SOCW-427 Info of Importance Flashcards
Which method specifies research procedures in advance
Quantitative
Which method contains flexibly allowing research procedures to evolve as data are gathered
Qualitative
What makes a good research question?
-Is narrow and specific -Has more than one possible answer -Is posed in a way that can be answered by observable evidence -Addresses the decision-making needs of agencies or practical problems in social welfare -Has clear significance for guiding social welfare policy or social work practice -Is feasible to answer
What is required for critical thinking?
1) Problem Solving 2) Clarity of Expression 3) Critical appraisal of evidence and reasons 4) Consideration of alternative points of view
What are some feasibility issues with research?
-Scope of study -Time required -Fiscal costs -Ethical considerations -Cooperation required from others -Obtaining advance authorization
Variables
Broader concepts that vary (include more than one attribute or level of a concept) and that researchers investigate, e.g. age, gender, level of self-esteem, number of abusive incidents, etc.
Variable
A concept being investigated that is characterized by different attributes.
Validity
Are you measuring what you are supposed to be measuring?
Uncritical documentation
Assuming that because something is described in the literature it must be true; literature is cited, but no information is given about how the cited author arrived at a conclusion
TROUT
Tentative- Everything we know today, may change by tomorrow. Replication- All studies need to be replicated Observation- Knowledge is grounded in orderly and comprehensive observations Unbiased- Observations should be unbiased Transparent- All details are openly specified for review and evaluation
Triangulation
The use of more than one imperfect data collection alternative in which each option is vulnerable to different potential sources of error.
Three main threats to culturally competent measurement include:
- The use of interviewers whose personal characteristics or interviewing styles offend or intimidate minority respondents or make them reluctant to divulge relevant and valid information 2. The use of language that minority respondents do not understand, and 3. Cultural bias
Three Ethical Controversies
Observing Human Obedience Trouble in the Tearoom Social Worker Submits Bogus Article to Test Journal Bias
Three Advanced Mixed Methods Designs
=Intervention Mixed Methods Design =Social Justice Mixed Methods design =Multiphase Mixed Methods design
Theoretical sampling
A sampling method associated with the grounded theory paradigm of qualitative research, in which new cases are selected that seem to be similar to those that generated previously detected concepts and hypotheses, but once the researcher perceives that no new insights are being generated from observing similar cases, a different type of case is selected, and the same process is repeated until the observation of different types of cases seems to be generating no new insights.
The Scientific Method
-All knowledge is provisional and subject to refutation (everything is open to question) -Knowledge is based on observations that are: —Orderly and comprehensive (avoidance of overgeneralization) —As objective as possible —Replicated in different studies
Test-retest reliability
A method for assessing a measure’s consistency or stability.
Systematic sampling
An efficient alternative to random sampling, in which every kth element in the sampling frame list-after a random start-is chosen for inclusion in the sample.
Systematic review
reports comprehensive searches for published and unpublished studies that address a research question
Systematic Error
When the information we collect consistently reflects a false picture -Biases: The most common way our measures systematically measure something other than what we think they do is when biases are involved, e.g.: Acquiescent response set Social desirability bias
systematic error
A measurement error that occurs when the information we collect consistently reflects a false picture of the concept we seek to measure.
Study population
The aggregation of elements from which the sample is actually selected.
Straw person argument
illogical reasoning distorting an argument in order to attack it
Stratification
The grouping of units masking up a population into homogeneous groups (or strata) before sampling.
Steps to improve cultural competence
Cultural immersion: cultural and scientific literature; cultural events, travel, etc. Participant observation (Chap 18) Advice from colleagues who are members of the culture of interest Input from community members/leaders Focus groups
Steps in Evidence-Based Practice
Step 1: Formulate a Question to Answer Practice Needs Step 2: Search for the Evidence Step 3: Critically Appraise the Relevant Studies You Find Step 4: Determine Which Evidence-Based Intervention Is Most Appropriate for Your Particular Client(s) Step 5: Apply the Evidence-Based Intervention Step 6: Evaluation and Feedback
Spurious relationship
A relationship between two variables that are no longer related when a third variable is controlled.
sociological propaganda:
the penetration of an ideology by means of its sociological context via economic, political, and sociological structures
Social Justice Mixed Methods design
Methods based on a social justice theory and aimed at yielding a call for action to improve the plight of vulnerable, marginalized or oppressed groups
Social desirability bias
The tendency of people to say or do things that will make them or their reference group look good.
