Stats Practice Quizzes

What is one reason for a researcher to conduct observational research? A. When trying to determine if one type of health information system is superior to another health information system B. When trying to determine if a particular intervention works for a specific disease C. When trying to develop sample questions for a new survey

A. When trying to determine if one type of health information system is superior to another health information system Rationale: Observational research is usually conducted when there is little known about the study subject; when the researcher is studying relationships between the research participants and the setting; or when the researcher is studying a transitional program and the change or impact it may have on research study participants 'attitudes, feelings, and behaviors. It also can be used as a background for larger quantitative studies or it can stand alone, especially when studying a topic for the first time.

Indicate whether the observational study used is cross-sectional, retrospective, or prospective: Marijuana Study Researchers from the National Institutes of Health want to determine the current rates of marijuana consumption among adults living in states that have legalized the use of marijuana. They conduct a survey of 500 adults in those states.

Cross-Sectional Cross sectional study: Data are observed, measured, and collected at one point in time. Retrospective study: Data are collected from the past by going back in time (examine records, interviews, ...) . Prospective (or longitudinal or cohort) study: Data are collected in the future from groups sharing common factors (called cohorts)

What is the difference between statistical significance and practical significance? A. In Practical Significance, a result is very unlikely to occur by chance B. In Statistical Significance, a result is very unlikely to occur by chance C. In Practical Significance, it is possible that some treatment or finding is effective, but common sense might suggest that the treatment or finding does not make enough of a difference to justify its use or to be practical. D. In Statistical Significance, it is possible that some treatment or finding is effective, but common sense might suggest that the treatment or finding does not make enough of a difference to justify its use or to be practical. E. Both B and C F. Both A and D

E. Both B and C

T/F: We should expect that when we take our treatment out into the real world, we will get as good results as we got in our research study.

False Getting good results in a research study depends on subject compliance. Compliance is usually better during a research study, than when the treatment is applied out in the real world.

T/F: If you randomly select your subjects from your desired population, you will avoid having subjects who are volunteers.

False Just because a subject is chosen does not mean that they must be in your research study. Subjects go through a consent process and sign an informed consent document, and in this sense they volunteer to be in the study.

This study examined the relationship between awareness of disability and occupational performance in a group of elderly persons during the year after stroke. Data was collected using tools measuring activities of daily living and process ability at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after stroke in the participants homes. There was an awareness of disability and ADL process ability over the four periods of the study. T/F Question: This research has an experimental design.

False The researchers are observing and measuring a group of stoke patients over time. This is an observational study. The researchers are not doing an intervention, they are not comparing groups, there is no manipulation of an independent variable, and they have pre-planned how and when they are collecting the data.

Determine whether the sampling method appears to be sound or is flawed: Clinical Trials Researchers at Yale University conduct a wide variety of clinical trials by using subjects who volunteer after reading advertisements soliciting paid volunteers.

Flawed The samples are voluntary response samples and have potential for being flawed, but this approach might be necessary due to ethical considerations involved in randomly selecting subjects and somehow imposing treatments on them.

Determine whether the sampling method appears to be sound or is flawed: Nuclear Power Plants In a survey of 1368 subjects, the following question was posted on the USA Today website: "In your view, are nuclear plants safe?" The survey subjects were Internet users who chose to respond to the question posted on the electronic edition of USA Today.

Flawed. The sample is a voluntary response sample and has strong potential to be flawed.

Determine whether the sampling method appears to be sound or is flawed: NHANES Examinations In a recent year, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), sponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics, selected more than 9000 subjects who were given physical exams. Subjects were selected through a somewhat complicated procedure designed to obtain results that are representative of the population.

Sound The sampling method appears to be sound.

Determine whether the sampling method appears to be sound or is flawed: Health In a survey of 3014 randomly selected U.S. adults, 45% reported that they have at least one chronic health condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

Sound. The sampling method appears to be sound.

T/F: Subjects may experience positive results because they know that they are in a research study. This is called a placebo effect.

True A placebo effect is when a subjects gets the results of the study without being in the treatment group and getting the treatment.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model program designed to increase productive participation among people living with HIV/AIDS within supportive-living facilties. Because services were provided in supportive living facilities, it was not feasible to assign residents in the same facilty to different conditions. Two facilties from four available facilties were chosen by the researchers to be sites for the new program, while the remaining two were site for the standard program. Data was measured at 3 time points: 3, 6, 9 months. T/F Question: This is an experimental design.

