practice questions

John B. Watson emphasized the need for procuring data that has maximum scientific benefit. In order to accomplish this, he argued that certain factors had to be eliminated from the research process. Which of the following most comprehensively describes what Watson believed has no place in valid research:

		Pre-conceived notion
		Subjectivity
		Bias
		Influence

Janet and Harumi are undertaking research to gauge the effectiveness of a new job-coaching intervention. They are interested in whether the intervention itself has a measurable effect on Work-Adjustment Training (WAT) participants with the goal of improving punctuality. It is essential that the two researchers comprehensively define and document all parameters and techniques. These steps will ensure the ability to ________ the research.

		Publicize
		Replicate
		Analyze
		Criticize

The term participant has recently supplanted the term subject in describing those who undergo an action to alter their behavior. The term participant has entered professional lexicon due to its ability to accurately stress all but which of the following concepts

		Willingness
		Informed consent
		Investment
		Relinquishment
Reinforcement hinges on the principle that a behavior will increase in the future with the introduction of post-behavior ________.
		Debriefing
		Consequence
		Alteration
		Feedback

The recording of dependent variables is undertaken with the goal of ________ behavior(s).

		Qualifying
		Quantifying
		Contrasting
		Quantifying and qualifying

Claudio has been diagnosed with ADHD. When measuring the frequency of Claudio's targeted behavior - ringing a buzzer at the first sign that his concentration is waning - the number of times Claudio hits the buzzer is recorded by the observer(s). The length of periods of observation of Claudio should:

		Remain constant
		Vary randomly
		Increase or decrease as needed
		Vary according to Claudio's frustration threshold

"Trials to criterion" is a method used to determine how ________ a participant acquires a targeted skill.

		Independently
		Frequently
		Rapidly
		Systematically

Anecdotal recording is utilized in order to provide:

		History
		Narrative
		Context
		Content

the primary goal of single subject research is the ability to establish ________ between independent and dependent variables.

		Functionality
		Inter-relatedness
		Understanding
		Intra-relatedness

Based on the principle of ________, a nonfunctioning independent variable will cause the dependent variable to remain at baseline status.

		Verification
		Prediction
		Replication
		Analysis

Candi is a subject who frequently jeopardizes and sabotages her employment opportunities by leaving for break early and returning late. You are observing her today in her Work-Adjustment Training (WAT) program. She seems to have taken an instant liking to you, the observer. Today, Candi has left on time for each of her breaks and has returned early. It is most likely that Candi is demonstrating:

		Acting
		Participant drift
		Reactivity
		Evasiveness

You are observing Hussein, a 22-year-old subject, who has difficulty focusing on reading tasks. You have already established a baseline, and you have previously introduced an independent variable. You are currently in the third day of observing him at task. His performance differs markedly today as compared to previous days. You are concerned that extraneous variables may have entered into the picture. Which of the following scenarios would not be an extraneous variable?

		The air conditioner in the test room has broken
		The window has been opened, and the traffic outside is audible as it wasn't before
		Hussein has started a new type of medication which he has not informed you about
		Your own observer drift

Manuel has just published the results of his research in the Modern Journal of Applicable Psychology. Manuel's concern, among others, is that the results found should similar for any researcher who decides to duplicate his methodology. Manuel is concerned about:

		External validity
		Internal validity
		Maturation
		Educational significance

The Withdrawal Design is a highly effective tool for investigators. Which of the following does not accurately describe a principle of this method?

		The intervention-based behavior is allowed to regress/diminish
		A participant is withdrawn from the study
		It allows the investigator to rule out variables such as history and maturation
		It allows for the precise establishment of cause-effect relationships

The A-B method is considered both the most ________ and ________ of the single-subject designs.

		Complex | Effective
		Basic | Weakest
		Comprehensive | Experimentally oriented
		Controversial | Ineffective

Stefano, a research participant, has been given an intervention by the study researchers at Research Excellence Incorporated. The researchers have chosen the A-B design. The effect of the intervention - in this case, a supplement - is observed. The researchers can be more inclined to believe that Stefano's behavioral changes are attributable to the supplement itself if the changes occur:

		In stages over a period of weeks or months
		Immediately or almost immediately
		Gradually over a period of a week or two
		All at once, several weeks after the administration of the intervention

The A-B-A-B single-subject design is considered:

		Controversial - withdrawal leaves the participant at pretreatment levels
		To have less experimental control than A-B or A-B-A designs
		More valid and reliable in demonstrating causal relationships than A-B or A-B-A
		To demonstrate a lower degree of functionality and cause-effect relationships than A-B designs

Which of the following designs would theoretically allow for a researcher to establish both maximum experimental control and the most valid cause-effect relationships between intervention and behavior?

		B-A-B
		A-B
		A-B-A-B
		A-B-A-B-A-B

Millicent, a 19-year-old college sophomore, has recently become involved in binge drinking. Her grades have suffered, and her behavior is erratic. She is on the verge of failing out of school. Millicent has begun cognitive-behavioral therapy. In this scenario, were research to gauge the effectiveness of treatment, ________ would be the dependent variable.

		Millicent's moral shortcomings
		Millicent's ability to graduate
		Millicent's general behavior
		Millicent's frequency and duration of drinking

A scenario can arise in which an intervention cannot be reliably withdrawn following A-B.

		Never
		Always
		Sometimes
		All of the above

A group of students with learning disabilities is provided with instruction on the use of mnemonics as a tool to aid in the memorization of a series of five items. As an example, "A-P-I-S-A" would be a tool to enhance the recall of the five oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Antarctic. What would be considered a valid reason for not using repeated trials in which withdrawal takes place?

		Once learned, a tool such as mnemonics cannot be effectively unlearned
		Ethical considerations
		The potential limited attention-span of the children
		b and c

A-B-A-B design is often the preferred method of study (as compared to A-B and A-B-A). One reason is that A-B-A-B more comprehensively controls:

		External validity
		Setting
		Internal validity
		a and b

Which of the following would constitute a legitimate reason for selecting the B-A-B method of Intervention-Withdrawal-Intervention?

		Researcher fatigue
		Researchers do not care about validity of results
		Time limitations
		"Baselines are so overrated"

A-B-A-B design is an experimental design consisting of initial baseline phase until steady state responding (or countertherapeutic trend) is obtained, an initial intervention phase in which the treatment variable is implemented until the behavior has changed and steady state responding is obtained, a return to baseline conditions by withdrawing the independent variable to see whether responding "reverses" to levels obtained in the initial baseline phase, and a second intervention phase to see whether initial treatment effects are replicated (also called reversal design, withdrawal design). This affirmation is:

 True

 False

Which of the following is NOT one of the defining characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis?

		Behavioral
		Conceptually Systematic
		Functional
		Effective