Social constructivism
A paradigm that emphasizes multiple subjective realities and the difficulty of being objective.
Snowball sampling
A nonprobability sampling method used when the members of a special population are difficult to locate. Each selected member of the target population whom one is able to locate is asked to provide the information needed to locate other members of that population that they happen to know.
Simple random sampling
Using a table of random numbers to select sampling units after assigning a single number to each element in the sampling frame list.
self-reports
A source of data that can be used when operationally defining variables according to what people say about their own thoughts, views, or behaviors.
Sampling unit
An element or set of elements considered for selection in some stage of sampling.
Sampling ratio
The proportion of elements in the population that are selected in a systematic sample.
Sampling interval
The standard distance between elements selected in systematic sampling.
Sampling frame
The list or quasi-list of elements from which a sample is selected.
Sampling error
The difference between the true population parameter and the estimated population parameter.
Research Purposes
-Exploration -Description -Explanation -Evaluation -Constructing Measurement Instruments -Multiple Purposes -Explaining and Predicting
Relying on testimonials
Claiming that a method is effective based on one’s own experiences
Relying on case examples
Drawing conclusions about many clients based on one or a few unrepresentative individuals
Reliability
-A particular measurement technique, when applied repeatedly to the same object, would yield the same result each time -The more reliable the measure, the less random error
Relationships between variables can be
positive, negative, or curvilinear
Relationship
Variables changing together in a consistent, predictable fashion.
Relationship
Variables that change together in a consistent, predictable fashion, e.g., height and weight
Reasons for Using Mixed Methods
-Extend main findings -Generate research questions or techniques -Corroborate findings
Reasons for Studying Research
To increase your practice effectiveness by critically appraising research studies that can inform practice decisions (Publication does not guarantee quality) The NASW Code of Ethics requires research utilization Compassion for clients?
Ratio level of measurement
A level of measurement that describes variables (such as age or number of children) whose attributes have all the qualities of interval measures and are also based on a true zero point.
Random selection
A sampling method in which each element has an equal chance of selection independent of any other event in the selection process.
Random sampling
A precise, scientific procedure for selecting research population elements for a sample that guarantees an equal probability of selection of each element when substantial samples are selected from large populations.
Random Error
Random errors have no consistent pattern of effects. They do not bias the measures. Examples: -Cumbersome, complex, boring measurement procedures -Measure uses professional jargon which respondents are not familiar with
Random error
A measurement error that has no consistent pattern of effects.
Quota sampling
A type of non probability sampling in which units are selected into the sample on the basis of pre-specified characteristics so that the total sample will have the same distribution of characteristics as are assumed to exist in the population being studied.
Questions that address Social Validity concerns
1) Are the goals important and relevant to desired change? 2) Are methods acceptable or too costly? 3) Are clients happy with expected or unexpected outcome?
Quantitative research methods
Research methods that seek to produce precise and generalizable findings. Studies using quantitative methods typically attempt to formulate all or most of their research procedures in advance and then try to adhere precisely to those procedures with maximum objectivity as data are collected.
Quantitative Methods Emphasize:
-Precision -Generalizability -Testing hypotheses
Quantitative Emphases
-Deductive -Larger samples -Objectivity -Numbers/statistics -Less contextual detail -Close-ended questions -Less time-consuming -Easier to replicate
Quantitative Collection
Office, agency, mail, or internet data collection setting
Qualitative research methods
Research methods that are more flexible than quantitative methods, that allow research procedures to evolve as more observations are gathered, and that typically permit the use of subjectivity to generate deeper understandings of the meanings of human experiences.