True Even though the subjects were not randomly divided into the two groups, the researchers were responsible for which facilities got the new program and which got the standard program. We would call this study quasi-experimental.

This study explored the experiences of people with schizophrenia who were part of a supported-employment program. Seven participants were interviewed individually with open-ended questions. Three themes emerged from the data. 1) removing barriers to job seeking, 2) improving psychological well-being, and participating in work. T/F Question: This study has a qualitative design.

True The data was collected by interview asking the participants about their experiences in the program. The themes came from the data after the data was collected.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model program designed to increase productive participation among people living with HIV/AIDS within supportive-living facilties. Because services were provided in supportive living facilities, it was not feasible to assign residents in the same facilty to different conditions. Two facilties from four available facilties were chosen by the researchers to be sites for the new program, while the remaining two were site for the standard program. Data was measured at 3 time points: 3, 6, 9 months. T/F: Time is a repeated measure factor with 3 levels.

True Time is a factor (independent variable) which was measured at 3 time points (3 levels). Since all subjects got measured at each of the time points, time is a repeated measures factor

T/F: If we select our subjects from a clinical setting, we may not have a representative sample of the general population and so should not generalize to the general population.

True When we conveniently get subjects from a clinic, they may be different from the general population. Subjects who come to clinics are often sicker, and are more apt to have insurance than those who don't come.

_____________ ____________ has a natural zero, while _____________ _____________ does not.

ratio data interval data

_____________ _____________ makes the quantity twice as large, but not _____________ _____________ .

ratio data interval data

Name the type of sample: A ______________ is a sample in which the respondents themselves decide whether to be include or not.

self-selected other possible answers: voluntary response sample - self selected sample - self-selected sample - voluntary response - self selected - self-selected

In a survey of 1046 adults conducted by Bradley corporation, subjects were asked how often they wash their hands when using a public restroom, and 70% of the respondents said "always". The sample is ______________________ , while the population is _______________________.

1046 adults all adults A sample is defined as "a subcollection of members selected from a population are called samples." A population is defined as "the complete collection of all individuals (scores, people, measurements, and so on) to be studied; the collection is complete in the sense that it includes all of the individuals to be studied."

What is the major difference between the case study and ethnographic analysis? A. Case study is more objective than the ethnographic analysis B. Case study collects more quantitative data than the ethnographic analysis C. Ethnographic analysis collects more quantitative data than that case study

A. Case study is more objective than the ethnographic analysis Rationale: Ethnographic research tends not to be objective, and researchers who conduct ethnographic research may have different conclusions about the same population studied. This is all part of the unique characteristics of ethnography. This is because every ethnographer has different backgrounds and ideas and therefore no two ethnographers will examine a specific culture or organization the same way.

External validity or Internal validity A. Asks "Is the conclusion that I draw for the group of subjects in my study true for a larger group of individuals?" B. Asks "Is the conclusion that I make for the subjects in the study true for the subjects in the study?"

A. External validity B. Internal Validity

Match the following to the question: Testing, History, Maturation, Mortality, Instrumentation, Regression to the Mean, Diffusion of Treatment A. Related to events that happen in the "real" world during the time subjects are in our study. B. Subjects in the control group receive information from study subjects or others that allow them to get parts of the treatment. C. Changes that happen within the subject over time such as aging and fatigue. D. Subjects drop out of the study, or do not return a questionnaire or survey. E. Changes in the variable that is being measured due to the process or because of taking a measurement. F. Changes in the instrument, such as going out of calibration, or in the person taking the measurement, such as moving up a learning curve. G. Can happen when the actual values of a variable, such as blood pressure, change due to time, activities or other conditions.

