Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Chapter 2: First Decisions: From Inspiration to
Implementation
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. A statement about the relationships we expect to find between two or more
variables is called a ______.
a. research question
b. speculation
c. hypothesis
d. interpretation
2. “As age increases, social media use decreases.” That statement is an
example of ______.
a. a closed-ended research question
b. a one-tailed hypothesis
c. a two-tailed hypothesis
d. a null hypothesis
3. “What factors explain students’ use of Twitter?” This question fulfils what
research purpose?
a. exploration
b. description
c. explanation
d. prediction
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
4. “There is no relationship between academic performance and social media
involvement” is an example of ______.
a. a closed-ended research question
b. a null hypothesis
c. a one-tailed hypothesis
d. a two-tailed hypothesis
5. “Does academic performance increase as social media use decreases?” is an
example of a(n) ______.
a. null hypothesis
b. two-tailed hypothesis
c. closed-ended research question
d. open-ended research question
6. A hypothesis of “People who see public service announcements for the local
animal shelter are more likely to adopt a pet” is designing a study around
______.
a. exploration
b. prediction
c. description
d. explanation
7. A closed-ended research question ______.
a. focuses on a direction of relationship between variables
b. does not focus on a direction of relationship between variables
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
c. addresses a question that has already been researched
d. defines the results the researcher expects to find
8. The idiographic approach to communication research emphasizes ______.
a. the subjectivity and individuality of human communication
b. measurement and generalization
c. analyzing media content
d. using scientific methods
9. The scientific method combines empiricism, ______, and ______ to advance
knowledge.
a. rationalism; interpretivism
b. interpretivism; peer review
c. rationalism; positivism
d. critical theory; empiricism
10. Rationalism asserts that knowledge is best acquired by:
a. faith and intuition
b. emotion and reason
c. meditation and insight
d. reason and factual analysis
11. Tenacity, intuition, authority, and empiricism are all:
a. epistemologies
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
b. ontologies
c. philosophies
d. ideologies
12. Which one of the following purposes of research attempts to answer “why”
questions?
a. exploration
b. description
c. prediction
d. explanation
13. Which of the following reasons for doing research implies researching with a
view to being able to manipulate human behavior?
a. exploration
b. description
c. control
d. explanation
14. Generally, Worldview I researchers believe that human communication:
a. is objectively measurable and can be summarized in rules
b. is objectively measurable but cannot be summarized in rules
c. should be understood subjectively and can be summarized in rules
d. should be understood subjectively and cannot be summarized in rules
15. Generally, Worldview II researchers believe that human communication:
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
a. is objectively measurable and can be summarized in rules
b. is objectively measurable but cannot be summarized in rules
c. should be understood subjectively and can be summarized in rules
d. should be understood subjectively and cannot be summarized in rules
16. Research is often argued to have seven major purposes. In addition to
interpretation, exploration, and criticism, which of the following answers correctly
identifies them?
a. validation, explanation, prediction, and control
b. description, explanation, prediction, and control
c. description, generalization, prediction, and interpretation
d. description, explanation, quantification, and control
17. A two-tailed hypothesis specifies:
a. the direction of the relationship between two variables
b. that there is no relationship between two variables
c. that there are two possible relationships between two variables
d. only that there is a relationship between two variables
True/False
1. Open-ended research questions ask whether there is a relationship between
variables.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
2. Closed-ended research questions predict a specific research result.
3. Epistemological questions address the question of how it is we know what we
know.
4. Tenacity refers to the knowledge that, correctly or incorrectly, has stood the
test of time.
5. Intuition is the instinct that says “this just feels right.”
6. Authority is the way of knowing that comes because someone said it.
7. Rationalism asserts that knowledge is best acquired by faith rather than
reason and factual analysis.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
8. Empiricism argues for knowledge based on experience and observation.
9. Positivism assumes that phenomena are governed by and can be explained
by rules.
10. Ontological questions address the nature of what we study and what it is that
language actually refers to.
11. Researchers will only use inductive or deductive reasoning.
12. Worldview has no influence on how researchers frame their research
questions.
13. Closed-ended research questions ask whether there is a specific direction of
relationship between variables.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
14. A “construct” is basically an abstract idea about communication.
15. A hypothesis is a question about the relationship between variables.
16. Deduction is reasoning from theory to observation.
17. Induction is reasoning from observation to theory.
18. Description is a legitimate purpose of research.
19. Descriptive questions attempt to answer the “why?” question.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
20. Studies based on explanation attempt to answer the “why?” question.
21. A research question is a statement about the relationships you expect to find
between two variables.
22. Critical research has a goal of understanding how power is used in and
through communication.
23. Ontology questions address the question of what counts as knowledge.
24. Academic journals are the same as magazines.
25. A null hypothesis shows no relationship between variables.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
26. A one-tailed hypothesis states the direction of the relationship between
variables.
27. Open-ended research questions offer more flexibility than one-tailed
hypotheses.
28. Scientific methods often combine control, tenacity, and exploration.
Essay
1. Explain the exploration reason for doing research.
2. Explain briefly what is meant by tenacity, intuition, authority, and empiricism.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
3. Briefly explain the differences between Worldview I and Worldview II.
4. Explain the difference between nomothetic and idiographic approaches to
communication research.
5. List and describe the concepts of communication metatheory.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
6. Discuss the pros and cons of starting a communication research project with a
specific research question as opposed to having no question.
7. You have a research interest in children and television advertising. Discuss
how a research study is designed to describe how their response to advertising
might differ from a study designed to predict how they respond to advertising.
8. Why it is not suggested to start your project by choosing the method you like
the most?
9. Explain the difference between starting research deductively versus
inductively.
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
10. Briefly define induction, deduction, and abduction.
11. When can a researcher make generalizations about human communication?
12. Explain the role epistemology has in research.
13. Why is operationalization an important part of designing a research study?
Instructor Resource
Treadwell and Davis, Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry, 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a hypothesis in your
research over a research question?
15. What are the pros of starting research from others’ work?