Research Quiz 1

"On what sources of information do women at risk for cervical cancer rely?" is an example of a:

"On what sources of information do women at risk for cervical cancer rely?" is an example of a research question.

As a patient advocate, what is the nurse's role in carrying out research activities?

As patient advocate, the nurse's role is to determine that the study has been reviewed by the IRB.

Explanations of concepts or variables in terms of how they are defined in a particular study are referred to as:

Explanations of concepts or variables in terms of how they are defined in a particular study are referred to as operational definitions.

An example of a specialty journal is:

Specialty journals are devoted to a specific type of nursing. Oncology Nursing Forum is an example of a specialty journal.

A researcher wants to determine if nurses' levels of empathy for patients change after graduation from nursing school. The following groups are measured: new graduates, nurses who have worked for 2 years, and nurses who have worked for 5 years, on empathy toward patients with a comparison of scores. This study is:

A cross-sectional study collects data from a single point in time with no follow-up.

Journals that determine acceptance of manuscripts based on peer review are referred to as a:

A refereed journal accepts manuscripts based on peer review.

A research approach that involves prolonged residence with members of a culture being studied is often referred to as:

A research approach that involves prolonged residence with members of a culture being studied is often referred to as field work.

Which is false about research design?

A research design is a general, nonspecific approach to a particular study or precise question.

Research hypotheses are sometimes referred to as:

A research hypothesis may also be called an alternative hypothesis.

A group of individuals who collaborate on a research project from beginning to dissemination of findings are referred to as a:

A research team is a group of people that collaborate on a research project from beginning to dissemination of findings.

Sources of researchable problems can include:

A researchers own experience, practical issues that require solutions, theory, and past research are all sources of researchable problems

Which guideline for authoring a paper for publication is incorrect?

All authors review the final manuscript and take responsibility for the work.

Which nursing degree program has a focus on planning and launching independent programs of research?

An element of research-focused doctoral programs is planning and launching independent research programs.

Which of the following is not a word used to describe a category (or type) of nonexperimental research?

An interventional study is not a type of nonexperimental research.

A situation where the identity of subjects remains unknown to protect subjects participating in a study is referred to as:

Anonymity is a condition in which the identity of subjects remains unknown, even to the researcher, to protect subjects participating in a study and to promote objective results.

Pure or fundamental research is often referred to as:

Basic research is often referred to as pure or fundamental research.

Which finding might indicate a literature review is of poor quality?

Caution should be taken when the author uses mostly secondary sources because the description of a study may not be entirely accurate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an example of what type of literature source?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an example of a health-related internet directory.

Which of the following is characteristic of good theory or explanation?

Characteristics of good theory or explanation include that the theoretical framework is clearly identified, a sufficient amount of information is provided to demonstrate the problem, and concepts are clearly and operationally defined.

Control groups in experiments are used to:

Control groups allow a researcher to have a comparison for the effect of the independent variable.

Individuals who are available and volunteer as subjects in a research study are used in the sampling method called:

Convenience sampling does not use random selection. The researcher collects data from whoever is available and meets the study criteria.

Which statement about a hypothesis is false? A hypothesis predicts the relationship between two or more variables. Hypotheses guide scientific inquiry. Data collected must support the hypothesis. Some research studies do not require a hypothesis.

Data collected may support or refute the hypothesis

What form of reasoning is the process of drawing a specific conclusion from a set of premises?

Deductive reasoning is the process of drawing a specific conclusion from a set of premises.

Who is the current director of the National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR)?

Dr. Patricia Grady is the current director of the National Institutes of Nursing Research (NINR).

Which statement by a research study participant might indicate informed consent has not occurred?

During the informed consent process the subject is assured that consent can be withdrawn at any time without negative consequences.

Ethnography has its disciplinary origin in:

Ethnography has its disciplinary origin in anthropology.

5 ___________ is used to describe cultural characteristics of a group of people

Ethnography is used to describe cultural characteristics of a group of people.

A conscientious, explicit use of best evidence in making decisions about care is often termed:

Evidence-based medicine is a conscientious, explicit use of best evidence in making decisions about care.

Which type of theory is not grounded in empirical data?

Grand theories are complex and broad theories that are not grounded in empirical data.

7Grounded theory has its disciplinary origin in:

Grounded theory has its disciplinary origins in sociology.

Hypotheses in descriptive studies are usually:

Hypotheses are not needed for research that is classified as descriptive.

A statistical method that synthesizes findings from several studies is often referred to as:

Meta-analysis is a method that takes the results of many studies in a specific area and synthesizes their findings to draw conclusions regarding the state of the science in the area of focus.

