EPPP: Part 1, Knowledge Quiz: Study Design Types

A study finds that children who were breastfed as infants have higher average IQ scores in adolescence than those who were not. The researchers obtained data on infant feeding practices and adolescent IQ from existing school and medical records. Because the researchers could not control which infants were breastfed, this study is best described as a:

A research team wants to determine if a new form of cognitive-behavioral therapy causes a greater reduction in depressive symptoms than a well-established SSRI medication. To draw the strongest possible causal conclusion, which study design must the team employ?

To test a behavioral intervention for a child with severe disruptive behaviors, a psychologist first records the frequency of outbursts for two weeks (baseline). Then, the psychologist implements a token economy system for two weeks and records the frequency. After that, the system is withdrawn for two weeks, and finally, it is reinstated. This A-B-A-B design is a type of:

A clinical neuropsychologist is working with a patient who, following a unique brain injury, has developed the ability to remember almost every detail of his life. The psychologist conducts extensive interviews, cognitive testing, and brain imaging over several years to understand the mechanisms of his memory. The findings are published as a detailed report. This research is best described as a:

A primary limitation of a study is determined to be the 'selection threat' to internal validity, where initial differences between the treatment and control groups may have accounted for the observed effects. This limitation is a hallmark characteristic that distinguishes which two designs?

A developmental psychologist collects data from 500 families at a single point in time. The data include measures of parental discipline style, child temperament, and the child's current level of behavioral problems. The goal is to identify factors associated with behavioral problems. This study is best described as:

A company wants to evaluate a new leadership training program. They offer the training to all managers at their Dallas office. They then compare the subsequent employee satisfaction scores from the Dallas office to the scores from their Boston office, where managers did not receive the training. This research design is best classified as:

A researcher obtains a large, publicly available dataset and uses it to examine the relationship between a county's average income level and its prevalence of diagnosed mood disorders. The study involves no direct contact with participants. This is an example of what type of design?

A researcher is interested in whether the presence of a therapy dog can reduce anxiety during a public speaking task. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two conditions: giving a speech in front of an audience with a therapy dog present, or giving the same speech with no dog present. Their physiological arousal is measured. This is an example of which type of study?

A therapist has a client with a very rare and unclassified dissociative disorder. To better understand the client's experience and potentially inform future classification and treatment, the therapist documents the client's history, symptoms, and response to various therapeutic approaches in great detail over two years of therapy. This approach to research is best identified as a:

A study is designed to assess the effectiveness of a new online learning module. All employees in the marketing department are required to complete the module, while all employees in the sales department are not. The researcher compares the job performance metrics of the two departments for the three months following the module's implementation. What is the primary threat to the internal validity of this study's design?

A research team follows a group of 1,000 children from age 3 to age 18, collecting data every two years on their cognitive abilities, social skills, and family environment. The goal is to identify early-life predictors of adolescent well-being. No interventions are administered. This study's design is best described as:

A researcher investigates the effectiveness of a new psychoeducational program for managing anxiety in college students. Two intact psychology classes are selected for the study. One class receives the new program, while the other receives a standard presentation on study skills. Anxiety levels are measured before and after the interventions. Which research design does this study represent?

A study reports a strong positive association between the number of hours students spend at the library and their GPA. The researchers conclude that spending more time at the library leads to better grades. The primary limitation of this conclusion is that the study's design does not rule out alternative explanations (e.g., more conscientious students both study more and get better grades). What is the study's design?

A researcher is investigating the impact of chronic childhood illness on adult attachment style. Given the ethical and practical impossibility of assigning children to 'chronic illness' and 'healthy' groups, which study design is most appropriate for examining the relationship between these variables?

To study a new intervention for social anxiety, a researcher recruits 100 participants with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. The researcher uses a computer program to assign 50 participants to the new intervention group and 50 to a support group that serves as a control. The defining feature that makes this study a true experiment is the:

A researcher is hired by a city to evaluate the impact of installing new streetlights in a high-crime neighborhood. The researcher collects crime rate data for the neighborhood for 12 months before the installation and for 12 months after. To improve the study, the researcher also collects crime data from a similar neighborhood in the city that did not receive new streetlights. What type of design is this?

A school district implements a new anti-bullying program in all of its middle schools. To assess its impact, a researcher compares the number of disciplinary incidents related to bullying for the year before the program's implementation and the year after. There is no comparison to schools outside the district. This study is best characterized as a:

A psychologist is interested in the relationship between pet ownership and life satisfaction among older adults. The psychologist surveys 300 residents of a retirement community, asking them whether they own a pet and having them complete a life satisfaction inventory. The results show that pet owners report significantly higher life satisfaction. What type of study design was used?

A psychologist compares the cognitive flexibility of a group of professional musicians to a group of professional accountants. All participants are given a series of tasks measuring executive functions. The study finds that the musicians perform significantly better on tasks of cognitive flexibility. This research is an example of a: