Olivia Kern's 6.2 Study design Flashcards
Outline the importance of
specificity, accuracy, reliability
and validity with regard to
fitness testing.
When measuring individual’s fitness levels there are several factors that need be taken into account to ensure that it is done correctly:
Specificity: Fitness test must assess an individual’s fitness of the activity or sport in question; e.g. there is little point in using a running endurance test to assess an athlete’s improvement in cycling endurance; different tests/activities can be assessed by joints/energy systems/ muscles used, direction and magnitude of forces, movement velocity, contact time, regime of muscular work (contraction type and degree of stretch).
Accuracy: The degree to which a measurement represents the true value of something (how close the measurement is to the true value); this is closely related to the accuracy of the measuring equipment (reliability of the measuring instrument); has the equipment been calibrated? Have you used the same equipment? Have your helpers been trained properly?
Reliability: “Degree to which a measure would produce the same result from one occasion to another”; a reliable test produces the same results if repeated; one needs to be sure that improvements or decline in fitness or results are not due to testing error.
Inter-researcher reliability: whether different researchers in the same situation get similar results.
Test-retest reliability: doing the same test on different occasions with same or similar results.
Validity: Fitness test must measure the component of fitness that they are supposed to; does the test actually measure what it says it does?
Discuss the importance of study design in the context of the sports, exercise and health sciences.
Without a good study design, the experiment cannot be repeated or serve as a reliable source of data.
Experimental group: The subjects in an experiment who are exposed to the treatment (independent variable).
Control groups: The group of tested subjects left untreated or unexposed to some procedure and then results are compared to those of the experimental group. Not exposed to the independent variable.
Are important because they act as basis of comparison. They help overcome the habituation problem.
Placebo: Treatment/substance designed to have no real effect.
Blinding: the subjects don’t know if they are the experimental test subjects or members of the control group, but the tester knows.
Double blinding: Both the tester and the subjects are “blinded”; both are not told of the subject’s identities in the set up (which group they are in).
No influence can take place.
Randomization: The research participants are assigned by chance, rather than by choice, to either the experimental group or the control group.
Ensures there is no bias.
Sometimes groups are fairly evenly matched, this can be based on results from a pre-test, (e.g. people are sometimes placed into groups based on experience)
This is followed by statistical analysis based on quantitative data.
Outline the importance of the
Physical Activity Readiness
Questionnaire (PAR-Q).
The Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) is a 1-page form to see if a person should check with their doctor before becoming much more physically active.
When to use it: Before asking someone to take part in a physical test, to make sure that taking part in the test will not put their health at risk.Before asking someone to undertake physical activity, when asking for training advice or joining a sports or exercise club.
If a person answers “Yes” to one or more questions they must see a doctor before undertaking any physical tests, training programmes or playing sports.
Evaluate field, laboratory, tests of
human performance.
Field test: any test outside of a laboratory. Example - Cooper’s 12 min run
Advantages: usually equipment easier to get. (Used also sometimes to study participants’ behaviour when they don’t know that they are being observed).
Disadvantages: less accurate and reliable, usually many variables that are not wanted.
Laboratory test: any test carried out in a laboratory. Example - VO2max test (treadmill)
Advantages: more accurate, more variables can be controlled.
Disadvantages: more difficult to have access to laboratories and equipment needed, may lead to a lack of external validity.
Evaluate maximal and sub-maximal tests for human performance.
If we want to know the ‘maximum’ a maximal test would meet the criteria to test a subject. However…
People not used to undergoing maximal exercise are likely to stop early, before actually reaching their maximum, and it could be dangerous
Submax tests were then designed. They give an estimate of what the maximum would be. They are useful for children or inexperienced people who are not used to working to their ‘maximum’