Qualitative Methods Emphasize:
-Deeper understandings -Describing contexts -Generating hypotheses -Discovery
Qualitative Emphases
-Inductive -Smaller samples -Subjectivity -Words/patterns -Rich descriptions -Open-ended questions -More time-consuming -Harder to replicate
Qualitative Collection
Data collected in natural environment of research participants
Quackery
Promotion of something known to be false or untested.
Purposive sampling
Selecting a sample based on your own judgement about which units are most representative or useful.
Pseudoscience
Makes science-like claims with no evidence
Procedural fidelity
the match between how a method should be implemented for maximal effect and how it is implemented
Probability sampling
The use of random procedures to select a sample that can allow us to estimate the expected degree of sampling error in a study and determine or control the likelihood of specific units in a population being selected for the study.
Predictive Validity
The degree to which an instrument accurately predicts a criterion that will occur in the future.
positive relationship
A relationship in which the dependent variable increases as the dependent variable increases, or decreases as it decreases. Both variables move in the same direction.
Population
The theoretically specified aggregation of study elements.
Phases in the Research Process
-Problem formulation -Designing the study -Data collection -Data processing -Data analysis -Interpreting the findings -Writing the research report
Parameter
The summary description of a given variable in a population.
Paradigm
A set of philosophical assumptions about the nature of reality- a fundamental model or scheme that organizes our view of some things.
P.I.E.
Person in Environment This is what makes social work different than medicine.
Ordinal level of measurement
Describes a variable whose categories can be rank-ordered according to how much of that variable they are. We know only whether one case has more or less of something than another case, but we don’t know precisely how much more. Examples level of client satisfaction brief rating scale:
Operational definition
A definition of a variable that identifies the observable indicators that will be used to determine that variable’s attributes.
Nonprobability sampling
The use of procedures to select a simple sample that does not involve random selection.
Nominal Level of Measurement
Describes a variable in terms of the number of cases in each category of that variable. Examples -gender -ethnicity -religious affiliation
Nominal definition
A dictionary-like definition that uses a set of words to help us understand what a term means, but does not tell us what indicators to use in observing the term in a research study.
Nine Types of Mixed Methods Designs
3 possible emphases (qualitative, quantitative, equal) by 3 possible sequences (qualitative 1st, quantitative 1st, concurrent)
Newness
illogical reasoning touting something because it is novel
negative, or inverse relationship
A relationship between two variables that move in opposite directions. As one increases the other decreases and likewise.
Multiphase Mixed Methods design
Several mixed methods projects implemented in multiple phases over time longitudinally and focusing on a common objective
Moderating Variables
-Can influence the strength and direction of relationships between independent and dependent variables -Sometimes called control variables -When controlled for in a study can show that the relationship between the independent and dependent variables is really spurious
Mixed methods research
A stand-alone research design in which a single study not only collects both qualitative and quantitative data, but also integrates both sources of data at one or more stages of the research process so as to improve the understanding of the phenomenon being investigated.
Metric equivalence
scores on a measure are comparable across cultures.
Meta-analysis
A systematic review that pools the statistical results across studies of particular interventions and generates conclusions about which interventions have the strongest impacts on treatment outcome
meta-analysis
A type of systematic review that pools the statistical results across studies of particular interventions and generates conclusions about which interventions have the strongest impact on treatment outcome
Mediating variable (Intervening variable)
The mechanism by which an independent variable affects a dependent variable.
Measurement Error
Data do not accurately portray the concept we attempt to measure -Systematic error -Random error
Measurement equivalence
a measurement procedure developed in one culture will have the same value and meaning when administered to people in another culture.
Longitudinal studies
Studies that conduct observations at different points in time.
Linguistic equivalence
when an instrument has been translated and back-translated successfully.
Known groups validity
Whether an instrument accurately differentiates between groups known to differ in respect to the variable being measured.
Intervention Mixed Methods Design
Both approaches merged to get a better handle on the meaning of the results of an evaluation of an intervention
Interval level of measurement
A level of measurement that describes variables (such as IQ or Fahrenheit temperature) whose attributes are rank-ordered and have equal distances between adjacent attributes, but which do not have a true zero point.
