NCE Research & Program Evaluation Prep

The most valuable type of research is

The experiment, used to discover cause-and-effect relationships

Experiments emphasize parsimony, which means

Interpreting the results in the simplest way

Occam’s Razor suggests that experimenters

Interpret the results in the simplest manner

A counselor educator is running an experiment to test a new form of counseling. Unbeknownst to the experimenter, one of the clients in the study is secretly seeing a gestalt therapist. This experiment

Is confounded/flawed

Nondirective is to person-centered as

Parsimony is to Occam’s Razor

An experiment is said to be confounded when

Undesirable variables aren’t kept out of the experiment

In experimental terminology, IV stands for ____ and DV stands for _____

Independent variable; dependent variable

A professor of counseor education hypothesized that biofeedback training could reduce anxiety and improve the average score on written board exams. If this professor decides to conduct a formal experiment, the IV will be the ____ and the DV will be the ____

Biofeedback; board exam score

Experimenters should always abide by a code of ethics. The variable you manipulate/control in an experiment is the

Independent variable

In order for the professor of counselor education to conduct an experiment regarding his hypothesis, he will need a(n) ____ and a(n) ______

Control group; experimental group

In order for the professor of counselor education to conduct the experiment, the experimental group would need to receive

The manipulated IV and the biofeedback training

Hypothesis testing is most closely related to the work of

R.A. Fisher

The null hypothesis suggests that there will not be a significant difference between the experimental group, which received the IV, and the control group, which didn’t. Thus, if the experiment was conducted, the null hypothesis would suggest that

Biofeedback will not improve the board exam scores

The hunch is known as the experimental or alternative hypothesis. The experimental hypothesis suggests that a difference will be evident between the control group and the experimental group. Thus, if the experiment were conducted, the experimental hypothesis would suggest that

The biofeedback would raise board scores

From a purely statistical standpoint, in order to compare a control group to the experimental group, the researcher will need

A test of significance

When you see the letter P in relation to a test of significance, it means

Probability

In the social sciences, the accepted probability level is usually

.05 or less

P = .05 really means that

There’s only a 5% chance that the difference between the control group and the experimental groups is due to chance factors

P = .05 really menas that

Differences truly exist; the experimenter will obtain the same results 95 out of 100 times

The study that would best rule out chance factors would have a significance level of P =

.001

Type I and Type II errors are called ____ and ____ respectively

Alpha; beta

A Type I error occurs when

You reject the null when it’s true

A Type II error

Is also called a beta error and means you accept the null when it’s false

Assume the experiment is conducted. The results indicate that the biofeedback helped raise written board exam scores but in reality this isn’t the case. The researcher has made a

Type I error

A counselor educator decides to increase the sample size in her experiment. This will

Reduce Type I and Type II errors

If a researcher changes the significance level from .05 to .001, then

Alpha errors decrease; however, beta errors increase

A counselor believes that clients who receive assertiveness training will ask more questions in counseling class. An experimental group receives assertiveness training while a control group doesn’t. In order to test for significant differences between the groups, the counselor should utilize

The student’s t test

The researcher now attempts a more complex experiment. One group receives no assertiveness training, a second group receives 4 assertiveness training sessions, and a third receives 6 sessions. The statistic of choice would be

The ANOVA

If the researcher in the previous question utilized two IVs, then the statistic of choice would be

Two-way ANOVA or MANOVA

To complete a t test, you would consult a tabled value of t. In order to see if significant differences exist in an ANOVA, you would

Consult a table for F values

Which level of significance would best rule out chance factors?

.001

When a researcher uses correlation, then there is no direct manipulation of the IV. A researcher might ask, for example, how IQ correlates with the incidence of panic disorder. Again, nothing is manipulated; just measured. In cases such as this, a correlation coefficient will reveal

The relationship between IQ and panic disorder

If data indicate that students who study a lot get very high scores on state counselor licensing exams, then the correlation between study time and LPC exam scores would be

Positive

Which of the following would most likely yield a perfect correlation of 1.00?

Length in inches and length in centimeters

A good guess would be that if you would correlate the length of CACREP graduates/ baby toes with their NCE scores, the result would be

Close to 0.00

Dr. X discovered that the correlation between therapists who hold NCC status and therapists who practice systematic desensitization is .90. A student who perused Dr. X’s research told his felow students that Dr. X had discovered that attaining NCC status causes therapists to become behaviorally oriented. The student is incorrect because

Correlation doesn’t imply causal

Behaviorists often utilize N=1, which is called intensive experimental design. The first step in this approach would be to

Take a baseline measure

In a new study, the clients don’t know whether they are receiving an experimental treatment for depression or whether they’re simply part of the control group. This is, nevertheless, known to the researcher. Thus, this is a

Single-blind study

A large study at a major university gave an experimental group of clients a new type of therapy that was intended to ameliorate test anxiety. The control group didn’t receive the new therapy. Neither the client nor the researchers knew which students received the new treatment. This was a

