Research Methods Exam 2

Susan set the level of significance at 0.10 instead of 0.05 in his study. Which of the following statements is correct? a. the power of the study reduces àINCREASES b. type II error reduces c. type I error increases d. getting harder to detect a significant difference àEASIER e. a and c f. b and c

f. b and c

If I wanted to reduce the type II error in my study, I would: a. recruit as many subjects as possible b. set the level of significance at 0.01 instead of 0.05 c. all of the above

a. recruit as many subjects as possible

Nonparametric statistical tests must be used when: a. the sample is not normally distributed b. the data are in interval scale when there is no absolute zero c. the data have similar variance d. the data represent random samples from the population e. all of the above

a. the sample is not normally distributed

What is the primary purpose of using group randomization procedure when designing a study? a. to ensure similar subject characteristics for the experimental and control groups b. to ensure that subjects tested in the study are representative of the population of interest c. all of the above

a. to ensure similar subject characteristics for the experimental and control groups

What is the best description regarding the data with ratio scale? a. discrete b. no order to values c. has actual zero point d. must use a non-parametric statistical analysis

c. has actual zero point

I have a hunch that participating in sports in high school has a positive effect on academic performance. I plan to ask senior EP students to complete a questionnaire about their past participation in scholastic sports teams. I have decided to use GPA as the measure of academic performance. I will ask the students to complete the questionnaire at the beginning of the semester. I will also request the overall GPA of each student. What type of statistical analysis might you use to compare the overall GPA of those who participated in sports in high school compared to those who did not? a. ANOVA b. dependent t-test c. independent t-test d. correlation

c. independent t-test

What is the best description regarding the interval scale? a. discrete b. no order to value c. no actual zero point d. must use a non-parametric statistical analysis

c. no actual zero point

A college football coach wants to predict which new running back recruits will perform well and which will not. He decides to use total yards rushing of each recruit for the outcome of measure. He also had the following available data: age, body weight, body height, body fat... He decides to use these variables to perform the analysis. What statistical analysis should be used? a. paired t-test b. ANOVA c. linear regression d. multiple regression

d. multiple regression

A researcher wanted to increase the power of her study. She could: a. increase the sample size b. increase the effect size by reducing the variance of the data c. set the alpha level at 0.01 instead of 0.05 d. a and b e. a, b, and c

d. a and b

A researcher wants to investigate how bone density changes from childhood, adolescence, to adulthood. What type of research is he conducting? a. epidemiological b. observational c. experimental d. developmental e. correlational f. case studies

d. developmental

When planning a research study, we need all of the following to calculate required sample size except: a. the effect size b. the power c. the level of significance d. if a group randomization will be performed or not

d. if a group randomization will be performed or not

Later, the researcher decides to examine the effects of anxiety level on free throw shooting in addition to relaxation training. So, he stratified the anxiety level to high, medium, and low. He wants to investigate how the free throw shooting is affected by different relaxation methods, anxiety levels, and the interaction between the two. What is the most adequate statistical analysis to use?

two-way ANOVA

A researcher plans to compare the effects of two methods of relaxation training on free-throw shooting. Unfortunately, one group of his subjects has higher anxiety levels compared to another group. Thus, the researcher feels that subjects' baseline anxiety level may affect their performance of free-throw shooting in addition to the relaxation training. What is the most adequate statistical analysis to use for testing the difference in free throw shooting due to the two methods of relaxation?

ANCOVA

Can informed consent be waived since no experiment is conducted?

NO

Which of the following protocols most likely requires IRB review? a. a study to determine the effects of a pesticide on a plant b. a study to evaluate a newly designed wheelchair by asking elderly individuals to use it c. a study to perform computer simulated stress tests on an artificial hip d. a study to implant a heart valve in a chimpanzee

b. a study to evaluate a newly designed wheelchair by asking elderly individuals to use it

I developed a new way to measure lean body mass. If I wanted to validate this method, I would: a. test the method on hundreds of people, assuming that larger sample size means it is a good method b. correlate the data acquired using my method to the data acquired using those methods that are currently in use and considered accurate measure of lean body mass c. talk to experts in the field to get their opinion

b. correlate the data acquired using my method to the data acquired using those methods that are currently in use and considered accurate measure of lean body mass

