NCMHCE Research and Program Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In single-subject research design (SSRD), the baseline phase is referred to as:
- B phase
- A phase (Correct answer)
- Control phase
- Pre-test phase
Correct answer: A phase
In single-subject research design, the A phase denotes the baseline (no treatment) condition, and the B phase represents the intervention condition.
Question 2: A counselor uses a standardized measure before and after treatment to assess symptom change. The difference between pre- and post-scores is found to exceed the Reliable Change Index (RCI). What does this indicate?
- The change is likely due to measurement error alone
- The client's improvement represents clinically significant change beyond measurement error (Correct answer)
- The measure lacks sufficient test-retest reliability
- The treatment effect size is below acceptable thresholds
Correct answer: The client's improvement represents clinically significant change beyond measurement error
Exceeding the RCI indicates that the change observed is larger than what would be expected from measurement error alone, suggesting genuine reliable improvement.
Question 3: Which of the following is the PRIMARY ethical concern when conducting research with vulnerable populations in a counseling context?
- Ensuring study results are generalizable
- Protecting participant autonomy and preventing coercion in obtaining informed consent (Correct answer)
- Maximizing sample size for statistical power
- Publishing results in peer-reviewed journals
Correct answer: Protecting participant autonomy and preventing coercion in obtaining informed consent
The primary ethical concern with vulnerable populations is ensuring truly voluntary, informed consent free of coercion, as these groups may have diminished autonomy or may feel pressure to participate.
Question 4: A program evaluator is asked to determine whether a counseling agency is delivering services as intended by its theoretical model. Which type of evaluation is this?
- Outcome evaluation
- Needs assessment
- Process (fidelity) evaluation (Correct answer)
- Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Correct answer: Process (fidelity) evaluation
A process or fidelity evaluation assesses whether a program is being implemented as designed, examining adherence to the theoretical model and program protocols.
Question 5: Which of the following sampling strategies would provide the MOST representative sample for generalizing research findings to the broader population of adults with anxiety disorders?
- Convenience sampling
- Snowball sampling
- Purposive sampling
- Stratified random sampling (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Stratified random sampling
Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups and randomly samples from each, improving representativeness and generalizability compared to non-probability methods.
Question 6: A counselor wants to explore how therapists construct meaning around working with trauma survivors. Which research methodology is MOST appropriate?
- Randomized controlled trial
- Grounded theory (Correct answer)
- Meta-analysis
- Single-subject design
Correct answer: Grounded theory
Grounded theory is used to develop theory from data, making it well-suited for exploring how people construct meaning around experiences — in this case, therapists' views of trauma work.
Question 7: When reviewing a research article, a counselor notes that the study used a comparison group but participants were not randomly assigned. This is best described as a:
- True experimental design
- Quasi-experimental design (Correct answer)
- Correlational design
- Pre-experimental design
Correct answer: Quasi-experimental design
A quasi-experimental design includes a comparison group but lacks random assignment, placing it between a true experiment and a non-experimental design in terms of internal validity.
NCMHCE Research and Program Evaluation 2
In single-subject research design (SSRD), the baseline phase is referred to as: