Midterm Flashcards
research objectives
describes what researchers expect to achieve through a project
research hypothesis
a statement or explanation that is suggested by knowledge or observation but has not yet been proved or disproved
deductive reasoning
broad reasoning, begins with question and then narrows down
inductive reasoning
analyzing data and forming new questions from results
analytic research
A research method that provides in-depth evaluation and synthesis of available
information
descriptive research
A research method that describes the characteristics of the population or phenomenon
studied
experimental research
A research method that provides the strongest evidence for causation due to experimental
manipulation
survey studies
a descriptive study where researchers administer questionnaires (or a series of questions) to research
participants who answer the questions themselves
case studies
a descriptive study that involves an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of a subject or case,
as well as its related contextual conditions
correlational study
a descriptive study that determines whether two or more variables are correlated
developmental study
a descriptive study that deals with humans’ growth and developmental change over time.
It can use a cross-sectional approach, which makes comparisons at a single point in time or longitudinal approach, which observes and measures a group over time
normative study
a descriptive study in which the purpose is to develop performance standards, which can be norm-referenced or criterion-referenced
observational study
a descriptive study where the purpose is to observe, record, and analyze certain attributes of people or a program over a period of time
action research study
a descriptive study conducted in the natural setting where findings can be directly applied
casual comparative study
a descriptive study hat attempts to identify cause-effect relationships between independent and dependent variables by comparing two or more groups of individuals
similarities between causal-comparative and experimental studies
Both require at least one categorical variable, both compare group performances to determine causative relationships.
differences between casual-comparative and experimental studies
experimental studies involve the independent variable being manipulated, and provide stronger evidence for
causation, and the researcher assigns subjects to
different treatment groups.
randomized control trial
an experiment where subjects are randomly allocated in different experimental conditions and often considered the gold standard for a clinical trial
cluster randomized control trial
is a type of randomized controlled study in which
groups of subjects (as opposed to individual subjects) are randomized
quasi-experimental study
shares similarities with the traditional randomized controlled trial, but they specifically lack the element of random assignment
research design
a framework or an overall strategy
created to integrate the different
components of the study in a coherent
and logical way, thereby ensuring
researchers to effectively address the
research problems
variables
an attribute or property of an object of study
that can take on different values
independent variable
The experimental, or treatment, variable
that can be manipulated; it often serves
as the cause
dependent variable
variables being measured to assess the effects of the independent variable
categorical variables
A kind of independent variable except that it cannot
be manipulated, for example, age, race, or sex
extraneous variables
An independent variable that can bias the results,
disrupting the effect that the chosen independent variable has on the dependent variable
internal validity
whether the results of the study can be attributed to the different treatments in the study
external validity
whether the results of the study can be generalized beyond the study itself or applied to the real world
defining threats
Influences other than independent variables that might explain the results of the study
threats to internal validity
History, Maturation, Pre-Testing, Instrumentation, Statistical regression, Differential Selection, Attrition/Experimental mortality
threats to external validity
Sample representation, Interaction effect of testing, Interaction of selection bias and experimental treatment, Experimenter effect, Reactive effects of experimental setting, Multiple treatment interference, Treatment diffusion
epidemiological research
the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations
case-control study
a type of observational and retrospective study in which two existing groups differing in outcome are identified and compared based on some supposed causal attribute
cohort studies
a type of longitudinal study used to investigate the
causes of disease and to establish links between risk factors and health outcomes without experimental manipulation
prospective cohort study
a longitudinal study that follows over time a group of similar individuals (cohorts) who differ with respect to certain factors and to determine how these factors affect the rates of a certain outcome
retrospective cohort study
a historical/longitudinal study that looks back at events that already have taken place
data types
defines the meaning of the data and the
operations that can be done on the data
Nominal
a categorical data that classifies objects in accordance with similarities and differences with respect to some property; no rank order
ordinal
a categorical data that can rank order based on an underlying continuum and have no common unit of measurement
binary
Categorical data whose unit can take on only two
possible states
discrete
numerical data that is limited to only whole units and have no fractional units
interval
continuous numerical data that has known and equal distances between score units, but having no true zero point
ratio
continuous numerical data that has the same properties as interval data, but does have a true zero point
descriptive statistics
presenting, organizing, and summarizing data
inferential statistics
drawing conclusions about a population based on data observed in a sample
measures of central tendency (descriptive statistics)
mean, median, mode
measures of variability (descriptive statistics)
range, standard deviation, variance
measures of relationship
Pearson product correlation coefficient
independent t-test
Used to compare two separate sets of scores
from two independent samples
dependent t-test
Used to compare two sets of scores from the
same sample or two samples that are matched
or paired
One-way ANOVA test
Used to compare means of multiple groups that are
affected by one independent variable.
Two-way ANOVA test
Used to compare means of multiple groups that are
affected by two independent variables
chi-squared test
examines whether two
distributions of categorical or discrete
variables are equal
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test
Compares 2 dependent (paired) median, paired t-test
Mann-Whitney Test
Compares 2 independent median, independent t-test
Kruskal-Wallis Test
Compares 3 or more medians (1 variable), one way ANOVA
Friedman Test
Compares 3 or more medians (1 variable), Two-way ANOVA
simple regression analysis
a statistical procedure that builds an equation
to estimate a dependent variable from an independent variable
odds ratio
a ratio of the odds that an event occurring in an
exposed group to the odds of an event occurring in an unexposed group
