Counseling Research and Program Evaluation Flashcards
6 cards from real LMHC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Counseling Research and Program Evaluation flashcards as text
Which type of research design allows a researcher to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables?
Answer: True experimental research
True experimental research uses random assignment to control and experimental groups, allowing researchers to attribute differences in outcomes to the independent variable.
In research on counseling outcomes, the term 'internal validity' refers to:
Answer: The degree to which the study accurately measures the relationship between the independent and dependent variables
Internal validity is the confidence that the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable — that the results are not due to confounding variables.
A counselor reads a research study reporting that the correlation between social support and depression is r = -0.65. Which of the following is the BEST interpretation of this finding?
Answer: Higher social support is strongly associated with lower depression scores
r = -0.65 indicates a strong negative correlation — as social support increases, depression scores tend to decrease. Correlation does not imply causation.
The ethical principle of 'beneficence' in research (as outlined in the Belmont Report) requires that:
Answer: Researchers maximize benefits and minimize harms to research participants
The Belmont Report's principle of beneficence requires researchers to maximize benefits and minimize risks to participants.
Which of the following BEST describes 'evidence-based practice' (EBP) as applied in counseling?
Answer: Integrating the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and client values and preferences
EBP is the integration of the best research evidence, clinical expertise, and client values/preferences — not strict adherence to RCT findings alone.
A counselor conducting a program evaluation wants to assess whether a 10-week psychoeducation group reduced participants' symptoms of anxiety. Which type of evaluation is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Outcome evaluation
Outcome evaluation measures whether an intervention achieved its intended goals — in this case, reducing anxiety symptoms — by assessing change from pre- to post-intervention.