The primary phenomena that are of interest to a particular discipline are termed:

Metaparadigm refers to the primary or central phenomena that are of interest to a particular discipline.

Knowledge is information acquired in a variety of different ways. Methods used to acquire this knowledge are referred to as:

Methods used to acquire new knowledge are ways of knowing

Which threat to internal validity refers to subjects dropping out of a study before it is completed?

Mortality, or attrition, refers to the loss of subjects from both experimental and control groups for various reasons.

What resource provides the latest information on evidence-based clinical practice guidelines?

National Guideline Clearinghouse provides the latest information on evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.

Nonexperimental research is often said to be weaker than experimental research in terms of:

Nonexperimental research is descriptive or exploratory in nature. Causal relationships may not be studied.

Reasons for a research-practice gap include all of the following except:

Nurses are encouraged by administration to embrace change in practice

Nursing practice that relies on evidence from research and integrates those findings into clinical thinking and decision making is called:

Nursing practice that relies on evidence from research and integrates those findings into clinical thinking and decision making is evidenced-based practice.

A systematic inquiry designed to develop knowledge about issues important to nursing is called:

Nursing research is a systematic inquiry designed to develop knowledge about issues important to nursing.

All of the following are examples of evidence electronic databases except:

NursingPlus is not an electronic database.

Which characteristic is unique to the scientific method and not associated with other ways of learning information?

Objectivity and the use of empirical data are unique to the scientific method and not associated with other ways of knowing.

One of the primary functions of theory is to:

One of the primary functions of theory is to suggest new relationships and make new predictions.

9Identify the independent variable in the following hypothesis: "Adults in an overweight group will have lower health responsibility scores compared to those in a normal weight group."

Overweight group versus normal weight group is the independent variable.

Which of the following does not apply to qualitative research?

Qualitative research ends with a literary description of an experience and its meaning

You decide to select a sample of 100 subjects of whom 10% will be African American, 10% Hispanic, and 80% white. Identify the appropriate sampling design.

Quota sampling is the type of sampling in which quotas are filled.

One of the strongest pieces of evidence a researcher can identify when addressing and answering clinical questions is the use of:

Randomized clinical trials provide the strongest level of evidence.

A study performed on hospitalized patients with the intention to change nursing practice is considered what type of research?

Research conducted to gain knowledge that can be used in a practical setting is referred to as applied research.

The selection of a sample for a research study affects the study's:

Selection of the sample can affect the external validity in terms of study design.

Identify the dependent variable in the following hypothesis: "Exercisers exhibit higher self-efficacy scores compared to nonexercisers."

Self-efficacy is the dependent variable.

Which of the following techniques yield a simple random sample?

Simple random sampling occurs when all subjects have an equal chance of being chosen.

Using theory-derived, research-based information to make decisions about care delivery to patients in consideration of individual needs and preferences is:

The conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of theory derived, research-based information in making decisions about care delivery to individuals or groups of patients and in consideration of individual needs and preferences is termed evidence-based nursing.

In developing a problem statement, a researcher speaks to each of the following except:

The development of the problem statement leads to the other steps of the research process, including research design.

The group that receives the experimental treatment condition is called the:

The experimental group receives the intervention/treatment

3 In which qualitative research approach is the primary goal to gain access to individuals' inner world of experience?

The goal of phenomenological research is to develop rich, full, insightful descriptions of the lived experience.

Which of the following statements best describes the problem statement, "To what extent do health practices influence the health of American citizens?"

The problem statement must identify variables that are measurable. The statement "To what extent do health practices influence the health of American citizens?" has concepts that are too vague to be measured

Investigators interested in the effects of nutrition on wound healing randomly assigned patients recovering from burn injuries to two groups. One group received protein supplements and the second group did not. The random assignment was used to:

The researcher randomly assigns subjects to control and experimental groups to eliminate the systematic influence of any other variable.

A researcher designs an experiment to test how variables interact to influence how well children learn. The main purpose of this study is:

The researcher who designs an experiment to test how variables interact to influence how well children learn is looking for an explanation.

At a minimum, the nurse as research consumer is expected to:

The role of the research consumer includes the ability to read and evaluate research reports. Nurses are increasingly expected to maintain this level of involvement with research.

The statement of purpose in a research study should:

The statement of purpose in a research study should identify the intent or objective of the study.

The supplemental protein in the above example is a(an):

The supplemental protein is the independent variable.

Which is not an essential feature of clinical trials?

Treatment group assignment is based on probability alone and not on the health-care provider's preference.

