exploratory, descriptive, and epidemiological studies Flashcards
What are observational studies used for?
provide information to help with planning of resources and generate hypothesis for future research
are variables manipulated in observational studies?
NO!!!
What is exploratory research?
investigates relationships among variables, can be retro, prospective, or cross sectional.
what are some problems with longitudinal studies?
expensive, time consuming, testing effects, attrition.
what is a cohort?
a group of individuals who are followed together over time, participants who do not yet have the outcome of interests, but are followed over time to see if they develop it.
cross sectional study problems
not all cohorts will be similar. variance in life experiences, education, generational factors,
in a case control study, what is the definition of a control
the healthy subjects, must use same inclusion/exclusion criteria with the exception of the disease.
problems with case-control designs
selection bias (chosen based on disease presence, must be regardless of exposure history), misclassification of subjects, observation bias, interviewer bias, recall bias.
cohort study issues
must have enough subjects who develop the disease, prone to attrition
descriptive research
describes populations but does not answer how/when/why the characteristic occurred
case study
used to study one patient with a rare or unusual disorder, lacks internal validity due to only one participant
case series
expansion of case study to several similar cases, more than 1 pe3rson being studied
what is the main difference between experimental and observational research?
observational DOESNT manipulate variables, experimental does.
what is the main purpose of exploratory research?
explore relationships between variables
epidemiology
study of the distribution and determinants of disease, injury, or dysfunction in populations.
