate which two types of validity respectively?
A) predictive and concurrent
B) concurrent and predictive
C) discriminant and convergent
D) convergent and discriminant
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Chapter 6: Methods of Measuring Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which type of recording would measure the length of time a behavior occurs?
A) duration
B) interval
C) frequency
D) continuous
Q2) What is the computed number for how well an item distinguishes between the "knowing" and the "unknowing"?
A) item analysis
B) discrimination index
C) difficulty index
D) attitude index
Q3) Describe the basic procedure involved in setting up to conduct an item analysis.
Q4) Which level of measurement is very similar to Thurstone-like scales?
A) ordinal
B) nominal
C) interval
D) ratio
Q5) Discuss the characteristics of a good cover letter and why it is helpful to have one.
Q6) Why is it important to be unobtrusive when observing behavior?
Page 9
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Chapter 7: Data Collection and Descriptive Statistics
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Sample Questions
Q1) How can descriptive statistics be defined?
A) describing elements of a distribution
B) relating the data to a larger population
C) developing a research question
D) identical to inferential statistics
Q2) In a set of scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, what raw score is represented by a z-score of 2.00?
A) 115
B) 130
C) 100
D) 70
Q3) What is another phrase used to describe a bell-shaped curve?
A) average curve
B) regular-shaped curve
C) normal curve
D) elliptical curve
Q4) What are some characteristics of a normal curve?
Q5) Why isn't the range the best measure of variability?
Q6) Why is the sum of the deviation about the mean always 0?
Q7) What is a measure of central tendency?
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Chapter 8: Introducing Inferential Statistics
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Sample Questions
Q1) If the two groups you are comparing are related to each other, what test should you use?
A) factor analysis
B) MANOVA
C) t-test for independent means
D) t-test for dependent means
Q2) When investigating a relationship between two variables, what is the most acceptable initial explanation of the relationship?
A) the treatment
B) chance
C) researcher bias
D) defined factors
Q3) Why would you do a meta-analytic study?
Q4) The critical value is__________________________________.
A) the value found after calculating a test statistic
B) the value needed to determine a valid study
C) the value needed to determine a reliable study
D) the value needed to reject the null hypothesis
Q5) What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
Q6) What factors decrease the likelihood of making a Type II error?
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Chapter 9: Nonexperimental Research: Descriptive and Correlational Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the difference between the coefficient of determination and the coefficient of alienation?
Q2) "At what age did you start smoking?" is an example of:
A) A conventional question.
B) An open-ended question.
C) A structured question.
D) Interviewer bias subtly changing the response.
Q3) Samantha wanted to investigate the relationship between the amount of time her students engaged in outside leisure reading and their participation in class discussions. Her study would study be classified as _________________.
A) longitudinal
B) historical
C) cross-sectional
D) correlational
Q4) What is the most frequently used measure of relationships?
A) Spearman's rho
B) Pearson product moment
C) Student's t
D) Holmes procedure
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Chapter 10: Nonexperimental Research: Qualitative Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of participant observation?
A) It is time-consuming.
B) There is a risk of interfering with the natural process.
C) It is a primary method used in historical research.
D) It is a primary method used in ethnography.
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of the case study method?
A) It only reflects one reality, and that one may reflect researcher bias
B) Generalizability of the findings is limited.
C) It cannot establish cause-and-effect links.
D) It provides a rich account of what is occurring.
Q3) What are some of the limitations of historical research?
Q4) What is data that is derived from sources at least once removed from the original event?
A) secondary sources
B) global sources
C) primary sources
D) informal sources
Q5) Name two types of questions used in interviews and give examples of both.
Q6) Why is it important to understand the history of a phenomenon?
Q7) Describe the difference between direct and participant observation. Page 13
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Chapter 11: Pre- and True Experimental Research Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) What term is synonymous with internal validity?
A) generalizability
B) accuracy
C) reliability
D) control
Q2) Which experimental design involves one experimental group and three control groups?
A) Solomon four-group design
B) pretest posttest control group design
C) posttest only control group design
D) quasi-experimental design
Q3) Experimental research methods are used _______________________.
A) to describe some aspect of a certain variable
B) to establish a cause and effect relationship
C) to describe trends in education
D) only in biological and physical sciences
Q4) What is the difference between internal and external validity?
Q5) What is the Hawthorne effect?
Q6) How can you increase internal and external validity?
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Q7) What are the steps involved in using the pretest posttest control group design?
Chapter 12: Quasi-Experimental Research: a Close Cousin to Experimental Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which study design uses more than one test period prior to initiating any treatment and uses a comparison between one subject who receives a treatment and one who does not?
A) single subject design
B) nonequivalent control group design
C) multiple baseline design
D) cross-sectional design
Q2) Compared to longitudinal studies, cross-sectional studies
A) are much less expensive
B) have better comparability of groups
C) have higher mortality rates
D) cost the same
Q3) If nonequivalent control group design had random selection and assignment, what type of design would it be?
A) static group comparison
B) one-group pretest posttest design
C) one-shot case study design
D) pretest posttest control group design
Q4) Give an example of static group comparison in an experiment.
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Chapter 13: Writing a Research Proposal
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Sample Questions
Q1) What should you look for when evaluating the hypothesis of a research paper?
Q2) What is an effective way of judging how much time your proposal will take?
Q3) Which section of a proposal discusses the possible future uses for the research?
A) introduction
B) method
C) literature review
D) implications and limitations
Q4) What is the shortened title which appears at the top of each proposal page called?
A) an abstract
B) a running head
C) an introduction
D) a reference
Q5) Which of the following would be found in the introduction section?
A) current status of topic
B) problem statement
C) time line
D) research design
Q6) What should you look for when evaluating the method section of a research paper?
Q7) Name some things you should remember when selecting your dependent variable.
Page 17
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Chapter 14: Writing a Research Manuscript
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a prepared manuscript, what should follow the discussion section?
A) tables
B) title page
C) references
D) abstract
Q2) Margins for a manuscript should be _____________________.
A) .5 inches
B) 1 inch
C) 1.5 inches
D) 2 inches
Q3) What is a likely negative consequence of NOT titling your manuscript in a way that clearly reflects its content?
A) Your manuscript may be rejected.
B) It may be indexed incorrectly and others searching for a particular subject may miss it.
C) You may send it to the wrong type of journal.
D) There are no likely negative consequences.
Q4) What information is usually included in a discussion section?
Q5) What are some subsections that may be found in the methods section?
Q6) What are the differences between the results and discussion sections?
Page 18
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