Research Practice Questions

Match the following: 1. Count Data 2. Incidence 3. Prevalence 4. Rate a. measure of disease frequently in a defined population over a specified period of time b. the number of existing cases of disease in a population c. the raw number of health phenomena under investigation d. the number of new cases of disease in a population

1. Count data- c. the raw number of health phenomena under investigation 2. Incidence- d. the number of new cases of disease in a population 3. Prevalence- b. the number of existing cases of disease in a population 4. Rate- a. measure of disease frequently in a defined population over a specified period of time

Match the following: 1. Population 2. Target population 3. Accessible population 4. Sample 5. Inclusion criteria 6. Exclusion criteria 7. Representativeness 8. Element a. the elements included in a study b. all elements that meet a well-defined set of criteria c. degree to which the sample reflects the population d. characteristics that eliminate elements from a study e. a population that meets sampling criteria f. basic unit of the population g. population from which a researcher can sample h. characteristics of elements in a study

1. Population- b. all elements that meet a well-defined set of criteria 2. Target population- e. a population that meets sampling criteria 3. Accessible population- g. population from which a researcher can sample 4. Sample- a. the elements included in a study 5. Inclusion criteria- h. characteristics of elements in a study 6. Exclusion criteria- d. characteristics that eliminate elements from a study 7. Representativeness- c. degree to which the sample reflects the population 8. Element- f. basic unit of the population

Ethical/Unethical Providing subjects with money to reimburse their travel expenses to the data collection site

Ethical

Ethical/Unethical After discovering that subjects are experiencing adverse reactions to an intervention, researchers agree to discontinue the study

Ethical

Ethical/Unethical Allowing a nursing administer to see group data from surveys conducted in the organization

Ethical

True/False A group with elements having similar attributes would be considered heterogeneous

False

True/False A study involving three groups needs a minimum of 30 subjects

False

True/False All experimental must include a minimum of the three groups of subjects

False

True/False An instrument with a reported Cronback's alpha of .65 has good reliability

False

True/False Any study that involves collecting data at multiple points in time is a longitudinal study

False

True/False Attrition has little effect on the generalizability of study findings

False

True/False Authors who publish their work in professional journals never draw conclusions beyond their findings

False

True/False Descriptive epidemiology is used to investigate the determinants of disease

False

True/False Face validity is the strongest method to establish validity

False

True/False In a factorial design, only one group of subjects is required because they act as their own control

False

True/False In non experimental designs, researchers manipulate the IV to determine cause-and-effect relationships

False

True/False In retrospective designs, also known as ex post facto designs, the researcher manipulates the IV.

False

True/False Nonequivalent control group pretest-protest design is best defined as an experimental design where two groups are measured before and after an intervention

False

True/False Pandemic is a widespread occurrence of a disease in a community or population that is in excess of what is expected. Endemic is a pandemic that has spread worldwide.

False

True/False Qualitative researchers do not have to adhere to the usual protection of human subjects because most studies are noninvasive

False

True/False Researchers are correlations to determine if there are differences between two groups

False

True/False Researchers should design studies that are easy for subjects to participate in regardless of how much control over extraneous variables is achieved

False

True/False Screenings are done even when there is no treatment for the disease being screened.

False

True/False Sensitivity describes the ability of the test to correctly identify people without the disease by negative results

False

True/False The threat of mortality is greater in cross-sectional designs than in longitudinal designs

False

True/False There are no ethical concerns related to false negatives

False

True/False Validity is concerned with an instrument obtaining accurate and repeatable measures

False

True/False When a nurse researcher suspects abuse, it is unethical to report it because this information was obtained during a research interview

False

True/False When collecting data via the internet, the rights of human subjects can be ignored because the Web is a public domain

False

True/False A non experimental research design involves manipulation of the independent variable but lacks random assignment

False

True/False Qualitative and qualitative researches need to be aware of hubris

Fasle

The cycle of transmission of disease from the host to the agent can be broken with what 3 steps?

Immunization, isolation, and treatment

A research study is conducted on diet control in the treatment of type 2 DM. All the patients selected for the study have type 2 DM and are placed on a diabetic diet. The patient's blood sugars are measured at the beginning of the study and at different time intervals throughout the day. Which type of quantitative design is this?

