Research

Question 1

cross sectional studies

Answer 1

investigate a population at a single point in time, look for predictive relationships
limitations: can show correlations but not causation

Question 2

What do you need for a cause and effect relationship?

Answer 2

to see the changes over time

Question 3

experimental design

Answer 3

involves manipulating the independent variable to measure the dependent variable

Question 4

positive control

Answer 4

have certain effects which can assess whether methodology was sound

Question 5

negative control

Answer 5

has no effect

Question 6

confounding variables

Answer 6

external variables that affect both independent and dependent variables

Question 7

moderating variables

Answer 7

attenuate (reduce in force) or strengthen a given relationship

specifies conditions under which a given predictor is related to an outcome

can include: location, gender, religion, race, etc.

Question 8

mediating variables

Answer 8

explains why two things are related

Example: “Whenever I watch tv at night, I feel tired the next morning”

The mediating variable in this case would be that the person didn’t get enough sleep because they were watching tv last night. So not getting enough sleep mediates the relationship between tv watching and being tired.

Question 9

retrospective study

Answer 9

study that enrolls patients who have already had the disease; all cases have happened before the study

Question 10

prospective study

Answer 10

reviewing new, incoming data

Question 11

embedded field study

Answer 11

when researchers pose as patients

Question 12

incidence

Answer 12

number of new cases during a specific time interval

Question 13

risk ratio

Answer 13

risk of one disease compared to another

Question 14

prevalence

Answer 14

how common the disease is; how many people have the disease at a specific time interval

Question 15

mortality

Answer 15

number of deaths caused by specific disease

Question 16

risk factors

Answer 16

anything that can increase the likelihood of having/developing a certain illness

Question 17

case studies

Answer 17

extended interviews and reports about the experiences of a specific person

Question 18

qualitiative research

Answer 18

uses focus groups and small groups to gather in-depth information about a specific research question

identifies patterns and themes

Question 19

longitudinal studies

Answer 19

data gathered at multiple time points

Question 20

randomized controlled trial

Answer 20

random assignment of treatment and control groups

causal conclusions can be drawn

Question 21

non-randomized design

Answer 21

non-random allocations into treatment and placebo group

Question 22

case-control

Answer 22

data gathered about individuals with conditions of interest and compared to individuals without the condition

Question 23

experimenter bias

Answer 23

aka research bias

when the researcher unconsciously affects results, data, or a participant in an experiment due to subjective bias

Question 24

counterbalancing

Answer 24

a technique used to deal with order effects when using a repeated measures design.

With counterbalancing, the participant sample is divided in half, with one half completing the two conditions in one order and the other half completing the conditions in the reverse order.

Question 25

quantitative study

Answer 25

measurement focused, yields numeric data, and deductively tests a specific hypothesis (ex: the more hours you study for the MCAT will result in a higher score)
used to determine relationships between measurable variables

Question 26

mixed methods study

Answer 26

integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches

most comprehensive way to understand a phenomenon

ex: looking at both quantitative (height and weight) and also qualitative (types of relationships)