Research and Program Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real NCMHCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Research and Program Evaluation flashcards as text
In single-subject research design (SSRD), the baseline phase is referred to as:
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.
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?
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.
Which of the following is the PRIMARY ethical concern when conducting research with vulnerable populations in a counseling context?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
A counselor wants to explore how therapists construct meaning around working with trauma survivors. Which research methodology is MOST appropriate?
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.
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:
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.