Definitions
The procedure used to standardize research through observation, measurement, and analysis.
The Scientific Method
Patients receive vitamin C or a placebo to reduce inflammation associated with pneumonia
If patients receive vit C, then inflammation will reduce
A single description of a clinical case
Case Report
I am a one-number summary used to describe the most occurring value in a data-set.
The mode
Does ingestion of soy being negatively correlated with menopause symptoms indicate that perimenopausal women should all eat more tofu to temper their symptoms of menopause?
No!
An educated guess where you state the cause and effect of an observation.
A Hypothesis
The amount of times someone refreshes their Instagram feed is positively correlated with anxiety symptoms.
If anxiety is high, then someone will refresh their IG feed more often
If someone refreshes the IG feed frequently, then their anxiety is higher
This type of study investigates the past to answer a question in the present
Retrospective Study
I am the most commonly used measure of central tendency.
The mean
If a personal blog is written without bias and with in-text citation and references, can we trust this source as fact?
No! But you can easily-fact check it and go from there.
The relationship between variables, where one increases as the other increases
Positive Correlation
Compared to vegans, those who consume a diet rich in red meat have a higher likelihood of developing CVD
If red meat consumption is high, then risk of CVD will be greater
Subjects and variables are observed without assigning treatment or manipulation
Observational Study
Find the median: 1, 2, 3, 4
2.5
This one study supports my pre-existing belief, does that mean I have found definitive proof?
No!
The process of a group of experts looking over your work before publishing.
Peer-reviewed
gluten-free diet results in weight gain
If someone goes gluten-free, then their weight will increase
The experiment is carried out in a test tube
In Vitro
In a non-symmetrical distribution, where the mean is not equal to the median, we say the data is?
skewed
Is it ok to share a popular media article about the benefits of saturated fats with a client to help reduce their fear of eating healthy fats?
Sure! As long as you have fact-checked this article against your training, clinical experience, course-notes, and academic journals.
A way to control bias, where both the subject and experimenters are blind to what intervention each person is receiving.
Double-blind
Compared to those who are vitamin D deficient, those with adequate serum vitamin D reported lower levels of depression
If vitamin D is low, then depression will be more prevalent
If vitamin D is adequate, then risk of depression is reduced
Both the experimenter and subject are blind to conditions and each subject is assigned to two or more conditions in random order.
Double-Blind Cross-Over Study
Calculate the mean, median, and mode: 3, 6, 6, 10, 12, 8, 25, 19, 21
med = 10, mode = 6, mean = 12.2
If it's published in an academic journal does that mean it's scientific fact and therefore correct?
No!