Research Quizzes 1-3

During the active reading process, investigators make conceptual labels within the data. A conceptual label is:

A "tag" for segments of text, categorically describing information the segments contained

You are attending the AOTA annual conference, which offers different formats for the association members to share research results. Which of the following best describes the format of "symposium"?

A collection of individual research papers tied together by a common theme

A systematic error is best defined as:

A consistent or predictable error, occurring when an assessment misestimates the true score by a consistent amount and in the same direction

Which of the following sections would NOT be included in the findings of a study?

A statement of replicability, to promote the rigor of a study

A design that includes a baseline phase and a treatment phase.

A-B design

A design that consists of a minimum of three phases: baseline, intervention, and repeated baseline

A-B-A withdrawal design

A design used to compare the effects of intervention and no intervention or to compare the effects of two or more distinct interventions.

Alternative-treatment design

What is the role of the institutional review board (IRB) in protecting human subjects?

An IRB exists within a university, medical center, or other institution to review research proposals and ensure that the study is safe and ethical for all participants

Which of the following does NOT serve as a definition of epistemology as it relates to qualitative research?

An empirical approach to defining true knowledge

The primary difference between an experimental and quasi-experimental study design is:

An experimental design includes subjects being randomly assigned to a condition group, whereas a quasi-experimental design does not

Documenting the study findings, a research establishes congruence between the study's hypothesis and the presentation of the data, findings, and interpretations, theoretical linkages, and conclusions drawn so that a clear cohesive link is established.

Analytical preciseness

Which of the following is NOT a step of a basic experiment?

Assigning participants into cohorts according to defined characteristics

When communicating the results of evidence to consumers, practitioners should be sure to do all of the following EXCEPT:

Be comprehensive, covering all details of the evidence thoroughly

There are several types of biases that can negatively impact qualitative studies. Which of the following would NOT be considered a bias relevant to qualitative data collection?

Biases related to having limited (or no) randomization with the selection of participants

Research studies are disseminated to the public for expanding knowledge; two characteristics related to this are their verifiability and replicability. Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding these two measures?

Both are specific only to quantitative studies

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps typically taken by researchers to plan and implement data collection?

Choosing a population of interest

When selecting personnel for data collection, which of the following would NOT likely be a primary consideration?

Choosing data collectors who share similarities in personality and temperament with the primary investigator to promote consistent communications

An approach where researchers take the stance taht knowlege (and theory) is relative to particular people and times; multiple social realities exist that are distributed across various segments of society and groups.

Critical theory

Several features characterize all qualitative research. Which of the following is NOT something it seeks to discover?

Data used to reinforce the observer's objectives/theories

According to the basic rules of measurement, numbers may be used to do all of the following EXCEPT:

Define a charactertistic

The steps involved in sampling include these five critical steps:

Define the population of interest, unit of analysis, performance site, and sampling approach, as well as implement the sampling procedures

The four steps involved in building a survey questionnaire include all of the following EXCEPT:

Defining a research question and proposed hypothesis

In descriptive research, a developmental study is conducted to:

Describe patterns of growth or change over time within selected segments of a population

When collecting data, a researcher ensures that he/she spends enough time at the study site. This allows the researcher to have enough familiarity with the subjects in order to adequately describe them.

Descriptive vividness

Which section of a research paper provides a reviewer with an abbreviated, critical appraisal of the study's methodological approach?

Discussion

Which of the following statements regarding the contemporary process for conducting research is false?

Empirical research methods produce evidence that is inherently value-free and benign

Which of the following would not be an aim of data collection when employing a qualitative observation approach?

Ensure the observer has integrated into the group

Which of the following would NOT be a correct consideration in data analysis when using graphs for single-subject studies?

Equal-interval graphs should be avoided due to their complexity and difficulty being understood

An approach that focuses on the social definitions and meanings of behavior or other phenomena through the naturally occurring language, insider's viewpoint and values, and cultural patterns

Ethnography

T/F: There is a linear sequence of activities that investigators follow when planning and implementing a study; these tasks build on one another an do not allow for reengagement with previous steps.

Fals

T/F: A researcher who combines ethnography with a field experiment can change the intervention midstream to reflect what he/she has learned from the participants without threatening the study's validity.