A. History B. Diffusion of Treatment C. Maturation D. Mortality E. Testing F. Instrumentation G. Regression to the Mean

When a researcher is a part of the environment he or she is observing and is assessing how well employees in healthcare facilities abide by HIPAA, the researcher is using this type of observational research: A. Participant observation B. Focused interview C. Non-participant observation D. Simulation

A. Participant observation

Observational research strives to examine _______________ rather than the progression of a particular disease or system. A. Perceptions, interactions, attitudes and feelings B. Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio data of ethnographic research C. The individual case study approach D. Group dynamics, conflicts, and resolutions

A. Perceptions, interactions, attitudes and feelings Rationale: Observational research or qualitative research allows the investigator to get to know the nuts and bolts of the study subject, program, or facility. This type of research strives to examine the perceptions, interactions, feelings, and attitudes rather than the progression of a particular disease or system. By collecting these types of data, observational or qualitative research also adds depth, substance, and meaning to the results.

What is one of the flaws of participant observation? A. Small sample size B. Low response rate C. Results may be biased or inaccurate D. Can only use logistic regression to analyze data

A. Small sample size SHOULD BE C. RESULTS MAY BE BIASED OR INACCURATE. Rationale: What is important to determine with participant observation is whether the openness, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors will truly be observed when the participant is also the observer. Since they are also part of the environment in which they are observing their opinions may be biased or inaccurate.

This is the ability of the observational researcher to examine all textual data collected and detect the number of recurrent terms to determine emerging themes and factors reflective of the culture or institution examined. It is called a(n): A. Constant comparative method B. Content analysis C. Incident comparability D. Cluster analysis

B. Content analysis Rationale: Content analysis is the ability of the observational researcher to examine all textual data collected and detect the number of recurrent terms to determine emerging themes and factors reflective of the culture or institution examined.

This type of observation examines behaviors that occur naturally in the normal environment. It is useful to see if a person is following a particular policy or procedure or if they are using a specific software system correctly. Participants should not know what the researcher is observing in order to simulate the "normal" environment. It is called a(n): A. Simulation observation B. Naturalistic observation C. Usability study D. Institutional case study

B. Naturalistic observation Rationale:Researchers use naturalistic observation when recording behaviors or events that occur naturally in the normal environment. They may choose this type of observation when they want to know if individuals are following a specific procedure, rule, law, or policy. Another concern of the naturalistic observation method is that the study subjects normally should not know what researchers are observing or when they will be observing them.

Ethnographic research follows a _________ that continues until the entire culture or organization is known very well. A. Pattern B. Map C. Cycle D. Guide

C. Cycle Rationale: Ethnographic research tends to move in a cycle. Figure 3.6 demonstrates how this occurs. First, the researcher begins by reviewing the literature and developing tentative hypotheses rather than one that is easily tested. Second, the researcher collects data through field notes, interviews, and documents, and then analyzes and organizes the information. As this occurs, the ethnographic researchers revise their tentative hypotheses and create new hypotheses. Once the new hypotheses are created, the researcher sets out to collect more data to answer questions about the new tentative hypotheses. This cycle continues until the entire culture or organization is known extremely well, and developing hypotheses and research questions are answered.

Naturalistic observation, simulation observation, and case study are all examples of which type of observation? A. Participant observation B. Correlation observation C. Non-participant observation D. Standardized interviews

C. Non-participant observation Rationale: Non-participant observation usually includes three different types: naturalistic observation, simulation observation, and case study.

Indicate whether the observational study used is cross-sectional, retrospective, or prospective: Nurses' Health Study II Phase II of the Nurses' Health Study was started in 1989 with 116,000 female registered nurses. The study is ongoing.

Prospective Cross sectional study: Data are observed, measured, and collected at one point in time. Retrospective study: Data are collected from the past by going back in time (examine records, interviews, ...) . Prospective (or longitudinal or cohort) study: Data are collected in the future from groups sharing common factors (called cohorts)

Quantitative research, qualitative research, or both? Investigating the effects of observing violence by analysing and interpreting children's drawings after they have watched violent cartoons on televison.

Qualitative research

Quantitative research, qualitative research, or both? Observing the effects of using a treat as a reward to teach a dog to sit on command

Qualitative research

Quantitative research, qualitative research, or both? Using a written questionnaire with closed-ended questions (eg. Yes/No) to survey a large number of bushfire victims who may be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder

Qualitative research

Quantitative research, qualitative research, or both? Observing whether drivers conform to road rules by counting the number of drivers who disobey a stop sign at an intersection

Quantitative research

Quantitative research, qualitative research, or both? Testing the relationship between the scores on an intelligence test and scores on a personality test

Quantitative research

Indicate whether the observational study used is cross-sectional, retrospective, or prospective: Heart Health Study Samples of subjects with and without heart disease were selected, then researchers looked back in time to determine whether they took aspirin on a regular basis.

