A study using a simple interrupted time-series design examined people's responses to the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks using a questionnaire measure of religion and faith.Archival data were available for the population four months before and after the attacks.The researchers observed that people's religious feelings and faith increased in the months following the attacks.One threat to internal validity that should be considered in this study is
A) the September 11, 2001 attacks.
B) regression toward the mean level of religious feeling.
C) that religious feeling increased, but other measures such as honesty and curiosity did not.
D) seasonal variation in people's feelings of religion and faith.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Seasonal variation could potentially explain changes in religious feelings and faith, as people's attitudes and behaviors can fluctuate with the seasons, independent of the event being studied. This variation could confound the results, making it a threat to the study's internal validity.

A Study Using a Simple Interrupted Time-Series Design Examined People's