Quasi-experimental

Nurse researchers may use computer programs, draw names out of a container, or use a table with numbers listed with. no particular order to obtain a(n) _______ sample for a research study.

Simple random

True/False A false positive is when individuals are told they have the disease when in reality they do not

True

True/False Characteristics of the accessible population should be considered when creating recruitment materials

True

True/False Cohort comparison studies can save time because more than one group of subjects is studied

True

True/False Content validity is established by having a panel of experts review the instruments

True

True/False Data collection instruments should have codes rather than subject names to ensure anonymity

True

True/False Descriptive data are usually cross-sectional and can be collected through surveys and questionnaires

True

True/False Epidemiology is the study of disease in populations rather than in individuals

True

True/False Equivalence, internal consistency and stability are tested to ensure instrument reliability

True

True/False Fictitous names should be used when transcribing data so that actual participants remain unknown to others

True

True/False Findings from case studies are not regarded as highly as findings from research studies, but case study findings can provide insight and understanding when little evidence is available

True

True/False In a two-group pretest-protest design, the subjects are randomly assigned to the experimental or control group and measured before and after the intervention

True

True/False It would be unethical to expose individuals to asbestos to study the disease pattern

True

True/False Non-experimental designs can be used to develop and test theories

True

True/False Nurses are ethically obligated to follow practice guidelines when evidence is clear

True

True/False Nurses should not speculate about the treatments subjects receive in a blinded RCT.

True

True/False Nursing's body of knowledge is dependent on the quality of research findings that are disseminated

True

True/False Patients who are not in the intervention group must receive the usual standard of care

True

True/False Qualitative findings must be shared with participants.

True

True/False Qualitative researchers are held to the same ethical standards as researches using other methods

True

True/False The Solomon four-group design is more effective at controlling for the threat of testing than is the two-group pretest-posttest design

True

True/False The best way to determine sample size for a quantitative study is through power analysis

True

True/False The main data collection methods used in quantitative research includes questionnaires, observation, scales, and physiological measures.

True

True/False The purposes of the non-experimental designs are to describe, explain, and predict relationships

True

True/False There are two ways researchers test for content validity: face validity and content validity testing

True

True/False As sensitivity of a test increases, specificity of the test decreases

True

Ethical/Unethical A research assistant carefully explains in English, without using an interpreter, the benefits and risks of being in a study to a woman who speaks only Spanish.

Unethical

Ethical/Unethical Allowing a subject who does not speak English to sign a consent form without providing an interpreter

Unethical

Ethical/Unethical Keeping a folder for every subject that contains a signed consent form and raw data

Unethical

Ethical/Unethical Promising health care for life to individuals if they choose to participate in a study

Unethical

This is best defined as scholarly papers exploring the attributes and characteristics of a concept:

a. Concept analyses

What is the researcher's ability to manipulate or regulate extraneous variables known as? a. Control b. Manipulation c. Bias d. Probability

a. Control

What is the degree to which the results of studies can be generalized to other individuals, settings, or time called? a. External validity b. Construct validity c. Internal validity d. Statistical conclusion validity

a. External validity

Match the terms: 1. intake and output measurement 2. pH of urine 3. type of cancer 4. strength of contractions (mild, moderate, strong) a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

a. Nominal - 3. type of cancer b. Ordinal - 4. strength of contractions (mild, moderate, strong) c. Interval - 2. pH of urine d. Ratio- 1. intake and output measurement

Which of the following statements is true regarding the collection of qualitative data?

a. Questionnaires are. in economical way to collect anonymous data

An endemic disease is best defined as: a. a disease that is localized to a particular geographic area b. a disease that is localized to a particular body organ or system c. a disease that is global with no geographic limitations d. a disease that has no known successful cure

a. a disease that is localized to a particular geographic area

Which of the following are techniques for maintaining specific rigor in qualitative studies? (select all that apply) a. achieving saturation b. thick descriptions c. peer debriefing d. generalizing to populations

a. achieving saturation b. thick descriptions c. peer debriefing

Which of the following would be a threat to external validity? a. bais b. maturation c. mortality d. testing

a. bias

Which of the following are physiological measures? (Select all that apply)

a. blood pressure c. digoxin levels

_______ is an effective and efficient method to collect data from large populations. A manageable sample is obtained by ransoming selecting elements from larger to smaller groups or subsets of a population.

