A researcher administers a test of hopelessness to 50 teen mothers in a continuation high school, in order to norm it for a study planned for the subsequent semester. This norming process is part of the approved research protocol.
Retesting in two weeks reveals different values for many of the subjects' paired tests. What should the researcher do now, and why? (Select all that apply.)
a. Administer the test a third time and see whether there is a trend. The subjects may be becoming more/less hopeless because of an external factor or a Hawthorne effect.
b. Calculate statistical tests to determine whether there are about the same amounts of positive change and negative change for the pooled sample, and whether the means are very similar for the two measurements. If so, this represents normal fluctuation of mood.
c. After obtaining IRB approval for study revision, ask several of the 50 subjects with large changes about their recent experiences and discover whether there is an underlying reason for the change.
d. Use the second value, not the first, for all data analysis. The subjects have evidently re-examined their feelings and discovered new insights.
e. Consider the multitrait-multimethod technique for this complex concept. A single measurement doesn't seem to be capturing the concept very well.
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