Double-blind study

Experimental is to cause and effect as correlational is to

Degree of relationship

In a normal curve, the mean, median, and mode all fall precisely in the middle of the curve. From a graphical standpoint, the so-called normal or Gaussian curve looks like

A symmetrical bell

The most common measures of central tendency are the mean, median, and mode. The mode is

The most frequently occurring score and the least important measure of central tendency

A bimodal distribution has two modes. Graphically, this looks roughly like

A camel’s back with two humps

In a basic curve or so-called frequency polygon, the point of maximum concentration is the

Mode

The most useful measure of central tendency is the

Mean, often abbreviated by an X with a bar over it

In a career counseling session, an electrical engineer mentions 3 jobs he has held. The first paid $10/hour, the second paid $30/hour, and the third paid a higher rate of $50/hour. The counselor responds that the client is averaging $30/hour. The counselor is using

The mean

From a mathematical standpoint, the mean is merely the sum of the scores divided by the number of scores. The mean is misleading when

The distribution is skewed and there are extreme scores

When a distribution of scores isn’t distributed normally, statisticians call it

A skewed distribution

The median is

The middle score when the data are arranged from highest to lowest

In a new experiment, a counselor educator wants to ferret out the effects of more than one IV. She will use a ____ design.

Factorial

Regardless of the shape, the _____ will always be the high point when a distribution is displayed graphically

Mode

If a group of first semester graduate students in counseling took the NCE exam, a distribution of scores would be

Positively skewed

Nine of the world’s finest counselor educators are given an elementary exam on counseling theory. The distribution of scores would most likely be

Negatively skewed

Billy received an 82 on his college math final. This is Billy’s raw score on the test. A raw score simply refers to the number of items correctly answered. A raw score is expressed in the units by which it was originally obtained. The raw score isn’t altered mathematically. Billy’s raw score indicates that

More information is obviously necessary

A distribution with class intervals can be graphically displayed via a bar graph also called a

Histogram

When a horizontal line is drawn under a frequency distribution, it’s known as

The x axis

The x axis is used to plot the IV scores. The x axis is also known as

The abscissa

The y axis is used to plot the frequency of the DVs. The y axis is also known as the

Ordinate

If a distribution is bimodal, then there’s a good chance that

The researcher is working with two distinct populations

If an experiment can be replicated by others with almost identical findings, then the experiment

Is said to be reliable

The range is a measure of variance and usually is calculated by determining the difference between the highest and the lowest score. Thus, on a test where the top score was 93 and the lowest score was a 33 out of 100, the range would be

61

A sociogram is to a counseling group as a scattergram is to

A correlation coefficient

A counselor educator is teaching two separate classes in individual inventory. In the morning class, the counselor educator has 53 students, and in the afternoon class, she has 177 students. A statistician would expect that the range of scores on a test would be

Greater in the afternoon class than the morning class

The variance is a measure of dispersion of scores around some measure of central tendency. The variance is the standard deviation squared. A popular IQ test would expect that if the mean IQ score is 100, then

68% of the people who take the test will score between 85 and 115

Plus or minus 2 SD of the mean

The standard deviation is the square root of the variance. A z-score of +1 would be the same as

One standard deviation above the mean

Z-scores are the same as standard deviations, thus a z-score of -2.5 means

2.5 SD below the mean

A T score is different from z-score. A z-score is the same as the standard deviation. A T score, however, has a mean of 50 with every 10 points landing at a standard deviation above or below the mean. Thus, a T score of 60 would equal +1 while a T score of 40 would

Be -1 SD

An IQ score on an IQ test which was three standard deviations above the mean would be

Near the genius level

A platykurtic distribution would look approximately like

The upper half of a hot dog, lying on its side over the abscissa

Test scores on an exam that fell below three standard deviations of the mean or above three standard deviations of the mean could be described as

Extreme

In WWII, the Air Force used stanine scores as a measurement. Stanine scores divide the distribution into 9 equal intervals with stanine 1 as the lowest ninth and 9 as the highest ninth. In this system, 5 is the mean. Thus, a Binet IQ score of 101 would fall in stanine

5

There are 4 basic measurement scales: the nominal, the ordinal, the interval, and the ratio. The nominal scale is strictly a qualitative scale. It’s the simplest type of scale. It’s used to distinguish logically separated groups. Which of the following illustrates the function of the nominal scale?

