Glenn Neu Nursing Research Week 3 Ppt 2

Front 1

in quantitative studies, what is reliability?

Back 1

It is the accuracy and consistency of information obtained from a study (methods used to measure research variables).

it is the degree of consistancy or dependibility with which an instrument measures an atribute.

Front 2

in quantitative studies, what is validity? (measurement)

Back 2

the degree to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure.

Front 3

what is "Trustworthiness" in qualitative studies?

give an example of "triangulation"

Back 3

Credibility is the extent that research methods engender confidence in the truth. Could be enhanced by using triangulation

triangulation ex: ask not only the patient, but the realative what makes this person anxious.

Front 4

in qualitative, what is "dependibility?"

Back 4

tells of the integrety in qualitative studies.

refers to the stability of data over time and and over conditions.

analogous to "reliability" in quantitative

ex: the answers do not change in a week. If you get different answers a week later, they are not dependable.

Front 5

in qualitative, what is Confirmability?

Back 5

The degree to which study results are from characteristics of participants, not from researcher bias.

Front 6

what is bias?

Back 6

An influence that produces a distortion or error in study’s findings; could affect the quality of evidence in qualitative and quantitative studies.

Front 7

what kind of stuff about participants could elicit bias from a researcher?

Back 7

Participants’ behaviors, self-disclosures

Front 8

what kind of bias can occur on the rersearcher's end?

Back 8

Researcher subjectivity – distorted information in direction of expectations, communicate expectations to participants.

Front 9

in bias, what is a "sample imbalance?"

Back 9

occurs when the sample comprises only people with the same belief, poor retention.

Front 10

in what ways can bias screw up a study?

Back 10

Faulty methods of data collection – instruments or tools

Inadequate study design

Flawed implementation (like, for example, the people doing the intervention may not be doing it the right way.)

Front 11

how can randomness help prevent bias?

Back 11

some participants may fail to provide accurate information because of fatigue at data collection time.

may get tired after the 5th question, so shake the questions up and move them around.

Front 12

what is systematic bias?

Back 12

measuring tool not calibrated

a weighing scale might be measuring body weight 2 lbs. heavier.

Front 13

what is "Research Control" and give an example:

Back 13

Holding constant other influences on the dependent variable so true relationship between independent and dependent variables can be understood.

ex: make sure the temp of the room or the color of the walls is consistant.

Front 14

give an example of an extraneous (confounding) variable:

Back 14

lasix taken during a weight study.

It confounds the data.

Front 15

in terms of sample selection, when is the process adhering to "randomness"

Back 15

when each participant has an equal chance at random to be in a study

Front 16

what is "Masking" or "Blinding?"

Back 16

concealing information from participants, ( or even data collectors, care providers) to enhance objectivity

ex: giving a placebo

Front 17

what is "Reflexivity" in Qualitative Research?

Back 17

Critically reflecting on the self, analyzing and making note of personal values that could affect data collection and interpretation.

Front 18

what is "Generalizability" and which research (qual or quan) does it apply to?

Back 18

quantitative research

extent to which findings can be applied to other groups and settings

Front 19

what is "Transferability", and which research (qual or quan) does it apply to?

IMPORTANT

Back 19

qualitative research – findings can be transferred to other settings

influenced by the amount of information about the context of studies (thick description, a rich and thorough description of the research context )

Front 20

what are some features of a research design?

Back 20

Intervention

Control over extraneous variables

Masking

Comparisons – between-subjects; within-subjectsof the same group

Location – selecting and gaining access

Timeframes – cross-sectional; longitudinal

Front 21

what is a cross sectional design?

Back 21

one in which data are collected at one point in time.

Front 22

what is a longitudinal study?

Back 22

datais collected at more than one point in time

Front 23

describe retrospective time frame:

Back 23

data is collected on an outcome occurring in the present, and linking it retrospectively to antecedents occurring in the past

Front 24

describe prospective time frame:

Back 24

information collected about a presumed cause then the effect is measured

Front 25

what is a pilot?

aka?

Back 25

(aka feasibility) Studies

A small-scale version designed to test the methods to be used in a larger, more rigorous study e.g. participant recruitment, appropriateness and quality of instruments, identification of confounding variables to be controlled, potential problems – attrition, intervention.

Front 26

IMPORTANT:

what is an Experimental or Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) Design charicterized by?

Back 26

Characterized by the following:

Manipulation – intervention is administered to some subjects and withheld from others

Control – a group of subjects does not receive the intervention

Randomization – subjects are randomly assigned to a control or experimental condition

Front 27

what is an "After-only" or "post-test only" experimental design?

Back 27

data on dependent variables are collected only once – after random assignment is completed & experimental treatment has been introduced.

Front 28

what is a "Before-after" or "pretest-posttest" experimental design?

Back 28

It is an experimental design in which data are collected from subjects both before and after the intervention.

appropriate for measuring change

Front 29

what happens in "factorial" expenmental design?

Back 29

two or more variables are being maniplated simultaneously, permitting a seperate analysis of he main efects of the independent variables.

ex: looking at both hr and bp in a morphine pain study

Front 30

what happend in a "crossover" design

Back 30

exposure of the same subjects to more than one experimental treatment

ex: having subjects in an obesity study go from the dietitian to weight watchers

Front 31

what are 2 strengths for experiments?

Back 31

they are most powerful for hypothesis of cause and effect relationships

They yield the highest quality of evidence regarding intervention effects.

Front 32

what are some limitations that experiments have?

Back 32

Artificiality

they focus on some variables while holding others constant (use for paper.)