Interpretivism
A research paradigm that focuses on gaining an empathic understanding of how people feel inside, seeking to interpret individuals’ everyday experiences, their deeper meanings and feelings, and the idiosyncratic reasons for their behaviors.-qualitative
Interobserver reliability or inter-rater reliability
The degree of agreement or consistency between or among observers or raters.
Internal consistency reliability
The degree to which scores among scale items, or scores among subsets of items, correlate with each other.
Intensity sampling
A qualitative sampling technique similar to deviant case sampling in which cases are selected that are more or less intense than usual, but not so unusual that they would be called deviant.
Influence by manner of presentation
Believing a claim because of the apparent sincerity, speaking voice, attractiveness, stage presence, likability, or other trait of a speaker
Inductive method
A research process based on inductive logic, in which the researcher begins with observations, seeks patterns in those observations, and generates tentative conclusions from those patterns.
Independent Variable
The variable in a hypothesis that is postulated to explain or cause another variable
Hypothesis
A tentative and testable statement about how changes in one variable are expected to explain changes in another variable.
Hypothesis
Tentative and testable statement about a presumed relationship between variables
Hypotheses should be:
-be clear and specific -have more than one possible outcome -be value free -testable
How do social workers know things?
-Agreement reality -Experiential Reality -Science -Tradition —Such as accumulated practice wisdom that has not been scientifically verified -Authority -Relying on “experts” -Common sense -Popular media
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency to attribute the cause of behaviors to personal characteristics instead of the environment
Four common types of EBP questions
- What intervention, program, or policy has the best effects? 2. What factors best predict desirable or undesirable consequences? 3. What’s it like to have had my client’s experiences? 4. What assessment tool should be used?
Flaws in Unscientific Sources
-Inaccurate Observation -Overgeneralization -Selective Observation -Ex Post Facto Hypothesizing -Ego Involvement in Understanding -Premature Closure of Inquiry
Feminist paradigm
A research paradigm, like the critical social science paradigm, distinguished by its commitment to using research procedures to address issues of concern to women and to empower women.
Face validity
Whether a measure merely seems to be a reasonable way to measure some variable, based only on subjective judgement.
Face Validity
A crude and subjective judgment by the researcher that a measure merely appears to measure what it is supposed to measure
Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design:QuantitativeStart
Quantitative Data Collection & Analysis Follow up with Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Interpretation
Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design: Qualitative Start
Qualitative Data Collection & Analysis Follow up with Quantitative Data Collection & Analysis Interpretation
Evidence-based practitioners will:
-Think for themselves -Consider whether beliefs or assertions of knowledge are based on sound evidence and logic -Think open mindedly, recognizing and questioning unstated assumptions underlying beliefs and assertions -Be willing to test their own beliefs or conclusions and then alter them on the basis of new experiences and evidence -Formulate appropriate questions and then gather and appraise evidence as a basis for making decisions
Evidence-Based Practice
a process in which the best scientific evidence pertinent to a practice decision is an important part of the information practitioners consider when making that practice decision.
Evidence-based practice
A process in which practitioners consider the best scientific evidence available pertinent to a particular practice decision as an important part of their decision making.
Element
The unit selected in a sample about which information is collected.
Doing a Literature Review early helps in what?
-Understanding if the question has already been answered -Building on existing research
Direct observation
A source of data that can be used when operationally defining variables based on observing actual behavior.
Deviant case sampling
A form of purposive sampling in which cases that don’t fit into regular patterns are selected to improve understanding of regular patterns.
Dependent Variable
The variable in a hypothesis that is thought to be explained or caused by the independent variable
Deductive method
A research process based on deductive logic, in which the researcher begins with a theory, derives hypotheses, and ultimately collects observations to test the hypotheses.
Curvilinear relationship
A relationship in which the nature of the relationship changes at certain levels of the variables.
