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Clinical Research 1 > Quantitative Methods > Flashcards

Quantitative Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What is quantitative research

A

-examines variables that differ in size or quantity (numerical values)
-though may use values that are categorical
-statistical analyses
-used to confirm or test theories and hypothesis

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2
Q

What are the 5 strategies of descriptive research

A

Descriptive, correlational, quasi, experimental, non experimental

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3
Q

What is descriptive research

A

-answers questions about the current state of individual variables
-can answer what where and when questions
-does not explore the relationship between two variables
-seeks to provide a snapshot description of a particular characteristic of a single point in time

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4
Q

when do you use descriptive research

A

-little is known about the topic of your research
-aim is to identify characteristics that make up the variable of interest
-aim is to look at the frequency of occurrences and trends or patterns that may occur
-classification into categories is the goal

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5
Q

How do you do descriptive research

A

Surveys, observations, case studies

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6
Q

What is correlational research

A

-type of descriptive research which looks for a relationship between two variables
-variables are not manipulated or controlled by researcher
-cannot provide any information about the cause of relationship
-positive negative and zero

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7
Q

when do you conduct correlational research

A

-you want to find out if two variables are related but you dont expect a casual link eg are people who earn more money likely to be vegan?
Is it impractical or unethical to manipulate once of the variables eg does passive smoking cause asthma in children?

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8
Q

How do you conduct correlational research?

A

Surveys, observations and analyses of secondary data

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9
Q

What is experimental research

A

-involves the manipulation of one or more explanatory factor and measures their effect on an outcome measure in an attempt to establish cause and effect
-an experiment is designed to test a hypothesis
-attempts to establish that changes in one variable are directly responsible for changes in another variable

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10
Q

When do you conduct experimental research

A

-there is a specific testable hypothesis that will address a research question
-confounding variables can be controlled
-participants can be randomly assigned

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11
Q

How can you conduct experimental research

A

Lab and field exp, experimental groups design and randomised control trials

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12
Q

What is a confounding variable

A

Occurs when you find a relationship between an explanatory factor and outcome measure but in fact the relationship occurs as a result of an alternative factor

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13
Q

What is quasi experimental research

A

-seeks to establish a cause and effect relationship between an explanatory factor and outcome measures
-participants are assigned to groups in a non random way
-attempts to establish the direct cause and effect of one variable on outcome measure

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14
Q

When do you conduct quasi experimental research

A

-the researcher has no control of the conditions participants are assigned to
-if it would be unethical to provide or withhold treatment on a random basis
-there is some attempt to limit any confounding variables
-there are practical limitations to carrying out experimental research design
-here you can use data already collected

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15
Q

How do you conduct quasi experimental research

A

Non equivalent groups design, natural experiment, secondary data analysis

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16
Q

What is non experimental research

A

-aims to produce a description of the relationship between two variables but does not attempt to explain it
-collects multiple measures from different groups or at different times but cannot explain this relationship
-lacks the rigour and control of experimental and quasi experimental approaches
-demonstrates the existence of a relationship only

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17
Q

When do you conduct non experimental research

A

-the researcher has little or no control over the setting
-when the presence of a confounding variable cannot be removed or accounted for

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18
Q

How do you conduct non experimental research

A

Non equivalent groups design, pre post design, longitudinal design, cross sectional design

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19
Q

What are the research methods

A

Surveys,observations,case studies, field experiments, lab experiments, group research, experimental groups

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20
Q

What is a survey

A
  • relatively effiecent method of gathering lots of information
  • often used to provide descriptive info about certain groups
  • can be used as a pre screening tool for specific conditions
  • the value of a survey depends on the quality of the questions being asked
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21
Q

What are the 3 kinds of survey questions

A

-closed or restricted
-open ended questions
-rating scale (likert scale)

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22
Q

How can you administrate surveys

A
  • postal or email- simple however can be expensive and time consuming. Can be a poor response rat but anonymous
    -telephone- time consuming concern about interviewer bias and people may not answer
    -in person- can be individuals or groups, interviewer bias but higher response rate
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23
Q

Survey pros

A

-flexibility
-easy and efficient
-some info cannot be collected any other way

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24
Q

Survey cons

A

-low response rate
-difficult to analyse
-may be biased as self report method
-interviewer bias

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25
Q

What is an observation

A

Researcher observes and systematically records behaviour of participants in natural settings

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26
Q

what is a naturalistic observation

A

-no intervention from researcher
-natural setting is one where the behaviour would naturally occur
-high external validity
-can be used when there is ethical considerations

27
Q

Participant observations

A

-Researcher engages in the same activities while recording behaviour
-allows observation of behaviours not usually available for study
-used when inconspicuous observation is not possible
-can be dangerous if they are found out also presence may alter behaviour

28
Q

Pros of observations

A

-records actual behaviour
-high external validity
-flexible

29
Q

Cons of observations

A

-ethical concerns
-descriptive only

30
Q

What are case studies

A

Used in clinical work especially where condition is rare and involves an in depth and detailed explanation of single cases of groups

31
Q

Why would you use single case research

A

-needed to disprove a theory
-define limits in behaviour
-detailed measurements
-stimulate further research
-rare participants

32
Q

Pros and cons of single case research

A

+in depth explanation
-hard to show cause and effect
-any single case may be misleading for a population based health service

