Evidence that Matters
Research Terms
Psychometrics &
Types of Error
Experimental Methods
Levels of Measurement & Sampling Methods
Using Epidemiological Data
100

Types of studies that provide information on characteristics of a population or specific group of people

What are descriptive studies?

100

Term used to describe participant drop out prior to completion of a research study

What is attrition?

100

These criteria are used to limit potential confounding variables when selecting study participants

What are exclusion criteria?

100

This type of hypothesis states that there will be a difference between conditions or outcomes, but does not predict the direction of difference (i.e., increase/decrease)

What is a two-sided or directional hypothesis?

100

This level of measurement includes things like names, labels, or categories - e.g. - gender, college major

What is a nominal measurement?

100

Definition of epidemiology

What is the medical science that identified incidence, distribution and determinants of health vs disease?

200

The best types of studies to identify causes of disease and/or disability

What are cohort studies and case control studies?

200

Type of study bias that occurs due to chance

What is random error?

200

According to the APTA, this grade of evidence would be supported by a single high quality RCT

What is grade B or moderate evidence?

200

This type of hypothesis states that there will be no effect of the intervention being tested

What is a null hypothesis?

200

These are properties of a ratio level measurement, e.g. - HR

What are:

Can be ranked or arranged in order

Has uniform differences between data points

Has a true zero?

200

Morbidity

What is development of disease?

300

The best type of studies (least bias, most control) for answering questions about the effectiveness of an intervention

What are meta-analyses and systematic reviews?

300

Extent to which an intervention produces desired effects under typical or usual clinical conditions

What is effectiveness?

300

The amount of change required to have a significant impact on patient function

What is the MCID or minimally clinically important difference?

300

This term is used to describe the outcome of interest within an experimental study

What is a dependent variable (DV)?

300

The Likert scale is an example of this level of measurement - e.g. - strongly agree (5), agree (4), neutral (3), disagree (2), strongly disagree (1)

What is ordinal measurement?

300

Monitoring trends to determine whether disease rates are changing over time

What is surveillance research or what are surveillance data?

400

Two considerations regarding the feasibility of evidence-based PT interventions

What is scope of practice & access to resources?

400

Extent to which an intervention produces the desired outcome UNDER IDEAL, WELL-CONTROLLED conditions

What is efficacy?

400

In this type of error, the researchers reject the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis is true (false positive)

What is a Type I error?

400

Within-subjects research design

What is repeated measures design where each participant is compared to themselves throughout the course of the study - e.g. - pre-test, post-test?

400

This type of measurement can be ranked or arranged in order, and there are meaningful differences between data points, but the scale has no true zero - e.g. - temperature in degrees Farhenheit

What is an interval measurement?

400
The rate at which new cases of a disease develop within a population over a 12-month period

What is incidence?

500

APTA's public advocacy program to promote consumer awareness of evidence-based practice

What is the APTA Choose Wisely Campaign?

500

Extent to which study results can be generalized to the population at large

What is external validity?

500

This term describes the ability to detect a meaningful difference between research groups or conditions when a difference actually exists

What is study power?

500

This type of research design provides a basis for comparison in RCTs where there is more than one group or condition being tested

What is a between-subjects design?

500

In this sampling method, all members of the reference population have an equal chance of being selected for the study

What is probability sampling?

500

The percentage of the population who present with a certain type of health condition at any single period of time

What is point prevalence?
600

4 types of information that matters most to patients

What are: 

Symptoms

Prognosis

Quality of Life

Treatment Options

600

These types of studies do not involve a hypothesis but still address a research question

What are observational and/or descriptive studies?

600

Difference between sample statistics and population measurement for variable of interest

What is sampling error?

600

This term is used to describe factors besides the intervention that could potentially influence or confound the research study findings

What are extraneous variables?

600

This type of sampling method is often used in qualitative research to select participants who have the greatest ability to provide information about the study topic

What is purposive sampling?

600

Increased likelihood of disease in a population with an OR = 1.68

What is a 68% higher likelihood as compared with the reference group?

700

The degree of variation in measurement that occurs because of error

What is reliability?

700

This type of research bias occurs when there is an unintentional sharing of information between research participants in the experimental group and participants in the control or comparison group

What is diffusion bias?

700

This type of research error occurs when research staff either consciously or subconsciously provide extra care or attention to participants in the control group

What is compensatory equalization of treatment?

700

This describes participants' change in behavior that occurs if they know they are being observed

What is the Hawthorne effect?

700

The extent to which a measurement tool accurately captures all aspects of the variable of interest

What is validity?

700

3 factors that affect the prevalence of a certain disease or condition

What are:

incidence, recovery rate, and death rate/mortality?

800

The amount of change that is just above the standard error of measurement

What is the MDC or minimal detectable change?

800

Responsiveness to change

What is the extent to which a measurement instrument is able to capture small changes in status?

800

This property describes the ability of a diagnostic test to accurately identify the presence of a disease or condition with FEW FALSE NEGATIVES

What is sensitivity?

800

This term describes a natural change in subjects or conditions over time that can interfere with study results

What is maturation?

800

This effect occurs when a measurement tool requires a level of performance that is too difficult and most participants receive a low score

What is the floor effect?

800

Used to provide the upper and lower limit of the estimated measurement for 95% of the population

What is the 95% confidence interval?

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