Week 6 - Observational Studies: Descriptive Research and Exploratory Research Flashcards
what is the purpose of descriptive research?
- info is collected without changing the environment
- used when we have little knowledge of a phenomena and we want to describe it accurately and truthfully
- characterizing a phenomenon or problem
- indicate norms, trends, needs, circumstances to inform and guide practice
descriptive research
name the 4 “w” questions of descriptive research.
- who
- what
- when
- where
descriptive research does not answer which 2 questions?
how and why things are the way they are
the periodic table is an example of which type of research?
descriptive research
name 6 types of descriptive research.
- developmental research
- normative research
- descriptive surveys
- case reports
- historical research
- qualitative research
the description of developmental change and the sequencing of behaviors in people over time
developmental research
name 2 types of developmental research.
- longitudinal
- cross-sectional
name 4 negative aspects of longitudinal studies.
- money
- long-term commitment
- attrition
- confounding variables
can choose people of all ages and compare all of their levels of development and abilities at the same time.
cross-sectional studies
people born today are exposed to different effects and variables than people born 50 years ago.
period effects
follows a cohort of subjects over time
longitudinal study
name 2 examples of developmental research.
- erickson
- piaget
what is the advantage of longitudinal research?
ability to accumulate data through intensive documentation of growth and change in the same individuals.
studies a stratified group of subjects at one-point in time
cross-sectional method
is the longitudinal or cross-sectional method used more often?
cross-sectional
collection of data at one point in time
cross-sectional
name 2 strengths of cross-sectional studies.
- cost-efficient
- fewer logistic problems
name 1 disadvantage of cross-sectional studies.
cannot understand causal processes
the purpose is to describe typical or standard values for characteristics of a given population
normative studies
normative studies are usually directed towards which 5 areas?
- a specific age group
- gender
- occupation
- culture
- disability
used for the unusual patient, innovative treatment approaches, diagnosis of rare conditions, etc.
case reports
case reports have limited what?
external validity
case reports have limited what?
external validity
what is the purpose of observational research?
exploration of data to determine relationships among variables
observational research can be used to ___ ___.
estimate risk
name 5 factors to consider for causality.
- temporal sequence
- strength of association
- biological credibility
- consistency
- dose-response
____ is more difficult to determine in observational studies.
causality
why is causality more difficult to determine in observational studies?
bc there is no control or randomization
name the 4 categories of causation
- necessary and sufficient
- necessary but not sufficient
- sufficient but not necessary
- neither necessary nor sufficient
name the 4 categories of causation
- necessary and sufficient
- necessary but not sufficient
- sufficient but not necessary
- neither necessary nor sufficient
- with exposure, condition always develops
- without exposure, condition never develops (other factors cannot trigger such disease)
necessary and sufficient
name an example of a necessary and sufficient causation.
Tay-Sachs Disease
exposure necessary for condition to develop, but can be mitigated by other factors present or absent (not everyone gets sick)
necessary but not sufficient
name an example of a necessary but not sufficient causation.
covid
the condition will NOT develop without the exposure
necessary
one that can cause the outcome but other factors may be involved.
sufficient
exposure alone can cause condition, but other factors can also cause it.
sufficient but not necessary
name an example of a sufficient but not necessary causation.
weight gain
sometimes condition develops with exposure, but other times condition may not develop with exposure
neither necessary nor sufficient
name an example of a neither necessary nor sufficient
lung cancer
name 2 types of longitudinal studies.
- prospective
- retrospective
follow subject as they progress through treatment or disease course; designed to collect data following development of the research question.
prospective research
examination of data that has been collected in the past
retrospective research
name 3 challenges of a prospective longitudinal study.
- long time period to consistently collect data.
- exposure status determined at start, with follow-up to see if outcome develops.
- confounding can occur over time from other events and conditions
name 2 challenges of a retrospective study.
- difficulty in defining variables
- records may not be complete
retrospective studies are best for disorders with long ___ periods.
latency
- considered a “snapshot” of a population.
- data for exposure and outcome taken concurrently
- can describe health status of a population at a point in time
- possibility of reverse causation
cross-sectional studies
the designated “outcome” may actually cause the “exposure”
reverse causation
a group of people who share a common characteristic or experience within a defined period; group of individuals followed over time
cohort studies
cohort studies can either be ___ or ___.
prospective or retrospective
name 4 challenges for cohort studies.
- misclassification of exposure
- bias
- attrition
- outcome may not occur in sufficient numbers
___ studies are not appropriate for studying rare conditions.
cohort
a method of observational investigation in which groups of individuals are purposely selected on the basis of whether or not they have the health condition under study.
case-control studies
those with the target condition
cases
those who do not have the target condition
controls
____ studies are useful for studying rare conditions.
case-control
____ studies are useful for studying rare conditions.
case-control
____ studies are useful for studying rare conditions.
case-control
a case-control study looks back in time to find the __ __ btwn a specific exposure and an outcome.
relative risk
a ___ ___ of ppl who do not have the disease or who did not experience the event is used for comparison.
control group
what is the goal of case-control studies?
to figure out the relationship btwn risk factors and disease or outcome and estimate the odds of an individual getting a disease or experiencing an event.
name 5 challenges for case-control studies.
- selection bias
- observation bias
- recall bias
- confounding
- matching cases and controls on other relevant factors, such as age or gender
cases and controls from otherwise similar population
selection bias
those with a condition may have better recall of exposures
recall bias
experimental design studies where we manipulate info
explanatory studies
we do not manipulate anything, we just look at things happening in the world around us - to explore/find relationships
exploratory studies