a. cluster sampling

Experimental designs also involve randomization of the _______ , allowing results to be compared to the group receiving the experimental intervention. a. control group b. study data c. participant age d. control variable

a. control group

_____ are changes in disease patterns that are often predictable and recur over time and seem more readily in health care, particularly as they relate to infectious disease. a. cyclic trends b. annual trends c. time trends d. circular trends

a. cyclic trends

Diseases can be described by all the following except: a. dimension b. person c. place d. time

a. dimension

When software is used to help with data analysis, it is important to continually revisit the data throughout all stages of analysis. Waiting until later stages of data analysis before preforming queries in the software program can result in: a. inconsistence in the results b. bias in the results c. ethical issues with the findings d. program malfunctions

a. inconsistence in the results

A pilot:

a. is a small version of the study b. confirms feasibility of the study

The systematic review involves which of the following? (select all that apply)

a. methodical review of the literature b. obtaining published and unpublished sources c. creating a grid for summarizing data collection d. establishing inclusion criteria

Which of the following is an example of a data source appropriate for historical research study? (select all that apply) a. newspaper database b. late-breaking news reports c. annual reports d. eyewitness accounts

a. newspaper database c. annual reports d. eyewitness accounts

A nurse researcher can written a description of the proposed study participants will be recruited. This is a definition of:

a. participation plan

To use random sampling, a researcher must know the:

a. sampling frame

Which of the following terms are associated with qualitative sampling? (select all that apply) a. snowball b. random c. purposive d. subjects

a. snowball c. purposive

Which of the following sampling methods involves randomization? (select all that apply)

a. systematic sampling c. stratified random sampling d. cluster sampling

Which of the following are advantages that questionnaires have over interviews? (select all that apply)

a. take less time to administer b. provide for anonymity d. minimize socially desirable responses

When planning for data collection the researcher should consider creating a timeline. What elements should be included in the timeline?

a. the time consent is obtained to the completion of the data collection

In nursing studies, the intervention is conducted with the experimental group, while the control group receives what? a. the usual standard of care b. the intervention being tested c. a combination of the intervention and standard of care d. no care or intervention provided

a. the usual standard of care

Factors to consider when planning data collection include which of the following? (select all that apply)

a. time frame b. budget c. training of personnel d. availability of preprinted questionnaires

Which of the following is an example of random sampling for a study on the impact of nurse-to-patient safety in the US?

all healthcare facilities in the US have the same probability of being selected to be induced in the study

Factorial design is an experimental design that:

allows researchers to manipulate more than one intervention

A researcher plans to observe children in a kindergarten class. Students have always been told to be on their best behavior when guests are present in the classroom. What is the greatest threat to external validity: a. construct validity b. Hawthorne effect c. selection d. interaction of treatment setting

b. Hawthorne effect

______ is an overconfidence and exuberance for one's interpretations of the data that could potentially influence or cloud the accuracy of conceptual development. a. bracketing b. hubris c. interpretation bias d. participate observation

b. Hubris

When a researcher assigns subjects to groups by tossing a coin, the researcher is using which technique? a. Random selection b. Random assignment c. Bias d. Within-groups design

b. Random assignment

A study is designed to research the effect on diet on patients younger than 38 years with high blood pressure and no other medical issues. Which of the following would be the target population?

b. a 37 year old man with HTN

Which of the following is an example of synopsis?

b. abstract of a study

A researcher is planning qualitative research on blood pressure and will utilize 5 research assistants to the collect the data. To ensure best practice, the researcher will use what format to train the research assistants?

b. all assistants should be trained to take blood pressure in a consistent manner using the same instruments and the same context

Experimental designs have control groups. Quasi-experimental designs have which of the following? a. control groups b. comparison groups c. extraneous groups d. peer group

b. comparison groups

Which of the following are considered to be at the bottom of the pyramid of evidence?