A researcher wanted to examine the relationship between an individual's muscle strength and the incidence of injuries in collegiate athletes. What is the most appropriate statistical method to use? a. dependent t-test b. correlation c. one-way ANOVA d. partial correlation

b. correlation

A researcher examines the effects of two different learning styles. He recruits two groups of high school students. He uses their GPA as an indicator of academic performance. He wants to know the magnitude of difference in academic performance. The best information he should look at is the: a. p-value b. effect size c. the difference in variability of GPA between the two groups

b. effect size

A researcher studied 100 stroke patients and found that all stroke patients participating in his study are having hypertension. Based on his findings, he concluded that hypertension would lead to a stroke. What is the approach he used to draw the conclusion? a. deductive reasoning b. inductive reasoning

b. inductive reasoning

A double-blinded experiment is one in which: a. both experimental and control groups are exposed to identical pretesting and post-testing conditions b. neither the researcher nor the participants know which participants receive the experimental treatment

b. neither the researcher nor the participants know which participants receive the experimental treatment

A researcher wants to examine the relationship between stress and kidney failure. He found that there is a strong relationship. He was excited but was a little surprised by the strong results. He found that people who have stressful jobs like to eat salty foods. What is the most appropriate statistical analysis for him to determine the relationship between stress and kidney failure while controlling the effects from salt intake? a. factor analysis b. partial correlation c. regression d. ANOVA

b. partial correlation

She collected more data (hours at work, number of children, etc.) and wanted to analyze what factors and how those factors may contribute to the attendance. The most appropriate statistical test would be: a. one-way ANOVA b. regression c. dependent t-test d. independent t-test e. repeated measures ANOVA

b. regression

A researcher decided to set the level of significance at 0.01 instead of 0.05. What corresponding changes would he expect to see? a. type II error reduces b. the power of the study reduces c. type I error increases d. getting easier to detect a significant difference e. did not make any changes regarding the type II error and study power

b. the power of the study reduces

What is the primary purpose of using a random sampling procedure? a. to ensure similar subject characteristics for the experimental and control groups b. to ensure that subjects in the study are representative of the population of interest c. none of the above

b. to ensure that subjects in the study are representative of the population of interest

The most appropriate statistical test to examine the research question that there is a difference in the effectiveness of traditional massage, CST, or aquatic therapy to reduce pain experienced by people is: a. independent t-test b. dependent t-test c. ANOVA d. correlation

c. ANOVA

The incidence of falls was recorded as the number of falls during the past year. The number of falls is an example of: a. ratio scale b. ordinal scale c. absolute scale d. interval scale

c. absolute scale

A basic characteristic of correlational research is that it: a. can deal with only two variables b. cannot predict future performance c. does not manipulate variables and hence cannot establish cause and effect

c. does not manipulate variables and hence cannot establish cause and effect

A large HMO has teamed up with several other large HMOs to study falls and footwear. The investigator proposes to review 5,000 medical records across 10 institutions of individuals injured during the last three years from a fall, so he has enough power to detect whether there is a greater number of falls among people who wear clogs. Because individuals wear so many different types of shoes, he will need to review a large number of records to find those few individuals who fit this category. From the medical records, he plans to extract the type of shoe the individuals wear. Which of the following is likely to be the level of review? a. expedited review required, as the study presents no greater than minimal risk but involves the use of medical records that contain sensitive information b. full IRB review because the study exposes subjects to greater than minimal risk because the use of private information from multiple institutions c. exempt as the study presents no greater than minimal risk and does not collect identifying information

c. exempt as the study presents no greater than minimal risk and does not collect identifying information

A high school coach wants to compare the effectiveness of traditional drill alone, traditional drill plus plyometrics, and traditional drill plus mental imagery on the performance of the players on the high school's basketball teams. She has a sample of 60 players from the women's and men's JV and varsity teams who played last year and will play again this year. The coach then randomly assigned the players into one of the three interventions. The outcome measure is the difference in the average number of points per game each player made last season with the average number of points scored by each player this season. What is the most appropriate statistical test to examine if there is a difference in the effectiveness of the three different interventions? a. dependent t-test b. independent t-test c. one-way ANOVA d. repeated measures ANOVA e. three-way ANOVA

c. one-way ANOVA

A PT wants to compare the effectiveness of traditional massage, CST, and aquatic therapy to reduce pain. He has a random sample of 30 people. The therapist randomly assigns each person to one of three treatment groups. The subjects will receive the treatment three times per week. The outcome measure that the therapist will use is a standard pain scale. This pain scale is a: a. ratio scale b. interval scale c. ordinal scale d. nominal scale

