Question 1

When treatment fidelity is not maintained, what is/are the risk(s) for the evaluator?

Accepted Answer

When treatment fidelity is not maintained, the evaluator is at risk of concluding that a program was not effective when truly it was, the treatment likely cannot be replicated in other settings, and the data will contain errors. Therefore, all of the above are risks for the evaluator.

Question 2

Highly skilled therapists are more likely to deviate from treatment protocols than less skills therapists.

Accepted Answer

Highly skilled therapists often have a better understanding of a patient's unique needs and may adjust the treatment protocol accordingly. They may also have more confidence in their abilities to make these adjustments, whereas less skilled therapists may stick strictly to the protocol as prescribed. However, it is important for therapists to balance their expertise with adherence to evidence-based protocols to ensure the best outcomes for their patients.

Question 3

Complex treatments increase the chances that treatment fidelity will be honored.

Accepted Answer

Complex treatments often make it more challenging to maintain treatment fidelity because there are more components and steps that need to be consistently implemented, increasing the risk of deviation or error.

Question 4

When the employees of an agency being studied voice concern about negative findings resulting from the evaluation, and the ramifications that could occur after the findings are made public, this is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The concern voiced by employees reflects the threat of evaluation, which refers to the fear of negative consequences resulting from the evaluation. This may cause the employees to modify their behavior or manipulate the evaluation process in order to avoid negative findings.

Question 5

A provider's skill level and knowledge about an intervention can affect which dimension of fidelity?

Accepted Answer

A provider's skill level and knowledge directly affect their ability to carry out an intervention with competence, making B the most relevant dimension of fidelity. Treatment adherence refers to how closely the provider adheres to the intervention protocol, treatment differentiation refers to how distinct the intervention is from other interventions, and cost effectiveness refers to the efficiency and cost of the intervention. While these dimensions can all impact fidelity, they are not directly tied to a provider's skill level and knowledge.

Question 6

Treatment adherence is the extent to which

Accepted Answer

Treatment adherence refers to the extent to which therapists use the specified procedures to deliver an intervention. It is important to ensure that therapists are delivering the treatment as intended in order to accurately evaluate its effectiveness. A, C, and D are not accurate definitions of treatment adherence.

Question 7

Agency administrators may be motivated to present their program(s) in the best possible manner and this can affect treatment fidelity.

Accepted Answer

Agency administrators may prioritize the positive presentation of their program(s) to gain funding or maintain public support, which may lead to deviations from treatment fidelity.

Question 8

A breakdown in intervention fidelity creates threats to the validity of a study.

Accepted Answer

Intervention fidelity refers to how closely an intervention is implemented as it was intended to be. If there is a breakdown in intervention fidelity, the intervention may not have been executed as intended, which can affect the study's results and threaten its validity.

Question 9

Negotiating a contract before beginning the evaluation is one strategy for managing for the political nature of evaluation.

Accepted Answer

A negotiated contract can help ensure clarity and agreement on the purpose, scope, and expectations of the evaluation, as well as facilitate communication and collaboration between stakeholders. This can help mitigate potential political conflicts and power struggles that may arise during the evaluation process.

Question 10

Treatment fidelity is important to maintain so that when a program evaluation reveals significant results, it can confidently be attributed to _______, not to other factors or activities.

Accepted Answer

Treatment fidelity refers to the degree to which an intervention is delivered as intended; it ensures that the outcomes observed during a program evaluation are a result of the intervention itself, and not due to other variables such as researcher or therapist competence. Therefore, maintaining treatment fidelity is important so that significant results can confidently be attributed to the intervention itself.

Question 11

When a program gets modified and changes over time, but also preserves some of the features of the original design, this is referred to as program __________________.

Accepted Answer

Program drift refers to the gradual modification and change of a program over time, while still preserving some of the original design features.

Question 12

The accuracy with which a program or intervention is implemented as intended is known as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Treatment fidelity refers to the extent to which a program or intervention is implemented as intended, and is often assessed through measures of adherence, dosage, quality of delivery, and participant responsiveness. Internal consistency is a measure of how well different items within a test or questionnaire are related to each other, while construct validity refers to the degree to which a measure actually assesses the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. Program drift refers to when a program or intervention changes over time in ways that deviate from its original design or goals. Therefore, the best choice for the accuracy with which a program or intervention is implemented as intended is treatment fidelity (option C).

Question 13

Treatment differentiation refers to the extent to which the service provider follows the specified procedures of a treatment.

Accepted Answer

Treatment differentiation refers to the degree to which different treatments (interventions or therapies) vary from each other, not the adherence to specified procedures of a treatment.

Question 14

Which of the following is/are a strategy(ies) for conducting culturally sensitive evaluations?

Accepted Answer

All of the strategies listed- constructing a diverse evaluation team, consulting articles in the literature relevant to recruiting minorities for research studies, and examining all instruments being used to ensure they are culturally sensitive and free from bias- are appropriate strategies for conducting culturally sensitive evaluations. These strategies can help ensure that the evaluation is conducted in a way that is respectful and appropriate for all individuals and groups involved.

Question 15

High fidelity is likely to occur when there is conformity to prescribed program elements and a lack of __________________.

Accepted Answer

High fidelity refers to the degree to which a program is implemented as intended. The presence of non-prescribed elements suggests deviation from the prescribed program, which lowers fidelity. Therefore, the best choice is B, non-prescribed elements.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a dimension of treatment fidelity?

Accepted Answer

Treatment fidelity dimensions include treatment adherence (extent to which the treatment is implemented as intended), therapist competence (level of therapist skill and adherence to treatment manual), and treatment differentiation (the degree of similarity or difference between the treatment and alternative treatments). Cost effectiveness is not a dimension of treatment fidelity.

Quiz 13: Pragmatic Issues