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A clinical group claims that a new therapy reduces anxiety because five separate studies demonstrate positive outcomes. However, a reviewer notes that all five studies used the exact same convenience sample of college students and the exact same self-report anxiety scale. Apply the principle of converging evidence to explain why the reviewer is skeptical of the group's conclusion.
Question: A clinical group claims that a new therapy reduces anxiety because five separate studies demonstrate positive outcomes. However, a reviewer notes that all five studies used the exact same convenience sample of college students and the exact same self-report anxiety scale. Apply the principle of converging evidence to explain why the reviewer is skeptical of the group's conclusion.
Sample answer: The reviewer is skeptical because the five studies share the exact same methodological flaws (same convenience sample and self-report scale) instead of using different designs with different flaws. According to the principle of converging evidence, a confident conclusion requires a pattern of results across studies with diverse flaws. Since the flaws are shared, the pattern of flaws undermines the conclusion because the positive results could be an artifact of the shared limitations rather than the therapy itself.
Key points:
- Identify that the five studies share identical methodological flaws rather than having diverse flaws.
- Explain that converging evidence requires different studies with different designs pointing to the same result.
- Conclude that the shared flaws undermine the conclusion because the results could be due to the common limitations.
Rubric: The response must apply converging evidence by pointing out that the studies share the same methodological flaws. It must explain that because they do not have diverse designs and flaws, the pattern of flaws undermines the conclusion, leaving the results open to being explained by the shared limitations.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A clinical group claims that a new therapy reduces anxiety because five separate studies demonstrate positive outcomes. However, a reviewer notes that all five studies used the exact same convenience sample of college students and the exact same self-report anxiety scale. Apply the principle of converging evidence to explain why the reviewer is skeptical of the group's conclusion.