Counseling Research and Program Evaluation

Question 1

A counselor wants to know whether a new anxiety-reduction program causes lower anxiety scores. Participants will be randomly assigned to a treatment group or a waitlist control group. Which research design is this?

Accepted Answer

Experimental design

Answer

Random assignment to treatment and control conditions, with manipulation of an independent variable, defines a true experimental design. It is the strongest design for supporting causal claims.

Question 2

Which measure of central tendency is most appropriate for a distribution of income data that includes a few extremely high outliers?

Accepted Answer

Median

Answer

The median is resistant to outliers and better represents the center of a skewed distribution. The mean is pulled toward extreme values. Range and standard deviation measure variability, not central tendency.

Question 3

A researcher rejects the null hypothesis when it is actually true. What type of error is this?

Accepted Answer

Type I error

Answer

A Type I error is a false positive: rejecting a true null hypothesis. Its probability is the alpha level. A Type II error is failing to reject a false null hypothesis.

Question 4

Which type of program evaluation is conducted while a program is still being implemented in order to improve it?

Accepted Answer

Formative evaluation

Answer

Formative evaluation provides ongoing feedback during program development or implementation so adjustments can be made. Summative evaluation judges overall effectiveness after the program is complete.

Question 5

A correlation coefficient of -.85 between hours of social media use and sleep quality indicates which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A strong negative relationship

Answer

The negative sign shows the variables move in opposite directions, and a magnitude of .85 is strong. Correlation does not establish causation.

Counseling Practice Test

Counseling Practice Test

Counseling Research and Program Evaluation