MIDTERM EXAM REVIEW

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MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Spring 2009
STA630- Research Methods
Solved by vuZs Team
Mehreen Humayun
<msheroo79@gmail.com>
www.vuzs.net

Time: 60 min
Marks: 50
Question No: 1 ( Marks: 1 ) - Please choose one
On which of the following, Scientific knowledge mostly relies?

Identification of events
Logical understanding
Prior knowledge
All of the given options

What does an empiricist believe?

All the knowledge that we have of life after death can be used in research.
Knowledge in the form of facts should be gained through sensory
experience.
Research conducted within the British Empire was biased and unreliable.
Research should not always necessarily rely on the scientific methods.
Lesson 2
Looking at the important features of scientific method one might say that there are
two power bases of scientific knowledge: (1) empiricism i.e. sensory experiences or
observation, and (2) rationalism i.e. the logical explanations for regularity and then
consequent ional argumentation for making generalizations (theory).
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All of the following are true about theories, except:

They organize and summarize existing knowledge about a topic.
They are tentative until the facts prove them true.
They provide possible explanations for the phenomenon under study.
They lead to testable hypotheses through the process of deduction.

Which of the following statements it TRUE for operational definition?

It is one that bears no relation to the underlying concept.
It is an abstract, theoretical definition of a concept
A definition of a concept in terms of specific and empirical measures.
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It is one that refers to opera singers and their work.
Lesson 5
Operational definition is also called a working definition stated in terms of specific
testing or measurement criteria. The concepts must have empirical referents.
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Which of the following statements is false about variables?

Discrete variables allow measurement of an infinite number of fractions of units of
measurement.
Discrete variables can only have whole number values.
Continuous numbers can only have whole number values.
Continuous measures do not allow for scores that fall between two number values.
Lesson 6

A variable that is presumed to cause a change in another variable is known as:

Discontinuous variable
Dependent variable
Independent variable
Intervening variable
Researchers who focus on causal relations usually begin with an effect, and then
search for its causes. The cause variable, or the one that identifies forces or
conditions that act on something else, is the independent variable.

Which of the following can best be described as a categorical variable?

Age
Annual income
Grade point average
Religion
Any variable that has a limited number of distinct values and which cannot be divided
into fractions, is a discontinuous variable. Such a variable is also called as
categorical variable or classificatory variable, or discrete variable.
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There is no relationship between higher motivation level and higher efficiency is an
example of which type of hypothesis?

Alternative
Correlational
Null
Research
The null hypothesis simply states that there is no relationship between the variables
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or the relationship between the variables is zero. That is how symbolically null
hypothesis is denoted as H0. For example:
H0 = There is no relationship between the level of job commitment and the level of
efficiency. Or
H0 = the relationship between level of job commitment and the level of efficiency is
zero.

The higher the level of job satisfaction of the officers the lower the rate of turnover in
an organization, is a:

Descriptive hypothesis
Relational hypothesis
Relational and directional hypothesis
Relational and non directional hypothesis
Relational Hypothesis: These are the propositions that describe a relationship
between two variables. The relationship could be non-directional or directional,
positive or negative, causal or simply correlational.

Which two of the following are legitimate frameworks for setting out a literature
review:
1. Constructing intertextual coherence, 2. Deconstruction of textual coherence,
3. Problematizing the situation, 4. Resolving discovered problems?

1 and 2
2 and 3
1 and 3
2 and 4
Ref: Constructing inter-textual coherence (as synthesized, progressive, or non-
coherence), an attempt to find commonality in a range of expressed opinion, and
problematizing the situation, an attempt to reveal a gap in the literature of concept,
method or perspective, are ways to think about providing a review framework.

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Which of the following refers to "A review that only demonstrates familiarity with an
area is rarely published but it often is part of an educational program is which type of
review"?

Integrative review
Theoretical review
Self-study review
Historical review

Which type of review compares how different theories address an issue?
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Context review
Integrated review
Methodological review
Theoretical review
Lesson 8
Theoretical reviews compare how different theories address an issue.
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Which of the following functions is performed by theoretical framework?

Elaborates the relationship among the variables.
Explains the logic underlying these relationships.
Describes the nature, and direction of the relationships.
All of the given options.
Lesson 10

When embarking upon a research project, which of the following issues should be
considered?

That the data from the study will be treated anonymously and confidentially.
Coherent research question, pilot work and confidentially.
Pilot work should be carried out to assess the practical issues and feasibility of the
research.
That the research should be based upon a coherent research question.

Ref: The research should be based upon a coherent research question. Pilot work
should be carried out to assess the practical issues and feasibility of the research
and the data from the study will be treated anonymously.

Which of the following is least likely to occur as an ethical problem with electronic
research?

Privacy could be invaded.
People are not likely to be able to stop once they have begun participating.
Debriefing could be avoided.
Informed consent cannot be completely monitored.
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Mr. Ali has decided to use the tests given at the end of each chapter of the textbook
to measure the achievement levels of the students in his study. Which of the
following BEST describes the end of chapter test?

Operationalized variable
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Independent variable
Variable
Construct
Ref Link:

Which type of measurement scale describes the typical test scores that range from 0
to 100?

Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
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Mr. Hasans son has applied to a high school in Florida, but the application was
denied solely on his low score on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). His son wants
to attend this school and contends his current grades and other standardized test
scores speak well to both his past work and future academic capability. Which of the
following characteristics of the ITBS is being questioned by this student?

Construct validity
Content validity
Predictive validity
Concurrent validity

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Which of the following is the appropriate way in which to view the reliability of
observational data?