33
Q

Pros of case series research

A

-more informative than a single case
-can begin to generalise
-can reveal individual differences
-can be economical and quick
-useful for conditions where it is difficult to recruit a large number of participants

34
Q

Cons of case series research

A

-useful for conditions where it is difficult to recruit a larger number of participants
-can be misleading to generalise as its such a small group of people
-vulnerable to selection bias

35
Q

What are field experiments

A

-take place in a natural environment
-those involved typically dont know
-still needs manipulation of a variable
-more external validity but chances of confounding variables are higher as less control
-often used to examine social phenomenon in large groups

36
Q

What is a lab experiment

A

-manipulate a variable tested in lab
-lack external validity as not representative
-useful for isolating a phenomenon

37
Q

What is group research

A

-research participants with somthing in common
-the average outcome measures for each group are compared in order to answer the research question

38
Q

What is experimental groups

A

-participants are assigned to groups
-explanatory factor is manipulated to differ for each group
-comparison of performance across groups to test the hypothesis
-useful for theoretical testing and evaluation of treatment

39
Q

Pros and cons of group research

A

+can eliminate alternative explanations
+best establishes cause an effect
-feasibility
-ethics

40
Q

What is repeated measures design

A

Participants take part in both conditions
Reduces variability when using different individuals
Need to avoid order effects

41
Q

What is independent mesures design

A

-participants only complete one confions
-avoids order effects such ad fatigue
-random assignment is essential

42
Q

what is matched pairs design

A

-match people based on characteristics
-seeks to minimise differences between groups
-participants only complete one condition
-avoid order effects

43
Q

What is non equivalent groups

A

-participants are not randomly assigned
-participants complete one condition
-utilises pre existing groups

44
Q

What is randomised control trial

A

-assign people randomly to one of two groups eg number of envelopes prepared and each participant selects one
-one group receives the experimental intervention and the other group receives nothing

45
Q

pros of the randomised control trial

A

+considered most robust method
+straightforward analysis
+minimal risk of bias

46
Q

Cons of randomised control trials

A

-limited generalisability
-does not mesure individual improvement
-expensive to conduct
-time consuming
-high dropout rates
-ethical considerations

47
Q

What is ABAB/reversal design

A

-single participant research design
-typically used for case studies
-goal is to demonstrate that the treatment causes the improvement from baseline
-4 phases

48
Q

What are the 4 phases of ABAB

A

1)baseline measurement
2)treatment- any change between 1 and 2 could be due to treatment but also extraneous variables
3)return to baseline -supportive evidence that change was related to it
4)treatment- if change is similar to round 1 it proves effectiveness

49
Q

what are the pros and cons of ABAB

A

+can be used with rare conditions
+provides evidence of cause and effect
+necessity for continued treatment
-potential issues around removing treatment
-disruption to participant progress

50
Q

What is post test only

A

-often used in applied research to test effectiveness of a treatment
-usually with pre existing groups receiving treatment
-no equivalent pre existing control group tested at the same time
-appears to ask a cause and effect question

51
Q

Pros and cons of post test only

A

+useful when time for data collection is limited
+can be used when participants are not available before treatment
-can’t determine the size of the outcome
-are the outcomes due to another cause or treatment

52
Q

What is the pre post design

A

-observation taken over time
-goal is to observe a change attributable to the treatment
-all participants are tested more than once before treatment and after treatment

53
Q

pros of the pre post design

A

-relatively simple implementation
-controls for prior knowledge on outcome measure

54
Q

Cons of the pre post design

A

-can’t account for non treatment influences over time
-more demanding of time and resources
-requires access to similar groups

55
Q

What is the cross sectional design

A

Collect data from many participants at a single time point
The variables are observed but not manipulated
Measurement of explanatory factor and outcome measure at the same time

56
Q

Pros of cross sectional design

A

-quick and easy no follow up
-all data is collected at once
-multiple outcomes can be measured at once
-good for descriptive analysis

57
Q

Cons of cross sectional design

A

-can’t manage incidences
-snapshot of data that may not be representative
-can be difficult to interpret

58
Q

What is longitudinal research

A

-collect data from the same participants over multiple points in time
-variables are observed not manipulated
-measure an explanatory factor and use it to predict later outcome measure
-measure the same variable multiple times and look at developmental changes

59
Q

What are the two types of longitudinal design

A

Cohort studies and case control studies

60
Q

What is a cohort studies

A

Identify groups who share a defining characteristic
Prospective- assessed at the beginning of study and followed into the future for outcomes
Retrospective - assessed at endpoint and look back at predictor of interest
-researcher controls the selection of the cohort
-must identify and measure important variables

61
Q

Pros and cons of cohort studies

A

+avoids recall bias
+most effective for cause and effect
+identifies the time of relationship
-large number of p’s required
-hard to keep p’s engaged
-large time span

62
Q

What’s a case control study

A

-identify group on outcome
-retrospective
-researcher identifies people with the disease of interest and a control group without
-looks back to compare how frequently the exposure to a risk factor is present in each group to determine the relationship between the risk and the outcome
-cases selected based on outcome of interest not on risk factors

63
Q

Pros of case control study

A

-allows the study of rare disease
-cheaper and quicker than cohort
-useful for generating hypothesis

64
Q

Cons of case control studies

A

-motivational factors in reporting historical information
-cannot control extraneous variables
-control group decisions can be difficult

Clinical Research 1 (4 decks)

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