CPSS Applied Research Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A sport scientist wants to determine whether a new recovery protocol reduces muscle soreness compared to cold water immersion. Which study design best establishes causality?
- Cross-sectional survey
- Randomized controlled trial (Correct answer)
- Case study analysis
- Retrospective cohort
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial
A randomized controlled trial with random group assignment and a control condition best establishes cause-and-effect relationships.
Question 2: Which statistical concept describes the probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis?
- Alpha level
- Effect size
- Statistical power (Correct answer)
- Confidence interval
Correct answer: Statistical power
Statistical power (1 − β) is the probability of detecting a true effect when it exists.
Question 3: A researcher finds r = 0.08 between sprint speed and recovery heart rate. How should this be interpreted?
- Strong positive correlation
- Moderate negative correlation
- Negligible correlation (Correct answer)
- Perfect inverse relationship
Correct answer: Negligible correlation
An r of 0.08 is near zero and indicates essentially no linear relationship between the two variables.
Question 4: In a repeated-measures ANOVA, which assumption must be met that is unique compared to a between-subjects ANOVA?
- Normality of residuals
- Homogeneity of variance
- Sphericity (Correct answer)
- Independence of observations
Correct answer: Sphericity
Sphericity requires that variances of the differences between all pairs of repeated conditions are equal, which is unique to repeated-measures designs.
Question 5: Which type of validity refers to the extent that a test measures what it claims to measure in the real-world context?
- Content validity
- Construct validity
- Ecological validity (Correct answer)
- Concurrent validity
Correct answer: Ecological validity
Ecological validity assesses how well a test's findings generalize to real-world settings and populations.
Question 6: A researcher reports a 95% confidence interval of [2.1, 8.4] kg for strength gains. What does this mean?
- There is a 95% chance the true mean is between 2.1 and 8.4 kg
- 95% of participants gained between 2.1 and 8.4 kg
- The interval was constructed by a method that captures the true parameter 95% of the time (Correct answer)
- The p-value is less than 0.05
Correct answer: The interval was constructed by a method that captures the true parameter 95% of the time
A 95% CI means the procedure used will contain the true population parameter in 95% of repeated samples.
Question 7: Which sampling method divides the population into subgroups and randomly samples from each to ensure representation?
- Simple random sampling
- Cluster sampling
- Stratified random sampling (Correct answer)
- Convenience sampling
Correct answer: Stratified random sampling
Stratified random sampling divides the population into strata (e.g., sex, sport) and randomly samples within each stratum to ensure proportional representation.
CPSS Applied Research Methods 2
A sport scientist wants to determine whether a new recovery protocol reduces muscle soreness compared to cold water immersion.
Which study design best establishes causality?