Chapter 1: Intro to Statistics

Question 1

Who are the consumers of Public Health research?

Answer 1

1. The general public
2. Agency administrators
3. Policy Makers

Question 2

Who are the producers of Public Health Research?

Answer 2

1. Academics
2. Private sector investigators
3. Government agencies

Question 3

What is a variable?

Answer 3

A characteristic that differs or varies from one individual to another or from one point in time to another

Question 4

What is a constant?

Answer 4

A characteristic that does not differ or vary from one individual to another or from one point in time to another

Question 5

What is a unit of observation?

Answer 5

1. The element that is being studied
2. The subject from which variables are
   being studied

Question 6

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 6

A statement of a relationship between two or more variables

Question 7

What is an independent variable?

Answer 7

The presumed cause

Question 8

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 8

The presumed effect or outcome

Question 9

What is an experiment?

Answer 9

A type of research where the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables

Question 10

What is an experimental group?

Answer 10

The group in an experiment that is manipulated

Question 11

What is a control group?

Answer 11

The group in an experiment that is not manipulated

Question 12

Aside from whether the groups in an experiment are manipulated, how are the initial differences between groups eliminated?

Answer 12

By random assignment to these groups

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of the experiment?

Answer 13

1. It is expensive to recruit people into groups, and

2. It is desirable to have the largest groups possible

Question 14

What are the disadvantages of the survey?

Answer 14

1. The effects of the independent variables on the dependent variables are recorded after they have occurred (retroactive research)
2. It is much more difficult to establish cause and effect

Question 15

Why is retrospective research a disadvantage of the survey approach?

Answer 15

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Question 16

What are the advantages of the survey?

Answer 16

1. Larger sample size

2. Results can be generalized more easily

Question 17

What is content analysis?

Answer 17

Research that objectively describes the content of previously produced messages

Question 18

What is participant observation?

Answer 18

Research in which the researcher actually participates in the daily life of the people under study, either openly or covertly

Question 19

What is secondary analysis?

Answer 19

Research done using data collected by another researcher

Question 20

What is the benefit of secondary analysis?

Answer 20

It is cost-effective

Question 21

What are the limitations of secondary analysis?

Answer 21

1. Limited to what is available

2. No control over questions asked

Question 22

What is meta-analysis?

Answer 22

Research that combines the results obtained in a number of previous studies

Question 23

Why do Public Health researchers test hypotheses?

Answer 23

In order to avoid the acceptance of invalid conclusions

Question 24

Why are common-sense observations insufficient to test hypotheses?

Answer 24

Because they are often based on narrow, biased preconceptions and personal experiences, which can lead to the acceptance of invalid conclusions

Question 25

What are the stages of Public Health research?

Answer 25

1. Development of a hypothesis
2. Development of instrument(s)
3. Data collection
4. Data analysis
5. Interpretation and communication of results

Question 26

What is the nominal level of measurement?

Answer 26

Naming or labeling; categorization

Question 27

What is the ordinal level of measurement?

Answer 27

Ordering of categories; different values of the categories can be sorted

Question 28

What is the interval level of measurement?

Answer 28

Ordering and exact distances; can be added and subtracted (numerical variables)

Question 29

What is the ratio level of measurement?

Answer 29

Numerical variables can be added, subtracted, and divided

Question 30

Name a way, other than categorization, that ordinal variables can be measured

Answer 30

They can be treated as interval/ratio variables if the distances between response categories are assumed to be equal

Question 31

What are discrete variables?

Answer 31

Variables that take only certain specific values (all categorical variables; certain numeric variables, e.g. number of children)

Question 32

What is are continuous variables?

Answer 32

Variables that could take an infinite range of possible values (ordering of categories)

Question 33

Why is it important to distinguish types of variables?

Answer 33

Because the type of variable dictates which technique must be used to analyze the variable or the relationship between variables

Question 34

Name the functions of statistics

Answer 34

1. The description of data

2. To inform decision making

Question 35

What is the definition of statistics?

Answer 35

The science of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information in order to draw conclusions or to answer questions

Question 36

Ordinal measurement is used primarily to:

Answer 36

Rank order data

Question 37

A researcher who scores a set of responses (from 0 to 100) in terms of their degree of empathy for accident victims is working at the _________ level of measurement.

Answer 37

Interval

Question 38

The statistical approach involved in generalizing from a sample of the hundreds of patients in a particular hospital is known as:

Answer 38

Decision making