LMSW LMSW Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker notices that participants in a study tend to answer questions in ways they believe are socially acceptable. This is an example of:
- Selection bias
- Social desirability bias (Correct answer)
- Confirmation bias
- Recall bias
Correct answer: Social desirability bias
Social desirability bias occurs when respondents answer to appear favorable rather than honestly.
Question 2: A single-subject design (ABA) shows behavior improving during the intervention phase (B) but returning to baseline when removed (A2). This BEST supports:
- Generalization of treatment effects
- A causal relationship between intervention and behavior change (Correct answer)
- Poor treatment fidelity
- A confounding variable
Correct answer: A causal relationship between intervention and behavior change
Reversal to baseline when intervention is withdrawn strengthens the causal inference that the intervention produced the change.
Question 3: Which research approach is MOST consistent with a constructivist paradigm?
- Experimental design with control groups
- Standardized psychometric testing
- In-depth interviews exploring personal meaning (Correct answer)
- Random assignment to treatment conditions
Correct answer: In-depth interviews exploring personal meaning
Constructivism holds that reality is subjectively constructed, aligning with qualitative methods like in-depth interviews.
Question 4: A meta-analysis synthesizing 15 studies on CBT for depression finds a pooled effect size of d = 0.8. This is interpreted as:
- A small effect
- A medium effect
- A large effect (Correct answer)
- A negligible effect
Correct answer: A large effect
Cohen's d of 0.8 is conventionally classified as a large effect size (small=0.2, medium=0.5, large=0.8).
Question 5: An IRB (Institutional Review Board) requires informed consent because it protects participants' right to:
- Receive compensation for participation
- Know the researcher's hypothesis
- Voluntarily decide whether to participate with full information (Correct answer)
- Be debriefed after each session
Correct answer: Voluntarily decide whether to participate with full information
Informed consent ensures participants voluntarily agree to research participation after receiving all relevant information about risks and benefits.
Question 6: A social worker uses a validated depression screening tool consistently across all clients. This practice supports which research concept?
- External validity
- Reliability (Correct answer)
- Transferability
- Reflexivity
Correct answer: Reliability
Using a validated tool consistently across clients promotes reliability, meaning consistent measurement of the construct.
Question 7: Which type of study design BEST establishes causality between a social work intervention and client outcomes?
- Case study
- Correlational study
- Randomized controlled trial (Correct answer)
- Retrospective chart review
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trials use random assignment to eliminate confounds, providing the strongest evidence for causal relationships.
LMSW LMSW Research Methods and Evidence-Based Practice 5
A social worker notices that participants in a study tend to answer questions in ways they believe are socially acceptable.
This is an example of: