The Scientific Method in Nutritional Sciences Flashcards
Know the definitions that pertain to experimental studies (ex. control group, randomized, etc).
Randomization: Process of choosing the members of the experimental and control groups without bias. (random people in the group with no bias).
Experimental Group: Group of individuals similar in all possible respects to the control group except for the treatment— receive the real treatment. (People with similar characteristics or in all possible respects).
Control Group: group of individuals similar in all possible respects to the experimental group except for the treatment—receives a placebo (ideally). (similar to all other people in their group but are not receiving the treatment).
Blind Experiment: subjects do not know whether they are members of the control or experimental group. (Individuals don’t know if they are receiving the placebo meaning they don’t know if they are a part of the experimental or the control group. Only the teacher knows who got the real placebo).
Double Blind Experiment: neither the subjects nor the researchers know which subjects are in the experimental vs control group until the experiment is over. (This is when both the individuals or the teacher do not know if they are the experimental or the control group until the experiment is over).
Randomization and Control Group: increases the likelihood that conclusions are the result of the treatment, not placebo effect or research bias
What are the different types of research studies discussed in class, including pros/cons. Be able to identify examples.
Observational Study= Epidemiological
- Study of disease as it occurs within population.
- Correlation: May suggest cause and effect but does not prove it!
Examples: Observing people using surveys, Interviews, food logs
Pros: Narrow down list of possible causes, Can raise questions to pursue through other types of studies.
Cons: Can’t control variables that may influence the development/prevention of a disease
Can’t prove cause and effect.
Intervention Study= Experimental
- Scientists deliberately change the conditions and measure results.
- Can establish cause and effect.
Examples: Randomly assigning placebo to an individual to determine the effect.
Pros: Can control conditions, Can determine effect of a variable, Can apply findings to some groups of human beings.
Cons: Can’t apply results from test tubes of animals to humans, Can’t generalize findings to all humans, can’t use certain treatments for clinical/ethical reasons.