False

T/F: A unit of analysis refers to the scale of measurement utilized when analyzing the demographics of a sample.

False

T/F: All quantitative studies should have a research hypothesis.

False

T/F: Contemporary approaches to science regard theory as fact so that a scientist can disprove a theory.

False

T/F: Ethnography is concerned with sampling a population with strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.

False

T/F: In experimental design, subjects are assigned to one of two or more condition groups based on multiple criteria as selected by the investigator (e.g., subject demographics).

False

T/F: In experimental research, investigators manipulate a dependent variable in order to observe and measure the effect on any independent variables of interest.

False

T/F: Random sampling of subjects is not possible in survey research design.

False

T/F: The biggest danger to scientific development is a report to a relationship that does not exist. This is considered a type II error.

False

T/F: The possibility of failure to find and report a relationship among variables in a study when the relationship actually exists is a type I error.

False

T/F: The procedures used in implementing a survey do not have a large impact on the rigor of the investigation.

False

T/F: The selection of a research design weighs heavily on multiple forms of validity, except for internal validity, which is a factor independent of design considerations.

False

Which of the following statements is true in its description of gray literature?

Gray literature is information that is not published in usual formats such as journals

An approach that attempts to generate a theoretical understanding of a phenomenon by extracting meaning from social interactions, without direction from existing constructs or theory about the phenomena.

Grounded theory

The study's findings are directly applicable to practice; therefore, a researcher uses a description that is consistent with meanings and the knowledge base relevant to the field in writing about the phenomenon of interest.

Heuristic relevance

The primary advantages of the interview are:

High response rate and opportunity for clarification of questions

Which of the following is an example of an important question to ask in the "reflection and utilization" phase in participatory research?

How can the knowledge be disseminated to others?

Which is NOT a reason for piloting a questionnaire?

If the first five respondents fill in the questionnaire well, you may not need to undertake a study with more people

When calculating a sample size, which of the following statements is INCORRECT regarding the relationship among variables?

If variation in outcome increases, the sample size needs to decrease

Theoretical frameworks often serve as the basis for developing research questions, specific aims, and hypotheses. Which of the following would NOT be an outcome of explicitly stating the theoretical basis for a study?

It would ground the statistical precision of a study's methods

Regarding the training of key personnel as required by typical institutional review board (IRB) guidelines, which of the following statements is correct?

Key personnel must have adequate training and knowledge about the protection of human subjects and have annual continuing education

Which of the following is NOT one of the aspects of human experience that are explored through phenomenological study?

Lived objectivity (rationality)

Which of the following would NOT be included as a threat to construct validity?

Maturation

The process whereby investigators check out their assumptions and emerging interpretations of the data with the original stakeholders who provided the information is defined as:

Member checks

The statement of IRB approval, such as "The current study as been approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Florida," should appear in which section of a published research article?

Method

In writing the research article, a researcher ensures enough thoroughness with his/her documentation so that another researcher may replicate the study in confirmation of its findings.

Methodological congruence

A design that uses repeated measures of at least three baseline conditions that typically are implemented concurrently, with each successive baseline being longer than the previous one.

Multiple baseline design

Which of the following would NOT be something a researcher does when collecting data through an in-depth interview?

Negotiating and establishing a social identity in the setting

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of quantitative research?

Origins from fields that study people differences from the investigator, such as sociology

Which best describes a two-group pretest-posttest design?

Participants are assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group, with measures being taken for both groups before and after the intervention is administered to determine if they differ on the desired outcome

An approach combining research efforts and active intervention, which involves the participants as co-creators and co-investigators who shape the research questions, methods, and outcomes while at the same time transforming themselves and others within their immediate contexts in significant and enduring ways.

Participatory action research

What is the first step in the data analytic process a researcher is recommended to follow?

Perform a formal analysis or interpretation of one data source

An approach that focuses on the everyday life-world and gives great attention to the careful description of how the ordinary is experienced and expressed in the consciousness of individuals.

Phenomenology

There are three major ways in which to define and classify research. Which of the following is NOT one of the primary classifications?

Philosophical rigor

Which of the following philosophy considers that all knowledge is socially constructed and relative:

Postmodernism

An advantage of open-ended questions as compared to multiple-choice questions is that they:

Provide more variety of responses

You plan to conduct a focus group study to understand how neuropathy affects fine motor activities in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy. Which of the following best describe the research method that you plan to use:

Qualitative research

The philosophical foundations of research may be seen by their influence on contemporary research methods. Which of the following statements is true regarding this influence?

