Research Test 2 Flashcards
the capacity to detect a true relationship
statistical validity
Do smaller sample sizes are bigger sample sizes cause statistical validity?
bigger
the extent to which it can be inferred that the independent variable is truly causing the outcome
internal validity
What kind of studies have a higher internal validity?
RCT
What kind of studies have a lower internal validity?
quasi and correlational
competing explanation are also called what
threats to internal validity
What design is unclear whether the independent variable preceded the dependent variable?
cross-sectional
A type of internal validity that reflects biases stemming from preexisting differences between groups.
selection threat
A threat to internal validity that relates to the occurrence of events concurrent with the independent viable that can affect the outcome.
history threat
Which designs are most likely to be affected by history threat?
one-group pretest-posttest and time-series
A threat to internal validity that arises from processes occurring as a result of time rather than the independent variable.
maturation threat
What group is vulnerable to maturation threat?
one-group pretest-posttest
What is the single biggest threat to studies that do not use an experimental design?
selection threat
A threat in internal validity that arises from attrition in groups being compared.
mortality threat
Concerns inferences about whether relationships found for study participants.
external validity
Which validity equals generalization?
external
What is the threat in external validity?
sampling
What is a way to get by in external validity?
replication
Can research be undertaken without constructs?
No
is the intervention a good representation of the construct
construct validity
Researchers develop what kind of plan that specifies in advance how participants will be selected and how many to include?
sampling plan
How do researchers specify characteristics that delimit the population?
eligibility criteria
What is inclusion criteria?
a person qualifies as a member of the population
What is exclusion criteria?
a person doesn’t qualify as a member of the population
What is the target population?
the entire population in which a researcher is interested
What is the accessible population?
the portion of the target population that is accessible to the researcher
A type of sampling in which characteristics closely approximate those of the population.
representative sampling
What is sampling bias?
when a sample either represents too much or doesn’t represent enough
Populations consist of subpopulations; also known as?
strata
Why are strata used?
to enhance the sample’s representativeness
What is nonprobability sampling?
when researchers select elements (humans) by nonrandom methods in which every element usually does not have a chance to be included
Which sampling entails selecting the most conveniently available people as participants?
convenience sampling
What is convenience sampling at risk for?
bias
What is the weakest sampling?
convenience sampling
A type of nonprobability sampling in which researchers identify population strata and figure out how many people are needed from each stratum.
quota sampling
A type of nonprobability sampling method that involves recruiting all people from an accessible population over a specific time interval, or for a specified sample size.
consecutive sampling
A type of nonprobability sampling based on the belief that researchers’ knowledge about the population can be used to hand-pick sample members.
purposive sampling
What type of sampling involves random selection of elements from a population?
probability sampling
The most basic probability sampling in which researchers establish a sampling frame.
simple random sampling
A type of probability sampling in which the population is first divided into two or more strata, from which elements are randomly selected.
stratified random sampling
A type of probability sampling that involves the selection of every kth case from a list.
systematic sampling
What are sampling errors?
differences in between the population values and sample values
What is a sample size?
the number of study participants
What is a power analysis?
A way researchers can estimate how large their samples need to be
What is the first step in critiquing sampling plans?
whether the researcher has adequately described the sampling strategy
What is the second step in critiquing sampling plans?
whether the researcher made good sampling decisions
What are three ways data is collected?
- self-report
- observation
- biphysiologic measures
What are ways to collect data in self-report?
- questionnaire
- interview
- scale
A type of scale that consists of several declarative statements (items) that express a viewpoint on a topic.
Likert scale
A type of scale that can be used to measure subjective experiences, such as pain, fatigue, and dyspnea.
visual analog scale
lowest level of measurement; describes attributes; example is gender
- not usually measured
nominal
Likert scale is an example of what kind of measurement?
ordinal
Can you do math on ordinal measurements?
no
researcher can specify the ranking of objects and specify the distance between them
no actual zero; example is an IQ
interval
Highest level; does have a meaningful level of zero
provide information about the absolute magnitude of the attribute
example is weighte
ratio
the consistency and accuracy of a measurment
reliability
three aspects of reliability
stability, internal consistency, and equivalence
the extent to which all the items on the instrument measure the same trait
internal consistency
the degree to which similar results are obtained on separate occasions
stability
the degree of similarity between alternative forms of an instrument or between multiple raters/observers using an instrument
equivalence
the degree to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure
validity
a type of validity based on personal judgement and refers to whether the instrument looks as though it is an appropriate measure of the construct
face
a type of validity and the degree to which an instrument has an adequate sample of items for the construct being measure
content
a type of validity and the degree to which the instrument is related to an external criterion
criterion-related
What is the instrument really measuring and does it adequately measure the construct of interest
construct validity
