Exam 2 - Chapter 8 Flashcards
what is research design?
a blueprint (or detailed plan) for conducting a study
descriptive and correlational designs are referred to as
noninterventional designs
what do noninterventional designs focus on?
examining variables as they naturally occur in environments
a cross-sectional design is noninterventional
true
what kind of study design involves data collection on variables at one point in time?
cross-sectional study design
what kind of study involves data collection from the same study participants at multiple points in time?
longitudinal study design
example of a longitudinal design
women with breast cancer were monitored for depression before, during, and after chemo
what is the purpose of a causal study?
examine the effects of an intervention on a variable
example of a causal study
examining the effect of an early ambulation program after surgery on LOS
definition of multicausality
there is a cause and effect relationship between interrelating variables
what are the types of quantitative research designs?
- descriptive
- correlational
- quasi experimental
- experimental
what do you call a study that does not involve a treatment?
observational
non-experimental / non-interventional
what do you call a study that involves a treatment?
experimental
what are the concepts relevant to quantitative research designs?
- causality
- multicausality
- probability
- bias
- control
- manipulation
- prospective/ retrospective
what kind of causality does probability address?
relative causality
NOT absolute causality
what can researchers do to control extraneous variables when it comes to probability?
develop sampling criteria
define bias
the slanting of findings away from the truth
what does bias do to research findings?
distortion
what are some factors that can cause bias in a research?
- researchers (attitudes or motivations)
- setting
- selection of study participants
- composition of sample
- data collection process
- measurement methods
- statistical analyses
what is an important focus in critically appraising a study?
identify possible sources of bias
what are the terms used in reference to the timing of data collection?
- prospective
- retrospective
definition of prospective
looking forward
collection of data in real time as the study progresses
definition of retrospective
looking backward
collection of data at a prior time
why is data collection for experimental research prospective?
researcher is enacting the intervention in real time
how can bias be reduced in an experimental study?
increase control
define control
having the power to direct or manipulate factors to achieve a desired outcome
what is most important about having control in a research?
improved accuracy of findings
examples of control in research
- random selection and assignment
- control of duration of an educational program
- control of teaching methods
- limiting the characteristics of a subject
what is manipulation?
a form of control generally used in quasi-experimental and experimental studies
what is the most common form of manipulation in research?
controlling an intervention
what does design validity evaluate?
the strengths and threats to the quality of a study design
what are the types of design validity?
- internal
- external
what does internal validity focus on?
accuracy of findings
did the independent variable affect the dependent variable?
what does external validity focus on?
the extent to which findings can be generalized and applied to different subjects
what are the threats to internal validity?
- participant selection
- participant attrition (withdrawal)
- history (concurrent event that affects the study)
- maturation (changes in participants)
what are the threats to external validity?
- people
- place
- time
what is simple/ typical descriptive design used for?
examining variables in a single sample
what does a simple/ typical descriptive design identify?
- phenomenon
- variables
- conceptual definitions
- operational definitions
what does describing variables in a simple/ typical descriptive design entail?
- interpretation of the meaning of the findings
- development of possible relationships or hypotheses that can guide future studies
what are the steps in a simple/ typical descriptive design?
1) clarify
2) measure
3) describe
4) interpret
what is a comparative descriptive design used for?
- describing variables
- examining differences in variables among two or more groups in a natural setting
the results in a comparative descriptive study do not often apply to the general population
true
what are the types of descriptive designs?
- simple/ typical
- comparative
what are the types of correlational designs?
- descriptive
- predictive
- model testing
what are the purposes of a descriptive correlational design?
- describe variables
- examine the relationships among said variables
- identify many interrelationships in a situation
what is the purpose of a predictive correlational design?
- predict the value of one variable based on the value obtained for another variable
the variable that is predicted in predictive correlational design is dependent
true
every other variable in a predictive correlational design is independent
true
what does model testing design require?
- all concepts relevant to the model will be measured
- relationships among the concepts be examined
what does model testing design prove?
the accuracy of a hypothesized relationship between concepts
what type of study designs should be used to obtain an accurate representation of causality?
- experimental
- quasi-experimental
essential elements of experiments
- random assignments
- control group
- independent variable/ intervention
- control of the independent variable
- control of the situation and setting
- sampling criteria
- careful measurement of dependent/ outcome variables
what is expected of an intervention in regards to research?
to lead to a difference in results between control and treatment groups in posttest measures
what is intervention fidelity?
a detailed description of essential elements of the intervention & its consistent implementation throughout the study
control/ groups in nursing research are not exposed to any interventions
true
what is a quasi-experimental design?
untreated control group design with pretest and posttest
what is a quasi-experimental design?
untreated control group design with pretest and posttest
what does a quasi-experimental design entail?
- facilitation of the search for knowledge
- examination of causality in situations in which complete control is not possible
what is a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?
the strongest methodology for testing the effectiveness of an intervention that limits potential for bias and error
participants are randomized in a RCT
true
