Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research Flashcards
assesses the value of a research question on the basis of whether or not it is feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant
FINER method
ensure that a change in the dependent variable occurs when expected
positive controls
ensure that no change in the dependent variable occurs when none is expected
negative controls
the quality of approximating the true value
accuracy (validity)
the quality of being consistent in approximations
precision (reliability)
a type of nonexperimental research in which the researcher measures two variables and assesses the statistical relationship between them, with little or no effort to control extraneous variables
correlation studies
a descriptive research approach to obtain an in-depth analysis of a single person, group, or phenomenon
case studies
researchers repeatedly examine the same individuals to detect any changes that might occur over a period of time
longitudinal studies
manipulating one variable to determine if this causes changes in another variable; this method relies on controlled research methods and random assignment of study subjects to test a hypothesis
experimental studies
qualitative research on a group of people and their behaviors and social interactions within their own, native environment; it involves studying people in context, mainly making observations rather than focusing on hard data and numbers
ethnographic research
is subject to ethical constraints that are generally absent in basic science research; much of it is observational
human subjects research
observational human subjects research:
subjects are sorted into two groups based on varying risk factors, and then assessed at various intervals to determine how many subjects in each group has a certain trait
cohort studies
observational human subjects research:
assess both exposure and outcome at the same point in time
cross-sectional studies
observational human subjects research:
two existing groups differing in outcome are identified and compared on the basis of some supposed causal attribute; assess outcome status and then assess for exposure history
case-control studies
supports causality in observational studies; includes temporality, strength, dose-response relationships, consistency, plausibility, consideration of alternative explanations, experiments, specificity, and coherence
Hill’s criteria
flaw that may be in the form of bias, confounding, or random
error
error:
systematic and results from a problem during data collection
bias
bias:
the sample differs from the population, is most common form in human subjects research
selection bias
bias:
arises from educated professionals using their knowledge in an inconsistent way by searching for an outcome disproportionately in certain populations
detection bias
bias:
results from changes in behavior (by the subject, experimenter, or both) that occur as a result of the knowledge that the subject is being observed
Hawthorne effect
error:
an error in data analysis that results from a common connection of both the dependent and independent variables to a third variable
confounding
established research ethics, including respect for persons, justice, and beneficence
Belmont report
research ethics:
includes autonomy, informed consent, and confidentiality
respect for persons
research ethics:
dictates which study questions are worth pursuing and which subjects to use
justice
research ethics:
requires us to do the most good with the least harm; we cannot perform an intervention without equipoise
beneficence
a lack of knowledge about which arm of the research study is best for the subject
equipoise
all of the individuals who share a set of characteristics; ____ data are called parameters
populations
a subset of a population used to estimate population data; ____ data are called statistics
samples
refers to the identification of causality in a study between the independent and dependent variables
internal validity
refers to the ability of a study to be generalized to the population that it describes
external validity
refers to the low likelihood of the experimental findings being due to chance
statistical significance
refers to the usefulness or importance of experimental findings to patient care or patient outcomes
clinical significance
measurement based on how well people perform a task, irrespective of what they experience while performing the task
objective measurement
measurement that has to do with what people say they actually experience
subjective measurement
research methods involve comparing an organization, geographic region, government, or other entity
comparative methods