Quantitative approaches are consistent with the tradition of logical positivism

There are vast and numerous reasons why investigators are required to obtain information about a given subject. The two approaches typically taken are ready-reference and subject searching. Which of the following statements is true regarding these two processes?

Ready-reference searching is typically a closed-ended search process, whereas subject searching is an iterative and ongoing information-seeking process

Critical appraisal of literature typically assists with all of the following EXCEPT for which?

Refining a visual representation of the ideas to be contained in a paper

Which of the following would NOT be identified as a factor of potential response bias in survey research?

Respondents selected for the sample who elect not to respond

All of the following information can be identified in the abstract of a published research article, EXCEPT:

Running head

During qualitative data collection, the point of saturation occurs when:

The researcher is gaining little or no new information

What is a research question?

The specific knowledge that is being sought through a study

The quality of evidence in qualitative research can be determined by the following dimensions, EXCEPT:

The use of blinding

As part of the article's written discussion, a researcher demonstrates how the data specifically relates to concepts within an existing professional theory.

Theoretical connectedness

Scoping reviews have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT for which?

They act as a precursor to planned research or as an introduction to an executed study

Systematic reviews have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT for which?

They are presentations of new and advanced knowledge of the topic area

All of the following statements are true regarding type I errors EXCEPT:

They represent a failure to find an report a relationship among variables in a study, when a relationship actually exists

Which of the following research method can involve participants as co-investigators to shape the research questions and design?

Transformative research

T/F: A literature review should make apparent to the reader how the research represents a logical next step in building knowledge and/or how the research fills a critical gap in an area of knowledge.

True

T/F: A qualitative investigator's interpretation of a study's findings can be a highly creative process in which the researcher's theoretical background and knowledge of the subjects and their life contexts comes into play.

True

T/F: A two-group posttest-only randomized experiment relies on groups being probabilistically equivalent.

True

T/F: Blinding enhances the validity of an experiment's design.

True

T/F: For subject querying of bibliographic citation databases, concept expansion and concept contraction are often combined in tandem into an iterative process.

True

T/F: Historically, the most common method of collecting survey data was through mailed questionnaires.

True

T/F: If a systematic review includes studies other than randomized controlled trials, such as quasi-experimental studies, the level of evidence of this systematic review should not be considered as Level 1.

True

T/F: In general, closed-ended questions are more difficult to write than open-ended questions.

True

T/F: In preparing for data collection, the researcher (interviewer) should be trained on technical skills in interviewing, appropriate behaviors to gain access to a population, as well as interpersonal skills and behaviors.

True

T/F: Mixed-methods research represents a blend of philosophical perspectives, including primarily those of logical positivism, critical modernism, and postmodernism.

True

T/F: One of the most important and effective ways to reduce the measurement error of an assessment is to standardize it.

True

T/F: Participatory research seeks to empower participants to take a leadership role in the research process.

True

T/F: Post-qualification is typically done during the final steps of the information search process, and is done to focus the items within a retrieval set.

True

T/F: Qualitative studies, such as exploratory studies, may include an exploratory hypothesis or no hypothesis at all.

True

T/F: Research design refers to the guidelines and procedures outlined for conducting a study and thereby addressing a research question.

True

T/F: Some examples of different types of performance sites in OT research include university laboratory facilities, inpatient units, outpatient rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, and community-based organizations.

True

T/F: Specific aims and hypotheses should be derived from research questions that are framed by a research problem.

True

T/F: Specific to the profession of OT, "OT Search" is a bibliographic database that includes monographs, proceedings, reports, doctoral dissertations, master's theses, and most international OT journals.

True

T/F: The extent of rater bias assessed through investigation of inter-rater reliability.

True

T/F: There are multiple types of research articles that may be included in a peer-reviewed journal; some of which include literature reviews, experimental reports, case reports, and opinion papers.

True

T/F: Utilizing an existing validated measure for data collection (vs. developing your own measure) allows increased generalizability and provides an existing conceptual foundation.

True

Which of the following is NOT a method for increasing survey response rates?

Utilizing systematic random selection when sampling