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Problems and Exercises II
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Description:

A social scientist was hired by a local police department to evaluate the effectiveness of a program aimed at reducing juvenile delinquency in the community. When the psychologist arrived, the program had already begun. It included a three-pronged educational campaign directed at parents, community residents, and adolescents attending local schools. Public service messages appeared on television and radio; police officers and social workers made personal appearances in school classrooms; and police officers went door to door in the highest crime areas to help educate residents about community resources for troubled teens. The program lasted six weeks.



1

What type of program evaluation has the social scientist been asked to conduct?
2

Describe how a quasi-experimental design, specifically a simple time-series design, might be used by the scientist as part of the program evaluation. Be sure to provide details regarding relevant procedures and measures for this type of design.
3

Discuss the major threats to internal validity associated with the design that you have outlined.
4

The internal validity of a simple time-series design can be strengthened by including a nonequivalent control group.
  1. Suggest a possible control group that the social scientist might consider in this situation.
  2. Identify what measures must be obtained from the control group.







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