RDL2_RESEARCH DESIGNS

A team of researchers wants to investigate the effect of a new medication on blood pressure. They randomly assign participants to either receive the new medication or a placebo, and then measure their blood pressure after three months.

• True Experimental

• Quasi Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

True Experimental

Correct. The key indicators are the manipulation of the independent variable (medication vs. placebo) and the random assignment of participants, which are the hallmarks of a true experimental design.

A researcher wants to see if there is a difference in job satisfaction between remote workers and in-office workers. They survey both groups and analyze the average satisfaction scores.

• Comparative

• Quasi Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Comparative

That's right!

Correct. The core purpose of this study is to compare two pre-existing groups (remote and in-office workers) on a specific variable (job satisfaction).

A researcher wants to find out the percentage of the student population at a university that has a part-time job. They distribute a survey to a random sample of students and record the data.

• True Experimental

• Quasi Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Descriptive

That's right!

Correct. The sole purpose of the study is to describe a characteristic of a population (the percentage of students with part-time jobs).

A study follows a group of 100 individuals who were born in 1995 and interviews them every five years to track their career progression, family status, and health over time.

• True Experimental

• Quasi Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Correlational

• Longitudinal

Answer explanation

Longitudinal

The defining characteristic is the collection of data from the same individuals over an extended period to measure change.

A sociologist wants to study if there is a relationship between a person's level of education and their political affiliation. They collect data from a large survey to see if a pattern exists.

• True Experimental

• Quasi Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Correlational

That's right!

The goal of the study is to measure the statistical relationship or association between two variables (education and political affiliation) without attempting to establish a cause-and-effect link.

A public health researcher wants to compare the incidence of respiratory diseases in two different cities: one with high levels of air pollution and another with low levels. The researcher cannot control the pollution levels in either city.

• True Experimental

• Ex Post Facto

• Comparative

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Ex Post Facto

Right answer. This is a classic ex post facto design. The researcher is looking at a pre-existing condition (air pollution level) that has already occurred and is looking back to find a potential effect on respiratory disease.

A school district implements a new, mandatory anti-bullying program in all middle schools within one city. Another city, of a similar size and demographic, is used as a comparison group without the program. Researchers measure instances of bullying in both cities over a period of two years.

• True Experimental

• Quasi - Experimental

• Comparative

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Quasi-Experimental

Right answer.

This is a quasi-experimental design because a treatment (the anti-bullying program) is introduced by the researcher, but random assignment of the participants (the schools or students) is not possible.

A researcher studies the relationship between a person's credit score and their age. They collect data from a credit bureau and analyze the relationship between the two variables.

• True Experimental

• Quasi - Experimental

• Comparative

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Correlational

The researcher is trying to find a statistical relationship or association between two variables (credit score and age) without attempting to establish a cause-and-effect link.

A team of researchers wants to assess the cognitive abilities of all 10th-grade students in a specific city at the beginning of the school year.

• True Experimental

• Quasi - Experimental

• Comparative

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Descriptive

The goal of the study is to describe the cognitive abilities of a specific population (all 10th-grade students).

A company wants to determine if there is a difference in employee productivity between two different factory shifts (day and night). They collect productivity data for both shifts over a month.

• True Experimental

• Quasi - Experimental

• Comparative

• Correlational

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

Comparative

Correct. The core purpose of this study is to compare two pre-existing groups (day shift and night shift workers) on a specific variable (productivity).