Quantitative Research Design
Sampling Design
Odds and Ends
Measurement
Validity and Reliability
100
If a researcher wants to design a cheap study, where they are just looking at interventions and effects in a short period of time, they would use this type of research design.
What is cross-sectional design?
100
There is no random selection in this type of sampling.
What is non-probability sampling?
100
“The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is commonly used to measure depressive symptomatology in cancer patients, yet there is little known about the psychometric properties of the measure when applied to a cancer population. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CES-D with cancer patients” is an example of this type of research.
What is methodological research?
100
A nurse surveys patients to see what their mood is while in the hospital; they are asked to choose between the following options: sad, bored, happy, anxious, and none of the above. The scale of measurement she is using would be:
What is a nominal scale?
100
The students in one N410 section complete Rosenberg's Self-Esteem scale on Monday. The same group of students complete the same Self-Esteem scale two weeks later. The scores are the same the second time of testing when compared to the first time.
What is test-retest reliability?
200
Manipulation, Control, and Randomization are the three defining characteristics of this.
What is a true experiment?
200
The names of all persons in the population are assigned a code number and a table of random numbers is used to select sample participants.
What is simple random sampling?
200
“Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors. We conducted a qualitative study with breast cancer survivors (BCS) of various ethnicities. The prevailing concerns among all women included overall health, moderate physical concerns, cancer recurrence or metastases, psychosocial concerns related to worry about children and burdening the family, and body image and sexual health concerns" is an example of this type of qualitative research theory.
What is phenomenology?
200
The nurse asks the patient to rate his pain on the Wong-Baker faces scale from 1-5 (or from frown face to happy face). She is using this level of measurement.
What is an ordinal scale?
200
Researchers conducted a study on success in college. The researchers find that there is a high correlation between student grades in high-school math classes and their success in college, as measured by grades. Essentially, the grades students received in high-school math can be used to predict their success in college.
What is predictive validity?
300
“This study provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of methods to increase handwashing by nurses working in an ICU. Staff were aware that handwashing was being observed throughout the study.” Study participants who know they are being studied cause this effect.
What is the Hawthorne effect?
300
Potential participants were recruited from four long term care facilities. The researcher reviewed resident medical records for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, multi-infarct dementia, or senile dementia. This type of sampling was used.
What is a convenience sample?
300
“The purpose of this research was to identify barriers to seeking and obtaining care for alcoholism and alcohol-related problems among the Muscogee (Creek) Indians in rural, eastern Oklahoma and to learn the Muscogee (Creek) culturally based view of health that contributes to effective health practices in the care of alcohol abuse" is an example of this qualitative research theory.
What is ethnography?
300
"Babies were measured by one of five trained fieldworkers within 72 hours of birth. Birth weight was measured to the nearest 50 g using a Salter spring balance; crown-heel length was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using a portable Pedobaby Babymeter." This level of measurement was used.
What is a ratio scale?
300
Researchers were interested in studying the effects of lighting on mood. In order to do this researches exposed a sample of 30 participants to two differently lighted rooms, one brightly lit and one dimly lit. Participants were randomized into one of the two groups. Researchers use a depression scale survey to study the effects on depression. What type of validity does the depression scale possess?
What is face validity?
400
“For eight months, we conducted a prospective multiple-crossover trial involving 1894 adult patients in three intensive care units (ICUs). In a given month, the ICU used a hand-washing system involving either chlorhexidine, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, or 60 percent isopropyl alcohol with the optional use of a nonmedicated soap; in alternate months the other system was used. Rates of nosocomial infection and hand-washing compliance were monitored prospectively.” This is an example of which type of research design: between-subjects or within-subjects or both?
What is both?
400
Five hospitals were randomly selected from all hospitals in Baltimore City and County. From each of the five hospitals, 5 units were randomly selected. All staff nurses were interviewed on the 25 units.
What is cluster sampling?
400
“Expectations were also confirmed by a coefficient (Cronbach’s) alpha rating of 0.85.” The Cronbach alpha is a statistical test for this. (Bonus points - what does the value of 0.85 indicate?)
What is internal consistency?
400
Students at the end of the semester are asked to complete a survey about their classes. There are a variety of statements with the following scale to answer: completely disagree - somewhat disagree - neither agree nor disagree - somewhat agree - completely agree, which is a demonstration of this scale of measurement. Bonus points - this is an example of what specific type of data collection scale?
What is an ordinal scale?
400
Researchers that were interested in studying the relationship between anxiety of pregnant mothers during their pregnancies and whether the individuals were primiparas and multiparas. The researchers measure anxiety levels using an assessment for anxiety. The researchers expected there to be a difference in anxiety levels between the two groups.
What is construct validity?
500
In a study about the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy on birth weight, the researchers controlled for those mothers who both smoked and drank, trying to limit the study to mothers who just drank. They did this because smoking is this.
What is a counterfactual/confounding variable?
500
A test used to calculate the minimum number of participants needed to accept the outcome of a statistical test with a particular confidence level.
What is a power analysis?
500
When surveying adults about sexual behaviors, researchers believe that there is a lot of under-reporting (especially of more unusual behaviors) due to participants wanting to answer what is "good" or "acceptable" to answer rather than what is actually occurring; this is an example of which response set bias.
What is a social desirability response set bias?
500
In this level of measurement, there is no true zero, meaning that a value of 0 does not mean absence of the item being measured, and there can be negative values.
What is an interval scale?
500
Frasure (2008) conducted a systematic review of instruments designed to measursure nurses' attitudes toward research utilization. Frasure concluded that one of the strongest scales was the Research Utilization in Nursing Survey. The scale has five subscales, with alphas ranging from 0.77 to 0.91.
What is internal cinsistency?