Cultural Competence
being aware of and appropriately responding to the ways in which cultural factors and cultural differences should influence what we investigate, how we investigate, and how we interpret our findings
Cross-sectional study
A Snapshot in time. Just one measurement with no follow-up.
Critical Thinking
Careful appraisal of beliefs and actions to arrive at well-reasoned ones that maximize the likelihood of helping clients and avoiding harm.
Critical social science
A research paradigm distinguished by its focus on oppression and its commitment to using research procedures to empower oppressed groups.
Criterion-related validity
The degree to which an instrument relates to an external criterion that is believed to be another indicator or measure of the same variable that the instrument intends to measure.
Criteria of evidence-informed client choice
1) The decision involves which intervention to use 2) The person is given research-based information about effectiveness of at least two alternatives, which may include doing nothing 3) The person provides input in the decision-making
Convergent Mixed Methods Design
Qualitative Data Quantitative Data Collection & Analysis Collection & Analysis Merge Interpretation
Control variable
A moderating variable that we seek to control by holding it constant in our research design.
Content validity
The degree to which a measure seems to cover the entire range of meanings within a concept.
Content Validity
-The degree to which a measure covers the range of meanings included within the concept -Established based on judgments as well
Contemporary positivism
A paradigm that emphasizes the pursuit of objectivity in our quest to observe and understand reality.-quantitative
Construct validity
The degree to which a measure relates to other variables as expected within a system of theoretical relationships and as reflected by the degree of its convergent and discriminant validity.
Constant
One attribute that is included in a study without including other attributes of the same variable.
Concurrent validity
The degree to which an instrument corresponds to an external criterion that is known concurrently.
Conceptual equivalence
instruments and observed behaviors have the same meanings across cultures.
Concept
A mental image that symbolizes an idea, an object, an event, a behavior, a person, etc.
Concept
A mental image that symbolizes an idea, an object, an event, a behavior, or a person.
Coefficient alpha
The average of the correlations between the scores of all possible subsets of half the items on a scale.
Cluster sampling
A multistage sampling procedure that starts by sampling groups (clusters) of elements in the population and then sub sampling individual members of each selected group afterward.
CIAO
Question formulation if one or more interventions are specified in advance: CIAO C: client characteristics I: intervention being considered A: alternative intervention (if any) O: outcome
Bias
A distortion in measurement based on personal preferences and beliefs.
Behavioral Confirmation Bias
The tendency to search for data that support favored positions and to ignore data that do not
Bandwagon
illogical reasoning that posits the “everyone else is doing it” argument
Available records
A source of data for a study, in which the information of concern has already been collected by others.
Availability sampling
A sampling method that selects elements simply because of their ready availability and convenience. Frequently used in social work because it is usually less expensive than other methods and because other methods may not be feasible for a particular type of study or population.
Attributes of Evidence-Based Practice
Critical thinking Career-long learning Flexibility -Integrating scientific knowledge with practice expertise and knowledge of client attributes
Attributes
Concepts that make up a broader concept are called attributes, e.g. male/female vs. gender
Attributes
Characteristics of persons or things.
Appeal to tradition:
Accepting a practice solely because it has been used for a long time
Appeal to numbers or popularity:
Relying on number of people who use a method or who have a belief
Appeal to good intentions
Assuming that good intentions reflect good results
Appeal to authority:
Basing claims solely on a person’s status; no evidence is provided to support or refute claims made
Appeal to anecdotal experience
Accepting Or rejecting claims about the effectiveness of methods based on unsystematic personal experience
After this, therefore on account of this-post hoc ergo propter hoc:
The incorrect belief that if Event A (a service program) precedes Event B (a positive outcome), A has caused B
Ad-hominem appeals:
Attacking (or praising) the person rather than examining the person’s argument
Ad hominem attack
illogical reasoning discrediting the person rather than the argument
acquiescent response set
The tendency to agree or disagree with all statements regardless of their content.
Acculturation
the process in which a group or individual changes after coming into contact with a majority culture, taking on the language, values, attitudes, and lifestyle preferences of the majority culture