Retrospective Cross sectional study: Data are observed, measured, and collected at one point in time. Retrospective study: Data are collected from the past by going back in time (examine records, interviews, ...) . Prospective (or longitudinal or cohort) study: Data are collected in the future from groups sharing common factors (called cohorts)

Identify each of the following as quantitative or categorical: a. Country of origin b. Jellybean flavors c. Facebook user d. Amount of oil spilled

a. categorical b. categorical c. quantitative d. quantitative A quantitative variable is a variable that takes on numerical values upon which arithmetic operations may be meaningfully performed. A categorical (qualitative) variable is a variable that may be classified into categories.

Identify each of the following as discrete or continuous data: a. The numbers of people entered a Loma Linda hospital to do their annual check up. b. The exact heights (cm) of a random sample of statistics students c. The exact times that randomly selected students spend studying for their midterm exam during the past 7 days

a. discrete b. continuous c. continuous Discrete variables can take either a finite or a countable number of values (e.g. number of patients, length of hospital stay in days) Continuous variables can take infinitely many values, forming an interval on the number line (e.g. height, blood pressure)

Identify each of the following as nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio: a. Volumes (cm3) of brains listed in Data Set 9 "IQ and Brain Size" in Appendix B b. Blood lead levels of low, medium, and high used to describe the subjects in Data Set 8 "IQ and Lead" in Appendix B c. Body temperatures (in degrees Fahrenheit) listed in Data Set 2 "Body Temperatures" in Appendix B. d. Instead of using actual names, subjects included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey are coded with consecutive numbers. e. A research project on the effectiveness of heart transplants begins with a compilation of the U.S. hospitals that provide heart transplants. f. Charges A research project on the effectiveness of heart transplants begins with a compilation of the charges (dollars) for heart transplant procedures that were conducted within the past year. g. A research project on the effectiveness of heart transplants includes rankings (scale of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) of physicians who perform those procedures. h. Pfizer records the years in which new products were launched, beginning with 1849.

a. ratio b. ordinal c. interval d. ordinal e. nominal f. ratio g. ordinal h. ordinal Nominal data consists of names, labels, or categories. (e.g. fruit types, gender, opinions from interviews, symptoms of a patient Ordinal data can be arranged in a particular order (at least 3 categories). (e.g. likert scale, rank in order from high to low, how often?) Interval data are similar to ordinal data, with the property that subtraction may be carried out on interval data. (temperature, IQ scores, shoe size, standardized exam scores) Ratio data are similar to interval data, with the property that division may be carried out on ratio data. (height, weight, age, distance, hospital visits)

Identify whether the following is a statistic or a parameter: a. The average (mean) volume of the brain is 1126.0 cm^3 b. A recent California Health Interview Survey included 2799 adolescent residents of California c. A data set includes measurements from 25 king-size cigarettes is 1.26 mg d. A deadly disaster in the US was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in NYC. A population of 146 garment workers died in that fire

a. static b. static c. static d. parameter A statistic is a numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a sample. A parameter is a numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a population.

Choose from the following: nominal, quantitative-discrete, quantitative-continuous, or ordinal. Pain recorded as yes or no is __________________ Pain measured on a scale from 0 to 10 is ___________________ Units of coursework that you are registered for this quarter is ________________________ Miles you drive to school is _____________________ Heart rate is _________________________ and systolic blood pressure is ______________________

nominal ordinal quantitative-discrete quantitative-continuous quantitative-discrete quantitative-continuous Yes/no questions are on the nominal scale, that is they put subjects into unordered categories. Pain measure on a scale from 0-10 order the pain data, so it is ordinal. The number of units that you are taking is based on a unit and is a whole number or might be 1/2 unit, but certainly cannot take on all values in an interval, so it is quantitative-discrete. Miles you drive to school, is also based on a unit (the mile) and could be recorded to any number of decimal places, that is, it could take on any value in a interval of values, so it is quantitative-continuous. Heart rate counts beats per minute and is quantitative-discrete, while systolic blood pressure is in mmHg, so can take on any value in an interval of values, and is quantitative-continuous.