MC Research Methods and Program Evaluation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants are assigned to treatment or control groups using random assignment primarily to:
- Ensure equal group sizes
- Control for confounding variables and establish causality (Correct answer)
- Maximize recruitment efficiency
- Reduce the cost of the study
Correct answer: Control for confounding variables and establish causality
Random assignment distributes known and unknown confounds equally across groups, allowing researchers to attribute outcome differences to the treatment itself.
Question 2: A researcher studying the effectiveness of CBT for depression uses the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression as the outcome measure. This scale represents a:
- Qualitative measure
- Dependent variable (Correct answer)
- Independent variable
- Extraneous variable
Correct answer: Dependent variable
The outcome measure — the rating scale score — is the dependent variable because it is the factor being measured to assess the effect of the intervention.
Question 3: Which research design is most appropriate when a counselor wants to track the same group of clients' mental health outcomes over a period of five years?
- Cross-sectional study
- Longitudinal study (Correct answer)
- Case study
- Meta-analysis
Correct answer: Longitudinal study
A longitudinal study follows the same participants over time, allowing researchers to observe changes and development within individuals across years.
Question 4: In counseling research, 'internal validity' refers to the degree to which:
- Results can be generalized to other populations
- The study measures what it claims to measure
- The intervention caused the observed outcome (Correct answer)
- The measurement instrument is consistent
Correct answer: The intervention caused the observed outcome
Internal validity concerns whether the independent variable (treatment) truly caused changes in the dependent variable, ruling out alternative explanations.
Question 5: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) exists in research settings primarily to:
- Fund research projects
- Ensure ethical treatment of human research participants (Correct answer)
- Publish peer-reviewed findings
- Train graduate research assistants
Correct answer: Ensure ethical treatment of human research participants
IRBs review research protocols to protect human participants from harm, ensure informed consent, and maintain ethical standards in research.
Question 6: A p-value of 0.03 in a counseling study means:
- There is a 3% chance the treatment is effective
- There is a 3% probability the results occurred by chance if the null hypothesis were true (Correct answer)
- The effect size is small
- The results are not statistically significant
Correct answer: There is a 3% probability the results occurred by chance if the null hypothesis were true
A p-value represents the probability of obtaining the observed results (or more extreme) if the null hypothesis were true; p < 0.05 is conventionally considered statistically significant.
MC Research Methods and Program Evaluation 1
In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants are assigned to treatment or control groups using random assignment primarily to: