Research Exam III Practice Problems

Each item on the test using a 5-point Likert scale had a moderate correlation withe very other item on the test a. Kuder-Richardson coefficient b. Cronbach's alpha

Cronbach's alpha

In tests for reliability, the self-efficacy scale had a(n) _____ of 0.88 demonstrating internal consistency for the new measure.

Cronbach's alpha

measure of internal consistency for scale with dichotomous response format

KR-20

Each item on the true-false test had a moderate correlation with every other item on the test. a. Kuder-Richardson coefficient b. Cronbach's alpha

Kuder-Richardson

When a probability level is calculated as p<0.05 the investigator must reject the _____________ and accept the ___________.

Null hypothesis; research hypothesis

Class ranking---NOIR?

Ordinal

Height or weight---NOIR?

Ratio

Give an example of each of the two types of tests for stability

Test-retest could be accomplished by giving the same test again at a later date and seeing if the two scores are highly correlated; Parallel/alternate forms such as alternate forms of the same test could also be used to establish validity.

_______ occurs when the investigator concludes that there is a real (statistical significant) difference but, in reality, there is no difference (Type I or Type II)

Type I

________ occurs when the investigator does not find statistical significance but a real difference exists in the world (Type I or Type II)

Type II

Self-report measures are usually more useful than observation measures in obtaining information about which of the following? a. socially unacceptable or private behaviors b. complex research situations when it is difficult to separate processes and interactions c. when the researcher is interested in character traits d. all of the above

a. socially unacceptable or private behaviors

In conducting a research study, the researcher has a responsibility to ensure that all study subjects received the same information and data was collected from all participants in the same manner. a. True b. False

a. true

The researcher who invests significant amounts of time in the development of an instrument has a professional responsibility to publish the results. a. True b. False

a. true

Although it is acceptable to use multiple instruments within a research study, the study is more acceptable if only one method is used for data collection. a. True b. False

b. false

Social desirability is seldom a concern for researchers when the data collection method used in the study is interviews. a. True b. False

b. false

Consistency of observations between two or more observers is known as a. intra-rater reliability b. inter-rater reliability c. consistency reliability d. repetitive reliability

b. inter-rated reliablity

Collection of data from each subject in the same or in a similar manner is known as a. repetition b. dualism c. consistency d. recidivism

c. consistency

Which of the following is not consistent with a Likert-scale? a. it contains close-ended items b. it contains open-ended items c. it contains lists of statements d. items are evaluated on the amount of agreement

c. it contains lists of statements

In a research study, a participant observer spent regularly scheduled hours in a homeless shelter and occasionally stayed overnight. The people staying in the home were told that this person was conducting a research study. The researcher freely engaged in conversation and openly observed the homeless. What is the observational role of the researcher? a. concealment without intervention b. concealment with intervention c. no concealment without intervention d. no concealment with intervention

c. no concealment without intervention

a statistical test for differences in proportions is the _____ test

chi-squared

__________ raises ethical questions (especially informed consent issues); therefore, it is not often used in nursing; this can be used in children with parental consent; if ever used there must be a debriefing periods following the study

concealment

The ABC social support scale demonstrated _____ validity with correlation of 0.84 with XYZ interpersonal relationship scale a. Convergent b. Concurrent c. Content

concurrent

validity also known as criterion-related

concurrent

validity that supports the underlying meaning of the concept within a theoretical framework

construct

_______ of the instrument was evaluated by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Sample sizes for EFA & CFA were 632 & 578, respectively a. content validity b. construct validity c. concurrent validity

construct validity

The investigator established _______ validity through evaluation of the cardiac recovery scale by a panel of cardiac clinical nurse specialists. All items were rated 0-5 for importance to recovery and only items scoring above and average of 3 were kept in the final scale. a. Convergent b. Concurrent c. Content

content

validity that considers the domain of a given construct-- determined by expert review

content

_______ validity was supported with a correlation of 0.42 between the ABC social support scale and the QRS loneliness scale a. Convergent b. Concurrent c. Content

convergent

When investigators are studying the association between variables, they often will use statistics to measure the ________

