Research Designs Flashcards

1
Q

When an elderly sample is selected from a local fitness center

A

“Healthy-user” bias

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2
Q

When the population is selected from an impaired or diseased group

A

Berkson’s Bias

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3
Q

When patients with certain characteristics are excluded

-Ex: racial groups, socioeconomic groups, etc

A

Exclusion Bias

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4
Q

Bias decreases

A

Generalizability

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5
Q

What are the two major classes of research designs?

A
  1. ) Experimental

2. ) Non-experimental/observational

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6
Q

Is characterized by random assignment, manipulation of independent variables, and control of extraneous factors

A

Experimental Research

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7
Q

Experimental research is the best form of research for

A

Cause-and-effect

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8
Q

Experimental research is the standard for

A

Clinical trials

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9
Q

Characterized by no control over group assignment and no control over independent variables

A

Non-experimental/observational research

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10
Q

Non-experimental/observational research can not be used to determine

A

Causality

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11
Q

What is the gold standard experimental design for treatment studies?

A

Randomized control trial (RCT)

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12
Q

Equivalent groups are needed to interpret effects. We randomize because randomization removes

A

Selection bias

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13
Q

In the physicians aspirin study, randomization was accomplished through

A

Computer generated random numbers

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14
Q

When the investigator “knows” the expected results and treats groups differently

A

Investigator bias

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15
Q

One way to control investigator bias is when the people randomizing individuals into groups are blinded as to which subjects go into which group. This is called

A

Allocation Concealment

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16
Q

Another way to prevent investigator bias is to blind the investigator who is providing treatments or making measurements as to which group is which. This is called

A

Investigator blinding

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17
Q

Investigator bias can me minimized by

A

Allocation concealment and investigator blinding

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18
Q

When subjects change their behavior in a study, for example, they may want to please the investigators so they act differently. This is called

A

Subject bias (Hawthorne effect)

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19
Q

The Hawthorne effect (subject bias) effects

A

External and internal validity

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20
Q

How is the Hawthorne effect combated?

A

Subject “blinding” by use of a placebo group

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21
Q

Using a placebo group does not really work if the study involves an obvious

A

Physical change

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22
Q

When patients and clinicians are both blinded

A

Double Blinding

23
Q

Ambiguous term, generally used to mean that the subjects are blinded

A

Single-blinding

24
Q

Besides just controlling the allocation and outcome of a study, a researcher also needs to control

A

Extraneous variables (i.e. diet, non-compliance, drop out, etc.)

25
Q

To help ensure compliance in the physicians study, subjects filled out a compliance questionnaire that also asked about the outcomes every

A

Six months

26
Q

What are two ways to deal with drop-outs or treatment changes?

A
  1. ) Analysis according to treatment assigned (intention to treat)
  2. ) Analysis according to treatment received (explanatory) (better way)
27
Q

The physicians study measured the number of new cases of disease arising during a given period of time, meaning they measured the

A

Incidence (absolute risk)

28
Q

How do we find the Incidence (absolute risk)

A

Incidence = # people w/ disease / # total people

29
Q

How do we calculate the relative risk or risk ratio?

A

incidence in exposed / incidence in unexposed

30
Q

Both estimate the risk of disease (or outcome) in exposed (treated) vs. unexposed (untreated)

A

Risk ratios and Odds ratios

31
Q

What is the risk reduction?

A

1 - RR

32
Q

The physicians study showed a reduction in the risk of MI by

A

47%

33
Q

However, the physicians study also showed an INCREASE in the risk for

A

Strokes

34
Q

What are two common types of observational studies?

A

Case-control and cohort studies

35
Q

What makes case-control and cohort studies observational?

A
  1. ) Can not manipulate independent variables

2. ) Can not control all extraneous factors

36
Q

A group of people who have something in common when they are first assembled and who are then observed for a period of time to see what happens to them

A

Cohort

37
Q

The goal of this type of study is to study “predictor variables”

A

Cohort (incidence) Studies

38
Q

One of the problems with cohort studies may be

A

Internal validity

39
Q

What is a major threat to the internal validity of a cohort study?

A

Extraneous factors

40
Q

Differences between groups, i.e. another factor (other than the one of interest) that may be related to the differences between groups

A

Extraneous factors

41
Q

The best solution to the threat that extraneous factors pose on internal validity is

A

randomization

42
Q

To help minimize the extraneous factors, we could increase restriction, increasing restriction decreases

A

Generalizability (external validity)

43
Q

What are the two different types of cohort studies?

A

Prospective and Retrospective

44
Q

What is the usual statistic when comparing two groups?

A

Risk Ratio (RR = Incidence in exposed / Incidence in unexposed)

45
Q

Like odds, Risk Ratios (RRs) are given with 95% confidence intervals. If the confidence interval includes 1, there is

A

No statistically significant difference

46
Q

Looking backwards to compare people with and without a condition

A

Case-control study

47
Q

Case-control studies are good for

A

Diseases w/ long latency and rare diseases

48
Q

The big difference between case control and cohort studies is that in case-control studies, we don;t measure the

A

Incidence (it can only be estimated)

49
Q

Measure how many people develop disease out of a total, i.e. what is the relative incidence of disease in both groups

A

Cohort studies

50
Q

Look at people who already have the disease and determine the odds of exposure. I.e. what is the odds that the diseased group was exposed?

A

Case-control studies

51
Q

What are three threats to the internal validity in case-control studies?

A
  1. ) Control group selection
  2. ) Recall bias
  3. ) Can’t determine risk directly
52
Q

People may not remember their exposure of the event of interest. This is called

A

Recall bias

53
Q

Since case-control studies can not measure the incidence, they instead use the

A

Odds ratios