b. concept analysis

______ refer to he raw number of health phenomena under investigation and would include health events such as births, cases of a disease, and deaths a. measurements b. count data c. information data d. statistical data

b. count data

A research study on the effects of a new fall risk assessment tool on the prevention of falls randomly assigns older adult patients to either the group that receives the new fall risk assessment or to the group that receives the older standard risk assessment tool. What type of research design is this an example of? a. correlational b. experimental c. non-experimental d. Quasi-experimental

b. experimental

In a(n) ____________ research design, some of the patients are given a certain drug and other patients are given a placebo. a. dependent b. experimental c. independent d. non experimental

b. experimental

Which of the following are potential threats to internal validity? (Select all that apply) a. environment b. history c. mortality d. maturation

b. history c. mortality d. maturation

Case studies can be exploratory, but they are typically descriptive or exploratory and answer what type of research questions? (select all that apply)

b. how c. why

Which of the following is an example of a data collection method appropriate for an ethnographic research study? a. performing an internet search b. immersing in the environment being studied to collect observed data c. sending out questionnaires d. conducting phone surveys of individual participants

b. immersing in the environment being studied to collect observed data

_____ is best defined as a statistical procedure, which involves quantitatively pooling the data from a group of independent studies that have studied the same or similar clinical problems, using the same or similar research methods.

b. meta-analysis

Which of the following is an example of grounded theory method in research? a. researching the cause of breast cancer b. researching how patients emotionally deal with a breast cancer diagnosis c. researching the best chemotherapy to treat breast cancer d. researching the best prevention interventions for breast cancer

b. researching how patients emotionally deal with a breast cancer diagnosis

To recruit participants for a research study, the nurse researcher has asked current participants for referrals of other potential participants. This is an example of what kind of sampling?

b. snowball sampling

In which of the following situations would history be considered a threat to internal validity? a. there is a loss of subjects before the study is completed b. the dependent variable is influenced by an event that occurred during the study c. a pretest influences the way subjects respond on a posttest d. subjects change by growing or maturing

b. the dependent variable is influenced by an event that occurred during the study

Epidemiological studies involve which of the following fundamental assumptions? a. Detriments of the disease being studied are rarely identified b. the disease being studied does not occur at random c. the disease being studied is genetic in. nature d. the disease being studied can be cured

b. the disease being studied does not occur at random

Which of the following is true of descriptive design? a. the researcher creates an environment in which to study the patients b. the researcher does not manipulate the variables c. the researcher studies the relationship between 2 or more variables d. the research tests a hypothesized theoretical model

b. the researcher does not manipulate the variables

Which of the following should nurses consider when appraising qualitative data collection methods? (select all that apply)

b. the setting of the study d. the role of the researcher

How many different types of Cochrane reviews as there?

b. three

Phenomenology focuses on the human experiences. meaning that the nurse asks ______ a particular phenomenon has occurred. a. how b. why c. when d. where

b. why

The nurse researcher has defined the target population for a study with females younger than age 40 who have infertility of unknown cause for over 12 months with no surgical intervention. The nurse now needs to determine what related to the target population?

c. accessible population

_____ is a unique methodology used in qualitative research that may also be considered a design or strategy for data collection a. qualitative research b. historical research c. case study d. epidemiology

c. case study

The nurse understands that nursing research is essential to ensure that ________ occurs, resulting in high-quality health care with beneficial outcomes

c. evidence-based practice

An example of non-propositional nursing knowledge would include a nurse using interventions fro nausea based on:

c. experience in patient care

The nurse research is aware that the most valued research study design in creating evidence-based practice is which of the following designs? a. Qualitative b. Correctional c. experimental d. Quasi-experimental

c. experimental

A researcher is conducting a study to determine whether a radio advertisement about the importance of early detection for colorectal cancer increases the attendance of middle-aged men at a free screening. Which type of research is this an example of? (Select all that apply) a. basic research b. community-based participatory action research c. health services research d. translational research

c. health services research d. translational research

During a study examining nurses' job satisfaction, the union decides to hold a strike. This is which type of threat to internal validity? a. selection bias b. mortality c. history d. testing

c. history

Quasi-experimental designs include which of the following essential components? a. randomization, control group, and manipulation of the IV b. randomization and control group c. manipulation of the IV d. Randomization and manipulation of the IV

c. manipulation of the IV

Four categories are used to describe ________ : nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

c. measurement

_____ is the analysis of a group of qualitative studies.

c. meta-synthesis

Rank the evidence generated from the following designs from lowest to highest. a. experimental designs b. nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest c. one-group posttest-only d. nonequivalent-groups posttest-only

c. one-group posttest-only d. nonequivalent-groups posttest-only b. nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest a. experimental designs

