Lecture #2 Flashcards
Why is research the foundation according to Bass & Varrett?
a. Personal experiences may be biased, i.e. the barnum effect.
b. Scientific investigations lead to major advances(i.e. new medications)
c. Distinguish between association and causation.
i. Associations reported lots in health news
ii. Associations are not the same thing as causation.
d. To dispel myths.
For the love of god, gum does not stay in your gut for years.
What is the barnum effect?
a. Personal experiences may be biased.
Misleading conclusions can be drawn from personal experiences.
What is the difference between nomothetic and ideographic models?
a. Ideographic- 1 person
b. Nomothetic- various people
A Nomothetic model is a research model that deals with a group while an ideographic model deals with an individual. Nomothetic research tends to focus on generalities while an ideographic form of research will be unique from case to case. An example of nomothetic models would be group studies that establish principles. An example of an idiographic model would be a case study. Most find nomothetic models to be more scientific because they are heavily based on quantitative data.
What is the difference between association and causation?
a. Association is a link, causation is a definitive cause.
Causation is related to a direct relationship between the cause and the effect. Association is related to an indirect relationship between the cause and effect where the association is correlated to the effect.
Why is it important to become a critical consumer?
a. Critical analysis is an important part of taking charge of your own health
i. Need factual information to make informed decisions.
b. Learning fact versus fiction, reality versus myth, and unbiased versus biased.
c. Confirmation bias is a thing
d. Need objective facts to make informed health decisions.
e. Don’t lose your time and money on shit that doesn’t work
Federal Trade commission recommends healthy dose of skepticism when evaluating claims for weight loss products
What is confirmation bias?
Tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs.
What 4 tips were presented in lecture for evaluating health information?
a. Seek out information
b. Find source of information. Look to CDC
c. Is the source/site promotional?
What do other sources/sites say about the topic?
What are two basic considerations when evaluating research evidence?
Who is the research on?
What type of research is it?
Knowing the research participants helps us extrapolate findings to a general group
Which research method involves the testing of humans or animals in a tightly controlled environment?
Laboratory environment.
Which research method is primarily observational and shows associations between variables (e.g., Framingham Heart Study)?
a. Epidemiological Studies
Mainly in the field/observational
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) is an example of which research method?
a. Clinical trials
Randomly assigns people to treatment groups.
