Research and Program Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real NCMHCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Research and Program Evaluation flashcards as text
A counselor wants to evaluate whether a new group therapy program reduced clients' depression scores over 12 weeks. Which design best controls for threats to internal validity?
Answer: Randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group
A randomized controlled trial with a control group controls for history, maturation, and regression threats that plague single-group designs.
In a program evaluation, the evaluator finds a statistically significant result (p = .03) but a Cohen's d of 0.10. What is the most accurate interpretation?
Answer: The result is statistically significant but the effect size is negligible
Statistical significance reflects sample size, while Cohen's d < 0.20 indicates a negligible practical effect regardless of the p-value.
Which sampling method would be most appropriate when a researcher needs to ensure representation from each of five distinct cultural communities in a city?
Answer: Stratified random sampling
Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups and randomly samples from each, ensuring proportional or equal representation.
A counselor reviewing a needs assessment report notices that data were collected only from clients who completed treatment. This is an example of which bias?
Answer: Attrition bias (survivor bias)
Attrition (survivor) bias occurs when only treatment completers are assessed, systematically excluding dropouts who may have worse outcomes.
Which statistical test is most appropriate to compare pre-treatment and post-treatment anxiety scores from the same group of 30 clients?
Answer: Paired samples t-test
The paired samples t-test is designed for comparing two measurements from the same participants, controlling for individual differences.
A program evaluator is asked to determine whether a school counseling intervention should be continued, modified, or discontinued. This is best described as what type of evaluation?
Answer: Summative evaluation
Summative evaluation judges overall program worth or merit to inform continuation, modification, or termination decisions at program's end.
Which of the following best illustrates a Type II error in mental health research?
Answer: Failing to detect a true treatment effect because the study was underpowered
A Type II error (false negative) occurs when a researcher fails to reject a null hypothesis that is actually false, often due to insufficient statistical power.