Clinical studies – difficult to determine if experimental group received the treatment

Hawthorne effect - you feel special so your response to the treatment is happiness

Front 33

what is a "Quasi-Experiment?"

Back 33

An intervention in the absence of randomization.

Front 34

what are some strengths of quasi-experiments?

Back 34

they are practical

there is an increase in people who are not willing to relinquish control over their treatment condition

Front 35

what are some limitations to quasi-experiments?

Back 35

the results are less conclusive

Front 36

what are the 3 types of Nonexperimental rsearch?

Back 36

correletaional

descriptive

descriptive correlational

Front 37

what is corelational research?

Back 37

an association between two variables is observed

Front 38

what is descriptive research?

Back 38

used to observe, describe, document aspects of a situation as it occurs

Front 39

what is Descriptive correlational?

Back 39

describes relationships among variables rather than to infer cause-and-effect relationships

Front 40

what are some Strengths of Correlational Research?

Back 40

It is an efficient way of collecting data about a problem e.g. health histories and eating habits.
It can be used in studies when an experimental design cannot be used.

It is realistic for solving problems.

Front 41

what are some Limitations of Correlational Research?

Back 41

It is weak in determining causal relationships.

It is susceptible to faulty interpretations because of working with preexisting, nonrandom groups who are self-selected

Front 42

what types of things do descriptive studies focus on?

Back 42

prevalence, nature, intensity of health-related conditions and behaviors, critical in developing effective interventions.

Front 43

how could info from a qualitative spawn a quantitative study?

Back 43

Qualitative studies sometimes suggest a causal relationship which could be the focus of quantitative studies.

Front 44

how could retrospective studies spawn prospetive studies?

Back 44

Retrospective case-controlled studies may pave the way for prospective studies (best for examining causal relationships between prognosis, etiology and harm)

Front 45

what are the 4 types of validity?

Back 45

statistical conclsion validity

internal validity

construct validity

external validity

Front 46

describe Statistical conclusion validity:

Back 46

there truly is an empirical relationship or correlation between the presumed cause and effect.

Front 47

describe internal validity

Back 47

It is validity of inferences:

given the existence of an empirical relationship, it is the independent variable that caused the outcome.

Front 48

describe construct validity:

Back 48

inferences from aspects of a study (treatment, outcomes, people, settings) they represent.

Front 49

describe xternal validity:

Back 49

– inferences about observed relationships will hold over variations in persons, settings, time, or outcomes.

Front 50

what are some things to help control confounding subject charicteristics?

Back 50

randomization

crossover

homogenity

blocking or stratification

matching

statistical control

Front 51

what does randomization do to help in controlling confounding subject characteristics?

Back 51

it equalizes groups (this is the most effective form)

Front 52

what does crossover do to help in controlling confounding subject characteristics?

Back 52

subjects serve as their own

Front 53

what does homogenity do to help in controlling confounding subject characteristics?

Back 53

you use only subjects who are homogeneous with regards to confounding variables, so findings would only be generalized to type of subjects who participated in the study.

Front 54

where is blocking or stratification used in helping to control confounding subject characteristics?

Back 54

commonly used in quasi-experimental or correlation studies. Random assignment to treatment conditions.

Front 55

what is "matching" in controlling confounding subject characteristics?

Back 55

using knowledge of subject characteristics to create comparable groups.

You get people who are similar.

Front 56

what is "Statistical control" in controlling confounding subject charateristics?

Back 56

Analysis of covariance controls by statistically removing the effect of extraneous variables on the dependent variable

ex: removing the effect of age when examining the effect of training program on the heart rate of elderly persons.

Front 57

which one requires that the researcher knows the variables that need to be measured and controlled?

Back 57

Homogeneity

blocking design

analysis of covariance

Front 58

what are some things you look at in the subjects with implementation of treatment?

Back 58

Extent to which intervention is similar from one subject to the next

Manipulation check - checking to make sure the way of treatment is correct

Treatment adherence - check to see if the subjects are adhering

Front 59

what is internal validity?

Back 59

Extent to which it is possible to make an inference that the independent variable (IV) is truly causing or influencing the dependent variable (DV)

make aure that the relation between the IV and DV is not the effect of a confounding variable.

we must be vigilant when doing research!

Front 60

what are some threats to internal validity?

Back 60

Temporal ambiguity - make sure that the cause preceeds the efect

Selection

History - of pt had chf prior to a heart study

Maturation - changes in subjects dou to age, maturation

Mortality, attrition

Testing and instrumentation - for example, the instrument is not calibrated, or different people use it differently.

Front 61

what aresome threats to construct validity?

Back 61

Reactivity to study situations - some people all of a sudden feel "special."

Researcher expectancies - we may beso commitedthat we only want to see the good.

Novelty effects

Compensatory effects - sometimes the subjects may feel guilty of depriving the placebo group

Treatment diffusion or contamination

Front 62

what is a good way to remember internal vs external validity?

Back 62

internal - whithin the study

external - between different studies

Front 63

what are some enhancements to external validity?

Back 63

Representativeness of exemplars (sample, setting)

Replication (multi-site) - to apply the findings to different settings. everything (instruments, etc..) must be the same.

Front 64

what are some threats to external validity?

Back 64

Ways in which relationships might interact with or be moderated by variations in people, settings, time, and conditions.

Interactions between relationships and people.

Interaction between causal effects and treatment
variation. - if they think something is working they will work harder

Front 65

so basically, what do you do when you critiquing guidlines for study validity?

Back 65

you make judgments about the extent threats to validity were minimized – or at least assessed and considered when interpreting results.