Test-retest
Parallel forms
Internal consistency
Inter observer reliability
Ref: Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability are the two ways by which the reliability of
observational data can be estimated.

Which of the following BEST describes an assessment that examines students'
ability to conduct a chemistry experiment in the lab?

Performance assessment
Interest inventory
Aptitude
Standardized test

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Which of the following functions is performed by the Odinal scale?

Categorize
Distance
Order
Unique origin
Lesson 17
Ordinal scales include the characteristics of the nominal scale plus an indicator of
order.

In which way does a ratio scale measurement differ from an interval measurement?

It implies the existence of an absolute zero value.
It measures larger or smaller scores on some underlying dimension.
It requires the mutual exclusivity of all cases.
It requires that exhaustiveness is applied to all observations.

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Which of the following is NOT the implication of Ordinal scale?

Characteristics of nominal scale
Rank the object
does not provide magnitude of object
Provide rate

Which of the following statements is correct about validity and reliability?

When internal validity is high, external validity is low
When internal validity is high, there is no change in external validity
When internal validity is high, external validity is also high
Ref: The internal validity is high but the external validity is rather low.

Which of the following is a threat to the internal validity of an experimental design?

Maturation
Interaction of setting and treatment
Interaction effects of pre-testing
Reactive effects of experimental arrangements
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Which of the following statements relates to concurrent validity?

The measure apparently reflects the content of the concept in question.
A criterion is employed on which cases are known to differ.
A future criterion is employed on which cases are known to differ.
A measure is gauged by comparing it to measures of the same concept developed
through other methods.
Ref: An example of concurrent validity is the use of the criterion of absenteeism to
measure job satisfaction.

A measure has high internal consistency reliability when:

Multiple observers make the same ratings using the measure.
Participants score at the high end of the scale every time they complete the
measure.
Multiple observers obtain the same score every time they use the measure.
Each of the items correlates with other items on the measure.

Research may differ along a series of dimensions. Which of the following may be
applied to this statement?

The type of data collected.
The data-collection technique.
The level of manipulation used to elicit data collection.
All of the given options.

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Which of the following statement refers to cross-sectional design?

A comparison of two or more variables over a long period of time
The collection of data from more than one case at one moment in time
One that is devised when the researcher is in a bad mood
A study of one particular section of society, e.g. the middle classes
Cross-Sectional Studies are carried out once and represent a snapshot of one point
in time. Data are collected just once, perhaps over a period of days or weeks or
months, in order to answer the research question.

Which of the following is a legitimate purpose of a research plan?

It forces you to think through every aspect of a study.
It provides detailed procedures to guide the conduct of the study.
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It provides clear roadmap of the study.
Writing a plan facilitates the evaluation of it.
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A study design in which the researcher might create_______ to establish cause-and-
effect relationship is called Experimental Design.

An artificial setting, control some variables and manipulates the
independent variable
A natural setting, control some variables and manipulates the dependent
variables
An artificial setting, control some variables and manipulates the dependent
variable
Ref: An experiment involves the creation of a contrived situation in order that the
researcher can manipulate one or more variables whilst controlling all of the others
and measuring the resultant effects. Research process is in which one or more
variables are manipulated under conditions which permit the collection of data which
show the effects, if any, in unconfused fashion.

Which of the following kinds of survey research gathers data through questionnaires
administered once to the sample?

Longitudinal, observation
Cross-sectional, observation
Longitudinal, self-report
Cross-sectional, self-report

Which of the following is NOT an example of a problem with using survey research
to investigate behaviour?

Respondents tend to answer by giving the most socially desirable answer.
Respondents may inadvertently omit key terms in the question.
Respondents may not give an honest reply to what they see as a threatening
question.
Respondents may be unwilling to reveal information as they believe they are
likely to be identified.

Which of the following statements might assist response rates?

Please photocopy the questionnaire five times and pass on to your work
colleagues.
Please make sure that the questionnaire is completed with a fountain pen.
Please read the attached journal article on the ontological foundations of
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Please put the completed questionnaire in the enclosed stamped addressed
envelope and place in the mail out tray.

Which of the following is NOT a source of literature review?

Scholarly Books
Dissertations
Policy Reports and Presented Papers
Story book
Lesson 9

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The most critical area of an article to read is;

Introduction
Abstract
Results section
Limitations
Lesson 9
The most critical areas of an article to read are the methods and results sections.

The Introduction section of the research plan;

Gives an overview of prior relevant studies.
Contains a statement of the purpose of the study.
Relates previous studies, denote purpose and research questions.
Concludes with a statement of the research questions and, for quantitative
research, it includes the research hypothesis.
The introduction prepares the reader for the report by describing the parts of the
project: background material, the problem statement, and research objectives of the
study. In most projects, introduction can be taken from the research proposal
submitted earlier by the consultant.

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Time consumed in mall intercept interview is representing which of the following
type?

High
Moderate
Low
Nill
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Personal interviews conducted in shopping malls are referred to as mall intercept
interviews. Interviewers generally stop and attempt to question shoppers at a central
point within the mall or at the entrance. These are low cost.

Which of the following is True for survey research?

Survey research is a subset of experimental research.
Survey research is often used in experimental research.
Survey research is never used in experimental research.
Survey research is always used in experimental research.

Which of the following is to convince reviewers that the researcher is capable of
successfully conducting the proposed research project?

Literature review
Research question
Research proposal
Research project

Question No: 41 ( Marks: 10 )
What are various type of variables that can be identified during research. Explain
with suitable example.
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