RSC2601
ASSIGNMENT 1 (2023)
1. What does “maturation” as a threat to the internal validity of a study
refer to? Maturation …
a.before the pre-test confounds the results.
b.between the pre-test and the post-test confounds the results.
c.influences the generalisability of results.
d.influences the independent variable.
2. One of the requirements of coherence in research design is that it …
a.cannot be open and flexible.
b.involves research in a natural setting.
c.considers the researcher’s basic orientation.
d.explains cause-effect relationships.
3. Exploratory research is done to …
a.describe phenomena.
b.explain phenomena.
c.determine causality.
d.investigate a new field.
4. Which behavioural norm or principle is being described in this
quotation?
“The principle of ... compels all researchers to share their research findings,
including means, ends, motives and consequences, freely and honestly with
all other members of the research community” (Smith 1988:284).
a.respect
b.disinterestedness
c.universalism
d.communality
5. A researcher distributes a questionnaire to a sample of ex-nurses in an
attempt to discover their reasons for leaving the profession. This
research design is best described as a/an …
a.quasi-experiment.
b.experiment.
c.survey.
d.social model
6. Which of the following threats to internal validity is associated with a
lack of random assignment?
a.maturation
b.history
c.instrumentation
d.selection
7. Which ethical principle is disregarded in the following research study?
Impressionable children are exposed to visual violence in television
messages.
a.confidentiality
b.anonymity
c.freedom from harm
d.privacy of thought
8. When you conduct an unstructured interview in a respondent’s home
…
a.it minimises control over intervening variables.
b.it will lead to a clash of interests or even conflict.
c.the confidentiality of the reported responses cannot be protected.
d.the respondent’s privacy is protected by making notes.
9. Which one of the following statements is the best example of a
hypothesis?
a.More women than men register to study in the social sciences.
b.Alienation is a consequence of powerlessness.
c.Religiousness equals the frequency of church attendance.
d.The higher the level of education, the more liberal the political outlook.
e.The level of maturity depends on age.
10. A researcher working for an advertisement company wants to
investigate if people are more inclined to buy a new product when they
have been informed of the advantages of the product. He selects a
sample and randomly assigns each person to an experimental group
(who receives information on the product) and a control group (who
receives no information on the product). He then measures their
willingness to buy the product by means of a questionnaire. This is an
example of a ... design.
a.pre-experimental
b.posttest only control group
c.quasi-experimental
d.pretest-posttest control group
11. Which behavioural norm or principle relates to the researcher’s
motives for conducting a research study?
a.voluntary participation
b.informed consent
c.freedom from harm
d.disinterestedness
12. Cross-sectional research is ... in nature because it is done at a
particular point in time.
a.structured
b.nonrecurrent
c.specific
d.repeatable
13. Identify the ontological question.
a.In what way can social scientists know social reality?
b.Are there subjective choices in the selection of a research problem?
c.Is human behaviour predominantly unpredictable and arbitrary?
d.Can social scientists in their quest for answers to questions be truly
unbiased?
e.Can social scientists obtain objective knowledge on phenomena?
14. Choose the most correct option. Why is research conducted?
a.To solve practical problems.
b.It contributes to the development of theories.
c.To develop knowledge in a particular field, even if it isn’t immediately
practical or useful.
d.All of the above.
15. Which one of the following is NOT a criterion for determining
causality?
a.temporal order
b.association
c.elimination of alternatives
d.logical reasoning
e.operationalisation
16. “As a researcher I look for evidence that support the pattern in
data I want to demonstrate”. Which potential error in human inquiry is
applicable in this statement?
a.inaccurate observation
b.overgeneralisation
c.selective observation
d.ego involvement
e.premature closure
17. Which one of the following is NOT a criterion for determining
causality?
a.temporal order
b.association
c.elimination of alternatives
d.logical reasoning
e.operationalisation
18. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of quantitative
research?
a.a holistic approach to persons
b.precise definition of variables being studied
c.prediction and control of phenomena
d.theories containing causal models.
19. After completing an experiment the researcher learns that she
has unintentionally influenced the behaviour of the subjects.
This refers to …
a.selection bias.
b.the regression effect.
c.the testing effect.
d.researcher expectancy.
20. To which one of the following approaches to research does this
description refer? “This approach emphasises the importance of
objective knowledge about causal relationships.”
a.positivism
b.interpretivism
c.critical approach
d.feminist research
e.postmodernism