What are the main types of measurement errors that can occur in a research study? (select all that apply)

c. random error d. systematic error

A _____ is a measure of disease frequency in a defined population over a specified period of time a. ratio b. prevalence c. rate d. incidence

c. rate

Diseases that occur over long periods of time are known as: a. cyclical changers b. intermittent trends c. secular trends d. short-term trends

c. secular trends

A researcher desires to study the effect of a memory game on older adults' abilities to recall a short-term task list. The researcher randomly selects 29 elders from a list of residents at a local nursing home. The sample method used is:

c. simple random sampling

Which of the following is not the purpose of the non experimental designs? a. Describe phenomenon b. Explain relationships c. Predict relationships d. Examine causality

d. Examine causality

What type of variable confuses the effect of the independent variable (IV) on the dependent variable (DV)? a. existing variable b. confounding variable c. randomized variable d. extraneous variable

d. extraneous variable

Which method would you choose to answer the question. What process do older adults use when they quit smoking? a. ethnography b. historical c. phenomenology d. grounded therapy

d. grounded therapy

Phenomenology is the method used when one wishes to study lived experience. What field of science is it rooted in? a. social sciences b. introspective sciences c. health sciences d. human sciences

d. human sciences

Why is representativeness essential in a research study?

d. it ensures study results can be generalized to target populations

When conducting a systematic literature review why is it important to research published and unpublished findings?

d. it will help to decrease bias from the strength of significant findings

Diseases that spread around the world are known as: a. endemic b. epidemic c. International outbreak d. pandemic

d. pandemic

In epidemiology the researcher needs to consider the descriptive characteristics of the person. Which of the following is not a descriptive characteristic of the person? a. education b. religion c. alcohol use d. political affiliation

d. political affiliation

All of the following are components of the epidemologic triangle except: a. agent b. environment c. host d. population

d. population

The nurse has a proposed study to determine the effect of yoga on patients with a diagnosis of hypertension. The nurse needs to determine the number of participants needed for the study, which of the following is the best way to determine the sample size to best detect the effect of yoga on hypertension?

d. power analysis

____ is the best defined as highest level of measurement that involves numeric values that begin with an absolute zero and have equal intervals.

d. ratio

______ may be compromised when conducting research on a rare disease due to the small patient population to select form. a. construct validity b. data conclusion validity c. patient subject validity d. statistical conclusion validity

d. statistical conclusion validity

Which of the following is an example of epidemiology? a. studying the effects of gnomic-based cancer therapies b. studying the interaction between HIV cells and healthy cells c. studying the effects of TB meds on the severity of the disease d. studying the effect of STD prevention on STD prevalence cells

d. studying the effect of STD prevention on STD prevalence cells

______ is the truth or accuracy of the study results. a. causality b. ethics c. probability d. validity

d. validity

When designing a study, which of the following should the researcher consider? (Select all that apply) a. Research question b. Review of the literature c. Theoretical framework d. Study propose e. all of the above

e. all of the above

The length of a questionnaire is important. Therefore, a questionnaire should only include _______ questions

essential

The final step of the systematic literature review includes _______ of the data and _______ of the results

interpretation dissemination

Put the following sources of evidence in order, beginning at the top of the pyramid of evidence

systems summarizes synopses syntheses studies

Because nonprobablity sampling methods do not use randomization, the samples are less likely to represent the ______ population and increase the threat of selection ______.

target bias

The researcher is aware that an appropriate research design will reflect an integration of _________ and _________ literature that will be presented in the review of the literature section of the study.

theoretical empirical

Ethical/Unethical A researcher tells a subject that he will not receive as high quality care if he withdraws from the study

unethical

Match the following: 1. Case-control study 2. Cohort study a. OR b. RR

1. Case-control study: OR 2. Cohort study: RR