Matching

Alternative Explanations - Matching Exercise #1

Researchers hypothesized that a nutritional education program would be an effective weight loss treatment. Each participant's weight was recorded before and after completing the program. As expected, participants weighed significantly less after attending the program. Researchers concluded this program was a successful weight loss treatment. Researchers, however, failed to take into account several internal validity issues. Read the alternative explanations below and identify the appropriate matching term.


1				A national fitness campaign was launched during the nutritional education program.


2				Participants recorded their weight each morning during the program.


3				This was a 12-month program.


4				The weight scales used in the pretest were very old and had to be replaced with a newer more modern scale.


5				Only extremely obese participants were selected to participate in the program.

Answer choices for questions 1 through 5

A)	history
B)	testing
C)	statistical regression
D)	maturation
E)	instrument decay

Alternative Explanations - Matching Exercise #2

Match the possible alternative explanations for quasi-experimental research results with the appropriate term.


6				Even during a brief time, people change over time. Their behavior can change because they get bored, tired, wiser, hungry, and developmentally different.


7				Scores can change without any intervention if very low or very high pretest scores on this variable are used to select participants for a study.


8				When experimental groups are formed from existing natural groups such as gender, any differences in the dependent variable may have existed at the start of the study.


9				Between the first and second measurement of the dependent measure, an event that was somewhat related took place that may have changed the participants' behavior.


10				Observers were used to measure the behavior. Their behavior may have changed in some way over time resulting in an alternative explanation for the results.

Answer choices for questions 6 through 10

A)	history
B)	testing
C)	selection differences
D)	regression toward the mean
E)	maturation

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