A DSM or ICD diagnostic category

The ordinal scale rank-orders variables, though the relative distance between the elements isn’t always equal. An example of this would be

A horse categorized as a second place winner in a race

The interval scale has numbers scaled at equal distances but has no absolute zero point. Most tests used in school fall into this category. You can add and subtract using interval scales, but can’t multiply or divide. An example of this would be

That an IQ of 70 is 70 points below an IQ of 140, yet a counselor couldn’t assert that a client with an IQ of 140 is twice as intelligent as a client with an IQ of 70

A ratio scale is an interval scale with a true zero point. Ratio measurements are possible using this scale. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division all can be utilized on a ratio scale. In terms of counseling research,

Most psychological attributes can’t be measured on a ratio scale

Researchers often utilize naturalistic observation when doing ethological investigations or studying children’s behavior. In this approach,

The researcher doesn’t manipulate or control variables

The simplest form of descriptive research is the ____, which requires a questionnaire return rate of ____ to be accurate

Survey; 50-75%

A researcher gives a depressed patient a sugar pill and the individual’s depression begins to lift. This is known as

The placebo effect

A researcher notes that a group of clients who aren’t receiving counseling but are observed in a research study are improving. Her hypothesis is that the attention she has given them has been curative. The best explanation of their improvement would be

The Hawthorne effect

An elementary school counselor tells the third-grade teacher that a test revealed that certain children would excel during the school year. In reality, no such test was administered. Moreover, the children were unaware of the experiment. By the end of the year, all of the children who were supposed to excel did excel. This would best be explained via

The Rosenthal effect or the experimenter expectancy effect

A panel of investigators discovered that a researcher who completed a major study had unconsciously rated attractive females as better counselors. This is an example of

The Halo effect

All of the following describe the analysis of covariance technique except

It’s a correlation coefficient

Three years ago, an inpatient chemical dependency center in a hospital asked its clients if they would like to undergo an archaic form of therapy created by Wilhem Reich known as “vegotherapy.” Approximately half of the clients stated they would like to try the treatment, while the other 50% stated they would stick with the tried-and-true program of the center. Outcome data on their drinking was compiled at the end of 7 weeks. Today, 3 years later, a statistician compared the two groups based on their drinking behavior at the end of the 7 weeks using a t test. This study could be described as

Causal comparative research

The WAIS-III IQ test is given to 100 adults picked randomly. How many of the adults most likely would receive an IQ score between 85 and 115?

68 people

A researcher creates a new motoric test in which clients throw a baseball at a target 40 feet away. Each client is given 100 throws, and the mean on the test is 50. Sam took the test and hit the target just 2 times out of the 100 throws allowed. Jeff, on the other hand, hit the target 92 out of 100 trials. Usiing the concept of statistical regression toward the mean, the research would predict that

Sam’s score will increase while Jeff’s will decrease

Standardized tests always have

Formal procedures for test administration and scoring

There are two distinct types of developmental studies. In a cross-sectional study, clients are assessed at one point in time. In a longitudinal study, however,

The same people are studied over a period of time

A counselor educator, Dr. Y, is doing research on his classes. He

hypothesizes that if he reinforces students in his morning class

by smiling each time a student asks a relevant question, then

more students will ask questions and exam grades will go up.

Betty and Linda accidentally overhear Dr. Y discussing the ex-

periment with the department chairman. Betty is a real people

pleaser and decides that she will ask lots of questions and try to

help Dr. Y confi rm his hypothesis. Linda, nevertheless, is angry

that she is being experimented on and promises Betty that Dr.

Y could smile until the cows came in but she still wouldn’t ask a

question. Both Linda and Betty exemplify

Demand characteristics of experiments

If an ANOVA yields a significant F value, you could rely on _____ to test significant differences between group means

Duncan’s multiple-range, Tukey’s, or Scheffe’s test

Switching the order in which stimuli are presented to a subject in a study is known as

Counterbalancing

A doctoral student who begins working on his bibliography for his thesis would most likely utilize

ERIC, for primary and secondary resources

In a random sample, each individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected. Selection is by chance. In a new study, however, it will be important to include 20% African Americans. What type of sampling procedure will be necessary?

Stratified sampling would be best

A researcher wants to run a true experiment but insists she will not use a random sample. You could safely say that

She could accomplish this using systematic sampling

An operational definition

Outlines a procedure

In a parametric test, the assumption is that the scores are normally distributed. In nonparametric testing, the curve is not a normal distribution. Which of these tests are nonparametric statistical measures?

All of the above

A researcher studies a single session of counseling in which a counselor treats a client’s phobia using a paradoxical strategy. He then writes in his research report that paradox is the treatment of choice for phobics. This is an example of

Inductive logic or reasoning

A client goes to a string of 14 chemical dependency centers that operate on the 12 step model. When his current ttherapist suggests a new inpatient program, the client responds with, “What for, I already know the 12 steps? This client is using

Deductive logic

Mike takes a math achievement test. In order to predict his score if he takes the test again, the counselor must know

The standard error of measurement

A researcher performs a study that has excellent external or so-called population validity, meaning that the results have generalizability. To collect his data, the researcher gave clients a rating scale in which they were to respond with strongly agree, somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree. This is

A Likert scale