RESS Flashcards
The only times you would NOT reference are:
- It is considered common knowledge2. It is your OWN opinion3. It is your OWN data/research
When referencing, how many authors should be listed before ‘et al’ is used ?
6/7
What is a stratified sample ?
Members chosen at random, but sample set into groups (strata) to ensure groups within population are equally represented, based on number of the population that makes up the sample
When is quota sampling useful ?
When time is limited, budget tight or detail not important(As can use opportunistic sample I.e. People who look most helpful in the street)
What is quota sampling ?
Sample taken from stratified population until a pre assigned quota in each stratum is represented.E.g, age rangeTherefore not random!!
Main disadvantage of interval sampling ?
Interval errors can be missed or an unusually high error rate can be detected, depending where you are sampling from
What us cluster sampling ?
Used when ‘natural’ but relatively homogenous groupings are evident in population (e.g. Regions of the UK). Simple random sampling is used within each cluster
Explain categorical data
Can be nominal or ordinal.Categorical variables can only be assigned to distinct categories and do not have a numerical value associated with them
How could ordinal data be made numerical ?
Assigning a rank scale value to each categoryNOTE: the data will still technically be classed as categorical
What is the difference between nominal and ordinal variables ?
Nominal = have NO natural order e.g. SexOrdinal= HAVE natural order e.g. Poor, good, excellentpain has natural order in symptoms (absent, mild, severe) or the Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree…strongly agree)
What type of data would the number of cases of MRSA on a particular ward be classed as ?
Numerical discrete
What type of data is age classed as?
Numerical continuousNOTE: continuous can be grouped as discrete I.e. Age is often grouped into years- rarely used days, hours, seconds etc
What is relative frequency ?
The percentage of the total frequency accounted for by particular variables
What does a low standard deviation indicate?
That the data points lie close to the mean
How is incidence rate calculated ?
Number of new cases occurring in set period/no. Of people at risk in set period (& time exposed)
What is included in the epidemiological triad ?
Time-person-place
Will Diseases with short duration have high or low prevalence and incidence rates ?
High incidenceLow prevalence
How is mortality rate calculated ?
No. Of people who die from disease in period / no. Of people who die in period (of all causes)
How is data adjusted e.g. For age, gender etc
Stratum specific rates - population split into stratum (age,gender), incidence calculated in each, weighting then assigned to each group & data adjusted accordingly
How is case fatality calculated ?
No. Of people who die for a disease In period / no. Of people with the disease
How are odds ratios calculated ?
Odds for disease of exposed group/ odds of disease of unexposed group
What does a risk ratio (RR) of
Protective effect
When can odds ratios be used in randomised control trials ?
When the RCT is dichotomous
Define dichotomous variables
The variable takes 1 of 2 forms (that are co merely different) e.g. Dead or alive
Type of data histograms can be used for ?
Numerical continuous
What is the use of inter quartile ranges ?
Able to form a graphical representation of probability distribution (box plot)
In normally distributed data what measure would you use to look at spread of data ?
Mean and standard deviation
What measure of distribution should be used in non normally distributed data ?
Median and IQR(So isn’t affected by outliers)Distribution assessed by histogram
What do 95% confidence intervals mean ?
If the experiment were repeated 100 times the results would fall into that range 95 times
What is standard error a measure of ?
How reliable the sample population mean is from that of the population, so measures precision
The CI should not cross the value where the variable is said to have no effect. Where are the points of no impact in ratio and difference ?
Ratio = 1Difference = 0
When is correlation the appropriate statistical analysis
When both the outcome and exposure are numerical
If the outcome is numerical, and the exposure is categorical (independent groups) what is the appropriate statistical analysis ?
T test or Mann-Whitney test
If the outcome is numerical, and the exposure is categorical (non-independent groups) what is the appropriate statistical analysis ?
PAIRED t testSign test
A hypothesis proposed after analysis is which type of hypothesis ?
Inductive hypothesis - explanation as why two sets of info are related to one another
What is a deductive hypothesis ?
A hypothesis proposed before analysis - predict what the relationship will be. You think that at least 2 variables are related to each other
If data is positively skewed, which way will its ‘tail’ be on a box plot ?
Tail to the rightI.e. Q1-Q2
When refining a search, what function does adding an asterisk (*) to the end of a word have ?
Denotes a truncated ending where alternative endings would be acceptedE.g. Teen* would show up teenage, teenagers, teenager, teens
What are Boolean operators ? Give examples.
Words used to refine searches, e.g. AND, OR, NOT
Name two methods that are used to minimise extraneous variables when randomised not possible
Matched-pair analysis (subjects paired with factor of interest e.g. Sex, age etc)Cross over method - subjects are their own control e.g. Take drug for a period and take placebo for a period
What type of study is a census ?
Cross sectional As looks at entire population at defined time assessing prevalence
What is Ansecomb’s quartet ? Relevance ?
4 sets of data with same statistical properties which look very different when displayed graphically - shows importance of graphical representation
What is responsiveness ?
Whether a measure can detect real change (over time?)
What is regression analysis ?
Statistical process for estimating the relationships among variables
What is a type 1 error ?
The incorrect rejection of a true NULL hypothesis- false positive for alternative hypothesis(too optimistic)
What is a type 2 error ?
Failure to reject a false NULL hypothesis- false negative for alternative hypothesis(Too pessimistic)