Chapter 6: Selecting an Appropriate Research Design

Which variable is what you are *interested in* or what you are looking for?

Outcome

Qualitative research shows what in an article?

Patient preferences

Both quantitative and qualitative research contribute knowledge for ________________.

Practice

Which research searches for variables that can explain or predict an outcome?

Predictive research

The basis for design selection are what things?

Purpose to be achieved Ethical limitations *Measurements Needed* Researcher skills and resources Time frame Amount of control needed Ultimate audience

What does a correlation research quantify?

Quantifies strength and direction of a relationship

Which research study is all about control?

Quantitative

Which design do you find more of than an experimental design?

Quasi-experimental

When comparing the effectiveness of designs, you are trying to answer what?

Real-World questions - relies on observational studies

The overall approach to the study that details all the major components describing how the research will be carried out

Research design

Bias in research may be due to:

Researcher Measurements Subjects Procedures Analysis Extraneous Variables

Both quantitative and qualitative research is characterized by what?

Rigorous attention to scholarly nature of work

Extraneous variables are what type of explanations for an outcome?

Rival explanations -Threats to internal validity -Threats to external validity

A design should articulate what 4 things?

Sampling strategy Measurement strategy Data collection plan Data analysis plan

Quantitative research shows what in an article?

The effectiveness (how effective) -What do the patient's like?

When an article is peer reviewed, this gives us what?

The strongest basis

For example: ______________________ causes a change in a _______________ and it isn't possible that the ________________ could cause a change in ___________________.

Time spent studying causes a change in a test score and it isn't possible that the test score could cause a change in time spent studying The time spent studying is the independent The test score is the dependent variable

Both quantitative and qualitative research are important for ___________________.

Usability

The strongest evidence are found where?

Well-designed clinical trials *Randomized* experimental designs Multiple studies reporting replicable findings Meta-analysis or meta-synthesis

Both quantitative and qualitative research are strongest when?

When peer reviewed

What is the biggest bias in a research?

When subjects are being *paid* to participate in the experiment

A non-experimental design is used when?

When very little is known about the research question

What are the 3 phases of design?

- *Identify* assumptions about the knowledge to be gained from the study - *Select* a design that serves the purpose of the study -*Develop* detailed plans for implementation of the study

Both quantitative and qualitative research aim for what?

-Aim for reliability and trustworthiness of results -Aim for generalizability or transferability - *Look for at the end of a study*

What are the ways to deal with extraneous variables?

-Eliminate them -Control them -Own up to them -not part of the planned research

What are the assumptions about knowledge needed for a quantitative research design?

-Measure the effectiveness of intervention -Test a theory of relationships -Describe a phenomenon with objective precision

What are the assumptions about knowledge needed for a qualitative research design?

-Understand social relationships -Determine the meaning of events and phenomenon

Exploratory design *explores* and describe what?

A given phenomenon

Examples of predictive research:

ACT Master's degree have you take the GRE

Which classification of design is the relationship between *variables* has been posed, and the study is designed to test the relationship statistically while minimizing bias?

Confirmatory

What 2 types of research examines relationships?

Correlational Predictive

What are the design decisions?

Demands of the research question -Helps with design decisions Nature of the variables Researcher skills and knowledge Time Frame Amount of control needed The needs of the ultimate audience

Which variable is the *effect* or what you are going to manipulate?

Dependent variable

Types of Variables:

Descriptive Independent Dependent Outcome Extraneous

A non-experimental is what type of research?

Descriptive (exploratory)

Which variable describes the sample, a description of subjects demographics?

Descriptive variable

What are the 2 types of classifications of design?

Exploratory Confirmatory

What type of variable are *suppressor variables*?

Extraneous variables

The effect must precede the cause T/F?

False The *cause* must precede the *effect*.

The critical element is the link between what 2 things?

Between the research question and study design

True finding distorted due to a factor other than the one studied

Bias in Research

When comparing the effectiveness of designs, you respond to demand for evident that is useful and rigorous. We call these _________________ designs

Effectiveness designs

When comparing the effectiveness of designs, you are doing what?

Encompassing generation of evidence and its synthesis Relies on *observational studies*

Which design is the truest form of the best research you can do?

Experimental design

What are the designs that *examine causality*?

Experimental design Quasi-experimental Casual-Compartive design/case control Time series design

Which classification of design is classified as *descriptive* even if they may describe relationships and associations?

Exploratory

Which variable is the *cause*, intervention, treatment, one being manipulated?

Independent variable

_____________ variable causes a change in the ______________ variable and it isn't possible that the _____________ variable could cause a change in the ____________ variable

Independent variable causes a change in the Dependent variables and it isn't possible that the Dependent variable could cause a change in the Independent variable

Can a design be changed after it has been picked?

No You make sure what you want to do, the design is correct

Which research is designed to describe in detail some process, event, or outcome?

Non-experimental

What are the most common *descriptive designs*?

Survey design Cross-sectional study Longitudinal study Case study Single-Subject design Phenomenology Ethnography Correlational study

Conditions to establish causality:

The cause must precede the effect The probability that the cause influenced the effect must be established Rival explanations for the effect must be ruled out Independent variable should determine if the dependent variable worked