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Research Kaplan > Overview of Research Terms > Flashcards

Overview of Research Terms Flashcards

1
Q

inductive reasoning

A

makes broad generalizations from specific observations

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2
Q

deductive reasoning

A

starts out with a general statement, or hypothesis, and examines the possibilities to reach a specific, logical conclusion

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3
Q

hypothesis

A

a written, declarative statement in the present tense of a prediction of the relationship between two or more variables. used in quantitative research (not in qualitative)

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4
Q

null hypothesis

A

predicts there is no relationship between the variables stated in the hypothesis. not acknowledging a null hypothesis threatens overall study validity. careful sample selection using power analysis can help prevent these errors.

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5
Q

Type I error

A

when the null hypothesis is rejected when it should not be

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6
Q

Type II error

A

when the null hypothesis is not rejected when it should be, since a relationship between the studied variables does exist.

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7
Q

Quantitative research

A

grounded upon the scientific method of theory testing, this focuses on objective evidence. Focused on determining cause and effect; research is tightly controlled. Uses numbers and statistics, people are referred to as subjects.

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8
Q

independent variables

A

treatment, intervention, or experimental value; the “cause”

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9
Q

dependent variables

A

outcome, effect; ruling out of extraneous effects

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10
Q

extraneous variables

A

unplanned effect on an outcome in a research study

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11
Q

Hawthorne effect

A

example of extraneous variable; psychological effect when study subjects change behaviour from normal because they know they are being observed

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12
Q

survey research

A

using interviews and questionnaires; may address knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, experiences, behaviours.
questions should be clear and simple, ordered from general to specific

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13
Q

questionnaire pros and cons

A

can be written or electronic; low response rates and does not allow for clarification

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14
Q

attitude scales

A

structured, self-report measures to learn more about the attitudes of the subjects
e.g. Likert scale, Semantic differential

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15
Q

Likert scale

A

attitude statements of 5-7 pts, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. scores are summed to one total score

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16
Q

Semantic differential scale

A

pairs of 2 opposite adjectives are placed on lines with seven point scale between; subjects mark point that best represents their attitude

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17
Q

Four types of quantitative research designs

A

Descriptive, correlational; quasi-experimental and experimental

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18
Q

Descriptive studies

A

describe characteristics of a topic

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19
Q

correlational studies

A

examine relationships between variables/subjects and the strength and direction of the relationship

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20
Q

quasi-experimental studies

A

examine causality but there is no random assignment and/or control group

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21
Q

experimental studies

A

examine causality and do have random assignment of subjects, with both an experimental and a control group

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22
Q

clinical trials

A

experimental research studies which assess the effects of specific new or revised clinical interventions; safety and efficacy are studied. randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are viewed as the gold standard for evidence-based practice

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23
Q

cross sectional studies

A

look at one phenomenon at one point in time across multiple separate populations that differ in a clear characteristic; allows for a picture of the phenomenon as it exists in the present

24
Q

longitudinal prospective cohort study

A

follows subjects over a period of time in the future; data is collected at 2+ points in time

25
Q

prospective study

A

study of interest is identified in the present and subjects are followed for a given time frame in the future

26
Q

cohort study

A

type of longitudinal study in which subjects come from similar background or were born in the same time period

27
Q

retrospective study

A

uses past data which has already been collected about events that have already occured

28
Q

pilot study

A

smaller scale version of a planned study which identifies and prevents a problem that could occur in the larger study. testing of methods and procedures done to test feasibility and accuracy of larger planned study

29
Q

double-blind experiment

A

neither the subjects nor the researchers know who the control group and who the experimental group is

30
Q

control group

A

group of subjects comparable to experimental group but not receiving experimental intervention/is given an alternate treatment; provides a baseline to measure the effects of the treatment

31
Q

sampling

A

process that selects representative units of a population for a study, as it is rarely feasible or necessary to sample the entire populations of interest to obtain accurate and meaningful information

32
Q

eligibility criteria

A

descriptors of population which provide a basis for selection of the sample

33
Q

target population

A

entire set of cases whom the researcher would like to make generalizations about

34
Q

random sampling

A

ensures sample is representative of population from which it was chosen and is representative of the population; allows for generalisability of the findings

35
Q

types of random sampling

A

simple, stratified, cluster, systematic

36
Q

simple random sampling

A

random numbers are used to select subjects from total population

37
Q

stratified random sampling

A

subgroups are selected from the population based on certain characteristics and a representative sample from each subgroup or stratum is then randomly chosen

38
Q

cluster sampling

A

entire groups are randomly selected in stages and subjects are then randomly selected only from those groups or clusters

39
Q

systematic random sampling

A

predetermined sampling intervals are used to select subjects from the population

40
Q

measures of central tendency

A

mean: average value of a data set
median: midpoint of a data set
mode: most frequent value of a data set

41
Q

4 levels of measurement

A

nominal: lowest/least rigorous measurement
ordinal: rank ordering
interval: consistent distance between ranks
ratio: true or natural zero point

42
Q

correlations

A

focus on the relationship between variable; 0 = none; +1 = perfect positive, -1 = perfect negative/inverse relationship.
scatter plots help see correlations

43
Q

inferential statistics

A

uses data from samples to make inference about a population. e.g. t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square test, level of significance

44
Q

minimum acceptable level of significance

A

0.05 or 0.01

0.01 and 0.001 are used when decision to be made has important consequences for treatment

45
Q

quantitative validity (2 types)

A

internal validity: degree to which effect can be attributed only to the cause and not extraneous variables

external validity: generalizability of the findings of an experimental study to other people and settings

46
Q

qualitative research

A

focused on discovering and interpreting the subjective meaning of an experience to an individual or group. participants are not randomly selected and rather are purposefully sampled (handpicked for their perceived representation of the population of interest)

47
Q

types of qualitative research (2)

A

phenomenological and ethnographic

48
Q

phenomenological research

A

describes experiences or phenomena from the POV of the individuals involves; “lived experiences”

49
Q

ethnographic research

A

focuses on the understanding of the culture of a group of people; researcher becomes an active culture

50
Q

bracketing

A

method used to control for researcher bias to help ensure clear and accurate observations; researchers reflect on their personal thoughts and feelings and set them, aside

51
Q

trustworthiness

A

measure of truth and rigor; 4 criteria – credibility, dependability, confirmability, transferability

52
Q

data saturation

A

point in qualitative studies when there are no new ideas noted in the data analysis and it is noted that saturation of themes/categories has occurred

53
Q

field notes

A

reflective notes documented by the researcher’s reflections on strategies and methodologies used, analysis of observations, and personal feelings

54
Q

focus group

A

small group of 6-12 people for their similarities to discuss thoughts, feelings, etc; researchers observe participants for verbal and nonverbal behaviors and interactions

55
Q

report

A

written in an informal style; direct quotes used, adding to credibility and trustworthiness; themes are identified

56
Q

interview

A

more personal than questionnaires; can have any level of structure, provide for increased depth of information but may cost more.

Research Kaplan (1 decks)

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