Research Methods Flashcards
1
Q
Cohort Effect
A
- Differences caused by experiences and circumstances unique to a generation
- Ex: Boomers vs Gen Z
2
Q
Time of Measurement Effects
A
- Differences from sociocultural, environmental, historical, or other events at the time from which the participants are tested
- Ex: People could be more depressed in 2020 than in 2010 because of Covid
3
Q
Age Effects
A
- Differences caused by underlying processes such as biological, psychological, or sociocultural changes unique to the person
- Ex: You could have cancer
4
Q
Confounding Effects
A
- A factor or set of factors that influences the outcome and we cannot determine if the effect is from the variable we are trying to study or from the confounding
- Ex: Studying cognitive decline in two groups. One group is all women and the other is all men. We can’t say for sure if the effect we find is from cognitive decline or from sex differences
5
Q
Cross-Sectional Design
A
- Studies people from different groups at the same time
- Major issues with cohort effects
6
Q
Longitudinal Design
A
- Studies a single group at two or more periods of time
- Practice effects can influence this
- The results may be hard to generalize because we are only measuring one cohort
7
Q
Time-Lag Comparison
A
-Studies different groups of people of the same age at different points in time
8
Q
Sequential Design
A
- Examines the same groups of people over time
- Combines both longitudinal and cross sectional designs
- Examines age changes and differences
- Can study cohort effects
- Ex: Following 60 year olds annually for 20 years with two cohorts but having one cohort start in 2000 and the other start in 2010
9
Q
Experimental Design
A
- Experiment allowing us to investigate the influence of independent variables on a dependent variable
10
Q
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
A
- A screen for early dementia
- Provides an overall assessment of global cognitive functioning
11
Q
Stoop Test
A
- Measures inhibition
- Ex: Name the colour of a word
12
Q
Boston Naming Test (BNT)
A
- Measures language function
- Ex: Name 60 objects and draw them
13
Q
California Verbal Learning Test (CvLT)
A
- Measures short and long-term memory
- Ex: Repeat a list of 16 words immediately and 20 minutes later
14
Q
Digit Span Test
A
- Measures short-term and working memory
- Ex: Repeat words in the same order and then backwards
15
Q
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI
A
- Uses magnetic fields to generate detailed images of internal structure
- Can see structural changes in the brain
- Ex: We can see a brain with Alzheimer’s because they have larger ventricles due to an increased amount of spinal fluid on the ventricles
16
Q
Electroencephalography - EEG
A
- Accurately measures brain activity
- Takes the average of how strong/fast the signals in the brain are
17
Q
Positron Emission Tomography - PET
A
- Radioactive water is injected into the patient and the parts of the body that light up in the image are more active
- The computer constructs an image of the brain after the scans
- Indirectly measures brain activity as it’s measuring glucose in high activity areas of the brain
18
Q
Activities of Daily Living - ADLs
A
- Basic self-care tasks essential for daily functioning
- Ex: Bathing or transferring
19
Q
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living - IADLs
A
- Complex tasks that require higher cognitive and physical abilities
- Ex: Managing finances
20
Q
Psychological Assessments
A
- Psychological changes may occur while aging which may affect wellbeing
- Some tests may include depression tests, subjective cognitive decline test (SCD), or loneliness
21
Q
Some Challenges in Aging Research
A
- Aging is not the same between individuals
- Aging is not the same within an individual
- Aging is associated with multiple chronic conditions which can interact and influence studies
- Makes it hard to generalize findings
- We need more heterogeneous data bases
