Taft College Independent and Dependent Variables Questions

Part A

Questions

1. 1. Was the research design experimental or quasi-experimental? Briefly explain what made it experimental or quasi-experimental.
   2. Was the data collection cross-sectional or longitudinal? Briefly explain a reason for your choice.

Answers should be short (one to two sentences). The purpose of journal article short answers is to encourage students to read and explore academic articles.

Part B

1

When the variation in one variable causes variation in another variable, this is referred to as ______.

prediction

maturation

causation

association

2

Which of the following criteria must be met for a researcher to demonstrate evidence of a causal relationship?

association, temporal ordering, lack of spurious relationships

temporal ordering, maturation, validity

maturation, association, temporal ordering

lack of spurious relationships, association, instrumentation

3

Using a Solomon four-group design, subjects are randomly assigned to

Three comparison groups and an experimental group

Two experimental groups and two comparison groups

Four different experimental groups

Three experimental groups and a comparison group

4

Open the General Social Survey (GSS) dataset in SPSS. Conduct a univariate analysis (frequencies command) with the categorical variable sex: RESPONDENTS SEX. Look at the output window. How many more female respondents were in this study compared to male respondents?

1397

256

10

55

5

All of the following are identified as threats to internal validity with the exception of ______.

testing

association

maturation

selection bias

6

Internal validity is jeopardized in non-equivalent control group designs due to ______.

history

testing

selection bias

statistical regression

7

The before-and-after experimental design falls under which of the following categories?

natural experiments

quasi-experimental research

true experiments

pre-experimental research

8

The ability to generalize experimental research findings to the population of interest in the “real world” is referred to as ______.

external validity

reliability

internal validity

random assignment

9

The common feature of before-and-after quasi-experimental designs is:

the absence of a comparison group

the absence of an experimental treatment group

a fixed sample panel design

the comprehension of a before and after group

10

When there seems to be a relationship between independent and dependent variables that are not in fact related it is a demonstration of ______.

association

spuriousness

validity

time order

Part C

1). Discuss /debate the legalization of prostitution. Reflect upon why women enter into prostitution, their experiences as prostitutes, coping mechanisms, and the impact of legalization versus criminality.

2). Identify the risk factors for engaging in prostituation