EPI: Chapter 2 Flashcards
Is the study of the distribution of determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems
Epidemiology
An event, condition, or characteristics that preceded the outcome or disease event and without which the event either would have not occurred at all or would have not occurred until some later time
Causality
A factor that causes the problem without any intermediate steps
Direct cause
A factor that may cause the problem but with an intermediate factor or step
Indirect cause
Each of two variables may reciprocally influence the other
Bidirectional cause
A set of factors whose completion inevitably leads to the outcome
Sufficient cause
A factor present in every sufficient cause
Necessary cause
A factor present in every sufficient cause
Necessary cause
If the characteristics of the intervention group and those of the control group are not comparable at the start, any differences between the two groups that appears in results (outcomes) might be caused by assembly bias instead of the intervention itselt
Assembly bias
If the characteristics of the intervention group and those of the control group are not comparable at the start, any differences between the two groups that appears in results (outcomes) might be caused by assembly bias instead of the intervention itselt
Assembly bias
Results when participants are allowed to select the study group they want to join
Selection bias
Occur if investigators choose a nonrandom method of assigning participants to study groups
Allocation bias
Maybe the result of the failure to detect a case of disease, a possible causal factor, or an outcome of interest
Detection bias
Occur during the collection of baseline or follow-up data
Measurement bias
Occur if people who have experienced an adverse event, such as a disease, are more likely to recall previous risk factors than people who have never experienced that event
Recall bias
Refers to the extent to which the changes observed in the dependent variables are caused by
Internal validity
Refers to generalizability or representativeness of the findings
External validity
Specific events or conditions, other than the treatment, may occur between the 1st and 2nd measurement of the participants to produce changes in the dependent variable
History
Processes that operate within the participants simply as a function of the passage of time
Maturation
Exposure to a pretest may affect participants performance on a 2nd test, regardless of the IV
Testing
Changes in the measuring instruments, in the scorers, or in the observers used may produce changes in the obtained measures
Instrumentation
If groups are selected on the basis of extreme score, statistical regression may operate to produce an effect that could be mistakenly interpreted as an experimental effect
Regression
Important differences may exist between the groups before the independent variable is applied
Differential selection
Occurs when there is a differential loss of respondents from comparison groups
Experimental mortality
Extravenous variable whose effect influences the relationship of the exposure and outcome of interest
Confounder
An exposure, behavior, or attribute that, if present and active, clearly increases the probability of a particular disease occurring in a group of people
Risk factor
The relationship between two variables is statistically significant, but no causal relationship
Noncausal association