c. ordinal scale

Jane wants to examine how three different learning styles affect students' scores on the final exam. She planned to recruit three groups of subjects. However, it is difficult to do group randomization because of the conflicts in students' schedules. She then used students from three different sessions of the math course instead. Since there would be substantial learning effect from the testing, she only issued a test after the intervention and compared the final exam grades among the three class sessions. What type of experimental design is used? a. true experimental - posttest design only b. quasi experimental - pre- and post-test nonrandom design c. pre-experimental - static group comparison design d. pre-experimental - one shot design

c. pre-experimental - static group comparison design

A researcher wanted to examine how the amplitude of muscle activation changes with different pedaling frequencies when using a stationary bike. She recruited 10 healthy young subjects and measured the amplitudes of quadriceps activation when they pedaled at the 80%, 100%, and 120% of the preferred frequency. What is the best statistical analysis to test for the differences in muscle activation? a. one-way ANOVA b. two-way ANOVA c. repeated measures ANOVA d. independent t-test

c. repeated measures ANOVA

If I wanted to reduce the type I error in my study, I would: a. recruit as many subjects as possible b. recruit only those subjects who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria c. set the significance level at 0.01 instead of 0.05

c. set the significance level at 0.01 instead of 0.05

After a population of 5,000 higher-education faculty is divided by gender and position rank, the random selection of a sample to represent these sub-categories of the population is called: a. systematic counting b. using random numbers c. stratified random sampling

c. stratified random sampling

I have collected data to examine the effects of different types of training (aerobic, strength and circuit training) as well as the effects of different training durations. I wanted to know how different training methods, duration, and the interaction between training methods and duration would affect people's cholesterol level. What is the most appropriate statistical analysis to use? a. repeated measures ANOVA b. one-way ANOVA c. two-way ANOVA d. three-way ANOVA e. independent t-test

c. two-way ANOVA

Which of the following statement(s) are true? a. well-known scientists always conduct well-designed studies, thus peer-reviewed process can be waived when they publish journal articles b. when examining the effects of a high-protein diet program on bone density, it is always better to attribute any beneficial changes during the study to the intervention effects (e.g. reduced BP) c. when applying the results of published research to the clinical practice, it is always better to make sure that your clients have similar traits with those of research subjects (e.g. similar population, age range, etc.) d. all of the above

c. when applying the results of published research to the clinical practice, it is always better to make sure that your clients have similar traits with those of research subjects (e.g. similar population, age range, etc.)

A physical therapist has developed a specific exercise regimen that she thinks can help older people who have poor muscle strength and balance to reduce their incidence of falls. She decides to use a random sample of older people in MA who have poor muscle strength, poor balance, and have fallen at least once in the last year as her subjects. She is planning to have a group of matched controls (same age and sex and have fallen at least once in the last year and have been diagnosed with poor muscle strength). If one of her statements is "my treatment will make no difference in the incidence of falls among older people..." this statement is typically the: a. alternative hypothesis b. research question c. research design d. null hypothesis

d. null hypothesis

This researcher suspected that an individual's flexibility level could be one of the major confounding factors affecting the incidence of injuries. What is the most appropriate statistical analysis to determine the relationship between muscle strength and the incidence of injuries while controlling the effects from the flexibility level? a. dependent t-test b. correlation c. one-way ANOVA d. partial correlation

d. partial correlation

Randomization is a good way to control or reduce the effects of confounding factors or threats that reduce a study's internal validity. However, randomization cannot reduce or minimize the effects from: a. maturation b. history c. selection bias d. placebo effect

d. placebo effect

The one characteristic of true experimental designs that pre-experimental designs and quasi-experimental designs do not have is: a. the use of a control group b. a pretest and posttest c. the application of parametric statistics d. random assignment to groups

d. random assignment to groups

Nonparametric statistics must be used when: a. the data are in interval scale when there's no absolute zero point in the scale b. the data represent random samples from the population c. the sample is normally distributed d. the data do not have similar variance

d. the data do not have similar variance

To control the quality of research, what are the most important internal and external control mechanisms? a. self-disciplined laboratory guidelines b. peer-reviewed publication process àexternal c. IRB àinternal d. both a and b e. both b and c

e. both b and c

The physical therapist specifically wants to know if aquatic therapy is more effective than CST and if CST is more effective than traditional massage. What is the appropriate statistical analysis to test this question? a. independent t-test b. dependent t-test c. ANOVA d. correlation e. post-hoc test

e. post-hoc test

What is the major threat to the internal validity of observational research?

the possibility of the Hawthorne effect