Ch19Research

Question 1

What are the goals of methodological research?

Answer 1

to document and improve the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of clinical and research measurements

Question 2

Reliability of measurement is influenced by:

Answer 2

Sources of variability
Levels of standardization 
Participant selection
Range of scores 
Reliability in Non-methodological Studies

Question 3

What are the two basic designs for optimization research?

Answer 3

standardization and mean designs

Question 4

What are the three approaches to standardization?

Answer 4

nonstandardized approach, highly standardized approach, and partially standardized approach

Question 5

What are Sources of variability?

Answer 5

Differences found in repeated measurements of the same characteristic can be attributed to instrument, intrarater, interrater, and intrasubject components.

Question 6

What are Levels of standardization?

Answer 6

Degree of standardization is the number of sources of variability within a reliability component that are controlled
Include: Non-standardized, Highly standardized and Partially standardized

Question 7

What is the non-standardized approach?

Answer 7

Controls none of the sources of variability and would establish the lower limit for the reliability component studied (real-world)

Question 8

What is the highly standardized approach?

Answer 8

Controls many of the possible sources of variability to determine the upper limits of the reliability of the component (ideal)

Question 9

What is the Partially standardized approach?

Answer 9

Describes reliability with moderate levels of standardization; Standardizes a few sources of variability while leaving others non-standardized (clinic)

Question 10

What is the range of scores?

Answer 10

The reliability of a measure should be determined over the range of scores expected for that measure

Question 11

What is standardization design?

Answer 11

Compares the reliabilities of measurements taken under different sets of conditions; level of standardization increases until reliability goal is met; or start with highly standardized and decrease until feasible

Question 12

What is mean design?

Answer 12

Compares the reliabilities of single measurements and also compares the reliabilities of measurements averaged across several trials; appropriate for measures that are difficult to standardize

Question 13

Participant Selection

Answer 13

Influences external validity; who the results of the study can be generalized to

Question 14

Reason for Optimization designs

Answer 14

Researchers found less than optimal reliability for rehab measures; documenting reliability does nothing to improve it, need to study ways of optimizing reliability

Question 15

Types of Validity Designs

Answer 15

Construct, Content, Criterion

Question 16

Construct Validation

Answer 16

Constructs are artificial frameworks that are not directly observable; three ways to establish: persuasive argument, predictions about patterns, performance of “extreme” or “known” groups on test of interest

Question 17

Content Validation

Answer 17

Involves documenting that the test provides an adequate sampling of the behavior that it is measuring; compares items in test against actual practice of interest; four issues: content’s completeness, relevance, emphasis and sample on whom measure was validated

Question 18

Criterion Validation

Answer 18

Determined by comparing it with an accepted standard of measurement; Considerations: Selecting criterion, timing the administration of tests and selecting a sample for testing

Question 19

Responsiveness Designs

Answer 19

involves: Identification of a group of patients who have made a true change in the underlying construct; use of measure at pre-treatment and post-treatment to calculate responsiveness; comparison of the responsiveness of the measure to other related measures to determine the relative responsiveness of the different measurement tools.