Week 6.1: Research Design Flashcards
Key questions for quan. research design interventions
will there be an intervention?
what types of comparisons will be made?
How will confounding variables be controlled?
will blinding be used?
how often will data be collected?
when will “Effects” be measured, relative to potential causes?
The key goal for quan research design is
to make the best possible design for a study possible that controls for many possible weaknesses but can work with our question
Key Design Features that determine research design options
Intervention
Comparison
Control over confounding variables
Blinding
Time frames
Relative timing
Location
Affordability
There is no perfect..
research study
Many (if not most) quan research questions are about ___ and ___ (___)
cause; effects (causality)
Research questions that seek to illuminate causal relationships need to…
be addressed with appropriate design
*every research deign has its strength and the goal is to get to the next level of research and work up to a causal study
Counterfactual
it is what would have happened to the same people exposed to a “Cause” if they simultaneously were NOT exposed to the cause
basically the control - what if they did not get the condition of interest
Counterfactuals are harder to get when
we cannot control the intervention!
What is this: What would the COVID-19 rate be like if NOT for vaccination
counterfactual
It is harder to prove counterfactuals in areas like…
public health - hard to prove a negative (if prevention works then its hard to prove)
counterfactuals are more hypothetical in population research
Effect
represents the difference between what actually did happen when exposed to the cause and what would happen with the counterfactual condition
What are the 3 criteria for causalit/making causal inferences
Temporal
Relationship
Cofounder
Temporal Aspect of Causal Inferences
the idea that the cause MUST PRECEDE THE EFFECT in time (not the other way)
Relationship Aspect of Causal Inferences
the idea that there MUST BE A DEMONSTRATED ASSOCIATION between the cause and the effect
Cofounder Aspect of Causal Inferences
the idea that the relationship between the presumed cause and effect CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY A THIRD VARIABLE OR COFOUNDER
another factor related to both the presumed cause and effect cannot be the “real” one
ex: “people drinking a lot of coffee have higher rates of lung cancer” = confoundvariable is that those drinking coffee also smoked cigarettes
What is the additional fourth criteria for causal inferences in research when its based in health research/nurse research
Biological Plausibility
Biological Plausibility
A fourth criteria for causality needed by health research
it states the causal relationship should be consistent with evidence from basic physiologic studies
this stops use from grabbing two things and making magical conclusions
What are the 4 types of questions of health research that determines the different designs used for research
- Therapy Questions
- Prognosis Questions
- Etiology/Harm Questions
- Description
What design offers the strongest evidence of whether a cause (intervention) results in an effect (a desired outcome)
Experimental Designs (RCTs)
Thats why they are high on evidence hierarchies for questions about cause and effect
What makes a quasi experimental design different
you cannot randomize the sample
What makes a cohort study, case, or descriptive/correlational design different
cannot manipulate the IV in these cases
Hierarchy of Research Design in Therapy Questions
- RCT/Expt Design
- Quasi design
- Cohort study
- Case control
- descriptive/correlational
Hierarchy of Research Design in Prognosis Questions
- Cohort Study
- Case Control
- Descriptive/Correlational
* RCT is not available so you have to start lower which in this case is a prospective study that looks retrospectively*
Hierarchy of Research Design in Harm Questions
- RCT/Experimental
- Quasi Experimental
- Cohort Study
- Case Control
- Descriptive/correlational
* We control things again in this type of question so we can now use RCT and quasi once more*
You can use what kind of sampling compairsons in a research study design
within groups
between groups
both
Within Groups Comparison
comparisons about measurements made with the same subjects at different points in time
Between Groups Comparison
Comparisons made with more than one group of subjects at one or more points in time
Schema
shorthand visual description of the design of a study
What does O, X, and R mean in a schema
R = its an experimental design/randomization
O = observation
X = intervention
What would O1 X O2 mean
it means Group one observed at one time and then group one observed at a time after an intervention
Which groups are we interested in comparing in the schema:
O1 X O2
O3 O4
O2 and O4 because they are outcome and control post interventions
Intervention
the researcher doing something to some subjects - introducing an intervention or treatment
pre and post tests
Control
the researcher introduces controls, including the use of a control and experimental groups
can be its own group or a group acting as its own control
Randomization
the experimenter assigns participants to a control or experimental condition on a random basis
the purpose is to make the groups equal with regard to all other factors except receipt of the intervention
You always need what 3 things for an experimental design schema
Intervention (X)
Randomization (R)
Control
Outcome (O)
The symbol O means
measurement at a point in time
observation, data collection
The symbol X means
intervention or treatment
sometimes listed as T
The symbol R means
randomization
If you can manipulate the IV and you can randomize what sort of research design can be used
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
“Classic” Experiment
Post Test Only
Solomon 4 Group
Crossover
A quasi experimental study lacks what part of the schema
R
Posttest-Only (or after only) Experimental Design
outcome data collected only after the intervention
Schema:
R X O
R O
Why is posttest-only design risky experimental design
because you do not know a baseline
Pretest-posttest (before-after) design
outcome data collected both at BASELINE and after the intervention
Schema:
R O X O
R O O
An RCT / Classic Experimental Design
Crossover Design
Subjects are exposed to 2+ conditions in random order and the subjects serve as their own control
Schema:
R O Xa O Xb O
R O Xb O Xa O
Why is crossover design risky experimental design
because if the participant favors one intervention over another they may continue using it even when you dont want them too
this is one of the only ways you will ever see a one group experimental trial
Protocol
the way someone describes their intervention in a study
should be replicable only by reading
“Operational Definition” of the IV
The sample serves as a proxy for what? The results serve as a proxy for what?
general population; the intervention
The more complex an intervention…
the more the results may diverge from real life
Intervention Fidelity
Treatment Fidelity
Whether the treatment as planned was actually delivered and received the way that it was supposed to
ex: Even at home medicaitons are a proxy for what is ideal as things like inaffordability, dislike, etc all mess with fidelity and effect if it transfers to real world situations
“Usual Care”
standard or normal procedures used to treat patient
the control group would get this, and the experimental group may get this on top of an intervention for safety and ethic reasons (beneficence)