correlation

two comparable forms of the same test

equivalence

validity that is determined by correlation of two measures of the same construct

criterion-related

measure of internal consistency for scale with Likert-type response items

cronbach's alpha

A researcher desires to use a questionnaire in a study but cannot find one that will gather the information desired about a particular variable. The decision is made to develop a new instrument. Which of the following should the researcher do? a. define the construct, formulate the items, and assess the items for content validity b. develop instructions for users and pilot the instrument c. estimate reliability and validity d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Answering research questions pertaining to psychosocial variables can best be answered by using which data-gather technique(s)? a. observation b. interviews c. questionnaires d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Scientific observations should fulfill which of the following conditions? a. observations are consistent with the study objectives b. observations are standarized and systemically recorded c. observations are checked and controlled d. all of the above

d. all of the above

To evaluate the adequacy of various data collection methods, which of the following should be observed in the written research report? a. clear identification of the rationale for selecting a physiological measure b. the problems of bias and reactivity are addressed with observational measures c. there is a clear explanation of how interviews were conducted and how interviewers were trained. d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Which of the following would be considered advantages of using existing records or available data to answer a research questions? a. the use of available data reduces the risk of researcher bias in data collection b. time involvement in the research study can be reduced by the use of available records or data c. consistent collection of information over periods of time allows the researcher to study trends d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Which of the following would be considered disadvantages of using observational data collection methods? a. individual bias may interfere with data collection b. ethical concerns may be increasingly significant to researchers using observational data collection methods c. individual judgments and values influence the perceptions of the observers d. all of the above

d. all of the above

What is a primary advantage of physiological measures? a. the measuring tool never affects the phenomena being measured b. it is one of the easiest types of methods to implement c. it is unlikely that study participants/subjects can distort the physiological information d. their objectivity, sensitivity, and precision e. all of the above

d. their objectivity, sensitivity, and precision

statistics that summarize and describe data

descriptive

validity that verifies that the instrument gives the appearance of measuring a concept- may be done by colleagues or small sample of subjects

face

_______ is a rudimentary type of validity testing where colleagues, experts, or subjects read the instrument to evaluate if it reflects the concept the researcher is trying to measure a. concurrent validity b. divergent validity c. face validity

face validity

statistics that analyze data and test hypotheses

inferential

The observations were rate by three experts. The ________ reliability among the observers was 94% a. Test-retest b. Inter-rater

inter-rater

reliability that demonstrates consistency of observations between two observers

inter-rater

_______ _______ is the consistency of observations between two or more observers

inter-rater reliability

Body temperature measured with centigrade thermometer---NOIR?

interval

equal intervals without meaningful zero

interval

scores on the ACT---NOIR?

interval

_______ are best used when a large response rate and an unbiased sample are important

interviews

_____-____ is a format that uses closed-ended items, and there are a fixed number of alternative responses

likert-scale

scale where respondents indicate whether they "strongly agree", "agree", "disagree" or "strongly disagree"

likert-type

most frequent score

mode

Blood type---NOIR?

nominal

Gernder---NOIR?

nominal

Use or nonuse of contraception---NOIR?

nominal

amount of emesis---NOIR?

nominal

dichotomous or categorical level

nominal

The ________ states that there is no difference between the groups in the study

null hypothesis

extent to which an instrument yields the same results on repeated measures

reliability

relative ranking

ordinal

characteristics of a population

parameter

The term _______ refers to a characteristic of the population, while the term ______ refers to a characteristics of a sample drawn from a population.

parameters; statistics

_____________ methods use technical instruments to collect data about patients' physical, chemical, microbiological

physiological

____________ measurements are especially useful when there are a finite number of questions to be asked and the questions are clear & specific

questionnaires

Confusion existed among the evaluators on how to score the wound healing-- random error or systemic error

random

the subjects were nervous about taking the psychological tests

random

Body temperature measured with Kelvin thermometer---NOIR?

ratio

Number of feet or meters walked---NOIR?

ratio

rank ordering with equal intervals and a meaningful zero

ratio

The tendency for statistics to fluctuate from one sample to another is known as the ______

sampling error

respond to questions in a way to make a positive impression

social desirability

type of reliability measured by test-retest

stability

Three concepts related to reliability include:

stability, homogeneity, and equivalence

characteristic of a sample

statistic

Students chose the socially acceptable responses on an instrument to assess attitudes toward AIDS pts-- random error or systemic error

systemic

The scale used to obtain daily weights was inaccurate by 3 lbs. less than actual weight-- random error or systemic error?

systemic

To assess _______ reliability, subjects completed the locus of control questionnaire at the beginning of the project and 2 weeks later. The correlation of 0.86 supports the stability of the concept. a. Test-retest b. Inter-rater

test-retest

whether a measurement instrument accurately measures what it is supposed to measure

validity

used to compare scores in standard units

z scores