CRC Research Methods 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a measurement tool consistently measures the same construct across different subgroups (e.g., racial groups), this property is called:
- Criterion validity
- Measurement invariance (Correct answer)
- Test-retest reliability
- Factorial validity
Correct answer: Measurement invariance
Measurement invariance confirms that a scale functions equivalently across different groups, enabling fair comparisons.
Question 2: In ethics of research, the Belmont Report principle of justice primarily requires that:
- Risks be minimized and benefits maximized
- Participants give informed consent
- Research benefits and burdens be distributed fairly across populations (Correct answer)
- Researcher competence be verified
Correct answer: Research benefits and burdens be distributed fairly across populations
The justice principle mandates equitable selection of research participants so no group bears disproportionate research burdens.
Question 3: A researcher finds that a new assessment tool correlates highly with an established gold-standard measure of the same construct. This supports:
- Discriminant validity
- Concurrent criterion validity (Correct answer)
- Predictive validity
- Face validity
Correct answer: Concurrent criterion validity
Concurrent criterion validity is established when a new measure correlates strongly with a recognized criterion measured at the same time.
Question 4: In meta-analysis, publication bias occurs because:
- Studies with large samples dominate the analysis
- Studies with significant findings are more likely to be published than null findings (Correct answer)
- Qualitative studies are excluded from analysis
- Effect sizes vary across different populations
Correct answer: Studies with significant findings are more likely to be published than null findings
Publication bias inflates meta-analytic effect size estimates because non-significant results often remain unpublished.
Question 5: An ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) is used to:
- Compare proportions across two categorical variables
- Control for a continuous variable while comparing group means (Correct answer)
- Predict a categorical outcome from multiple predictors
- Test whether variance is equal across groups
Correct answer: Control for a continuous variable while comparing group means
ANCOVA statistically controls for covariates to reduce error variance and produce cleaner group comparisons.
Question 6: A rehabilitation researcher randomly assigns clients to two counseling approaches and measures outcomes. The primary advantage of random assignment is that it:
- Increases the sample size
- Controls for known and unknown confounding variables (Correct answer)
- Eliminates measurement error
- Improves external validity
Correct answer: Controls for known and unknown confounding variables
Random assignment distributes both measured and unmeasured confounds equally across conditions, isolating the treatment effect.
Question 7: Which qualitative approach uses in-depth interviews to explore the lived experiences of individuals with a shared phenomenon, such as acquiring a physical disability?
- Grounded theory
- Phenomenology (Correct answer)
- Ethnography
- Case study
Correct answer: Phenomenology
Phenomenology focuses on describing the essence of a shared lived experience from the participants' perspectives.
CRC Research Methods 4
When a measurement tool consistently measures the same construct across different subgroups (e.g., racial groups), this property is called: