Part 2 Flashcards
What does Quantitative Methodology emanate?
Positivist/post-positivist perspective
What is the focus of Quantitative Methodology?
predominant ‘biomedical’ focus
What does Quantitative Methodology use objectivity, logic, experimental/scientific processes to do?
- compare
- infer causation
- predict outcomes
What is Descriptive Quantitative research?
structured observations or survey (or both) used to describe a phenomenon, situation, group or characteristic
What is Exploratory Quantitative research?
to gain new insights, discover new ideas & increase knowledge about a phenomenon (usually conducted when little is known about a topic)
What is Causal Quantitative research?
experimenting (statistically speaking) to assess cause and effect
What is the purpose of a research design?
- answer research question
- control for/understand biases
- direct analysis
- direct interpretation
What does the design of a research project do?
- directs the research process
- framework of who, what, when, where & how
What is a Variable?
a measurable characteristic that varies among subjects
What are the different types of variables?
- independent
- dependent
- extraneous variable or covariate
What is an Independent Variable?
interventions or presumed cause
ex. salt intake
ex. self-care symptom management
What is a Dependent Variable?
outcome or presumed effect
ex. blood pressure reading
ex. quaility of life
What is an Extraneous Variable or Covariate?
alternative or other possible causes
ex. Sedentary
ex. severity of illness
What is Control?
the measures that the researcher uses to hold the conditions of the study uniform and avoid possibe impingement of bias on the dependent variable or outcome
What are the different ways to control for Extraneous Variables? (6)
- utilizing a homogenous sample
- random assignment to groups
- consistent data-collection procedure
- minimize threats to internal validitiy
- using experimental design (manipulation of independent variable)
- statistical manipulation
What is a Natural Setting?
uncontrolled, real life situation
What is Partially Controlled?
manipulated or modified in some way
What is Highly controlled?
Artifical environment for sole purpose of doing research
What is Internal Validity?
the extent to which the observed results represent the truth in the population we are studying and, thus, are not due to methodological errors.
What is External Validity?
the extent to which the results of a study are generalizable to patients in our daily practice, especially for the population that the sample is thought to represent
If a study shows a high degree of internal validity, what does that mean?
We can conclude we have stronge evidence of causaility
If a study shows a high degree of External validity, what does that mean?
we can conclude we have little or no evidence of causality
What are threats to Internal Validity? (6)
- selection bias
- instrumentation
- history
- maturation
- testing
- mortality
What do threats to external validity do?
compromise our confidence in stating whether the study’s results are applicable to other groups
What are the threats to external validity?
- selection effects
- reactivity
- measurement effects
What study designs control threats to validity?
- Experimental: control most
- Quasi-experimental
- Non-experimental
- Descriptive
What are the Cause-effect classes?
- experimental
- Quasi-experimental
What are the Description classes?
- non-experimental
- descriptive
What is an Experimental Design?
- there is an intervention that is controlled or delivered
- there is an experimental and control group
- there is a random assignment to groups
What is Random Assignment to groups?
- internal validity issue
- equal chance that extraneous variables exist in both groups
- experimental/control group assignment
What is Random Selection from population to sample?
- external validity issue
- equals extraneous variables in the sample that are true for the population
- sampling strategy
What are the strengths of Experimental Design?
- establish causality/causal direction
- control
What are the limitations of Experimental Design?
- may be difficult to implement
- generalizability (external validity) may be low
- not ethical for some conditions
What is a Quasi-Experimental Design?
- there is an intervention that is controlled or delivered
- there is an experimental group with or without a control group
- there is typically no random assignment to groups
What are the Strengths of Quasi-Experimental Design?
- establish causality/causal direction
- control
- practical, real world adaptability
- people not always willing to be randomized, so this works for them
What are the limitations of Quasi-Experimental Design?
- cannot make clear cause-and-effect statements
- generalizability (external validity) may be low
- not ethical for some conditions
What is Non-experimental Research?
research that lacks the manipulation of an independent variable
What are the two types of non-experimental research?
- Survey Studies
- relationship/difference studies
What are Survey Studies?
- structured interview
- self-report: Questionnaires, online surveys/computer-assisted
- usually a large number of respondents
What is the purpose of Survey Studies?
to obtain info about the prevalence, distribution, and interrelations of phenomena within a population
What are the advantages of Survey Studies?
- flexible & broad in scope
- data can be collected in a number of ways
What are the disadvantages of Survey Studies?
- data relatively superficial, rarely probes deeply into human complexities
- low response rates vs. number of participants needed
- limitations with self-report
What is the purpose of Relationship/Difference Studies?
to look at the relationships or differences between variables that can provide a deeper insight into a phenomenon
What are the different Relationship/Difference Studies?
- correlational
- developmental
What are the different types of Development Relationship/Differences Studies?
- cross-sectional
- longitudinal/prospective
- retrospective/ex post facto
What are Correlation studies?
- involves the measurement & determination of the relationship between 2 variables
- cannot be used to determine cause-and-effect
What is Postive Correlation?
one variable increases, scores on the other variable also increases (r values ranges from 0 to +1)
What is Negative Correlation?
increase in one variable is accompanied by a decrease in the second variable (r values ranges from -1 to 0)
What is the Correlation Coefficient (r)?
numerical index that reflects the relationship between two variables. Value: between -1 and +1
What are the advantages of Correlational Studies?
- can be applied to many populations, focus on a wide range of topics, & info can be used for many purposes
- a framework for exploring the relationship between variables that cannot be inherently manipulated
What are the disadvantages of Correlation studies?
- correlation does not equal causation
- no randomization in the sampling procedures because the study deals with pre-existing groups; therefore, generalizability is decreased
What is Cross sectional Research?
examine the relationship between variables of interest as they exist in a defined population at one particular time