When a researcher uses a qualitative and quantitative approach to collecting data, this is referred to as:

Triangulation refers to the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data.

A null hypothesis is rejected when a study demonstrates a significant relationship between two variables

True Rejection of a null hypothesis indicates the possibility that a relationship exists.

All of the following groups deserve special protection as subjects in research, except:

Vulnerable research participants are those persons who are relatively or absolutely incapable of protecting their own interests and unable to provide meaningful informed consent.

A type of sampling in which the researcher handpicks cases to be included in the study is termed:

purposive sampling.

Which of the following statements is in the form of a null hypothesis?

"There is no difference between males and females on the variable quality of life" is a null hypothesis.

A research article written by someone other than the person who conducted the study is referred to as:

A secondary source is a brief description of a study written by someone other than the original author.

Computer database searches can be done:

Computer database searches can be done at the library, online at home, or on CD-ROM.

The element of confirmability concerned with faithful descriptions of the lived experience is:

Credibility requires that findings are faithful descriptions or interpretations of the lived experience.

One of the weakest pieces of evidence a researcher can identify when addressing and answering clinical questions is the use of:

Expert opinion is the weakest type of evidence.

12Which step comes first in a grounded theory study?

Grounded theory study begins with data collection.

What is considered the most important aspect of a good research design?

How one selects or arrives at sample selection is probably the single most important aspect of a good research design.

Hypotheses can be classified as:

Hypotheses can be classified as simple or complex, nondirectional versus directional; or research versus statistical.

A type of research method emphasizing the meaning of an experience is termed:

A research method that emphasizes the meaning of experience is termed qualitative research.

One of the largest biomedical research literature databases is

. MEDLINE is one of the largest biomedical research literature databases.

In which type of study does the researcher ask questions to elicit the essence of experiences?

. Meaningful questions eliciting the essence of experiences are asked by the phenomenological researcher.

Which of the following is an example of probability sampling?

A cluster sample is a type of probability sampling.

A concise, interrogative statement written in the present tense that includes one or more variables is called a:

A research questions is a concise, interrogative statement written in the present tense that includes one or more variables.

A form of qualitative statistical analysis that categorizes unit of meaning through a process of comparing incident to incident is termed:

A form of qualitative statistical analysis that categorizes unit of meaning through a process of comparing incident to incident is termed constant comparative method.

The term used to describe preconceptions and feelings about a phenomenon is called

Bracketing is the term used to describe preconceptions and feelings about a phenomenon.

The sample population for a study on immigrants in the United States was taken from Dallas and Miami. This type of sampling is called:

In cluster sampling, groups, not individuals are randomly selected. Selection of individuals from with those groups may be random.

A researcher doing fieldwork for an ethnographic study is working with informants and identifying major themes. Which phase of fieldwork is the researcher in?

In fieldwork phase II, the researcher is working with informants and identifying major themes.

An experimental design in which a single group of participants is pretested on a dependent variable and then posttested after the treatment has been administered is called:

In one group pretest-posttest design, a group of participants are pretested on a dependent variable and then posttested after the treatment condition has been administered.

A researcher randomly assigned individuals to the experimental group or the control group. This process is called:

In random assignment the researcher randomly assigns subjects being studied to the experimental group or the control group.

Which sampling method is the best way to select a group of subjects if you are interested in making statements about the larger population?

In random sampling each subject has an equal chance of being selected. Random sampling has the best chance of being representative of the larger population.

All members of a population have an equal chance of being selected as subjects in a research project. This is called:

In simple random sampling every subject has an equal and independent chance of being chosen.

You put all the names of the students in a class into a jar, mix them up, and draw out names of your subject. Identify the appropriate sampling design.

In simple random sampling every subject has an equal and independent chance of being chosen.

Determining the sample interval (represented by k), randomly selecting a number between 1 and k, and including each kth element in your sample are steps for which type of sampling method?

In systematic sampling every kth (where "k" is some convenient number) member of the population is selected into the sample.

9 Directly observing subjects in their natural settings is often referred to as:

Participant observation is a field work technique that involves direct observation of everyday life in the study of participant's natural settings and participation in their lifestyle and activities to the greatest extent possible.

Phenomenology has its disciplinary origin in:

Phenomenology has its disciplinary origin in philosophy.

Quantitative research uses the following methods of data collection except:

Quantitative nursing research uses approaches that can be quantified. Participant observation is used in qualitative research.

When judging grounded theory, the reader should look for all the following criteria except: 1.fit. 2.work. 3.saturation. 4.modifiability.

Saturation is not one of the four criteria for judging grounded theory

Which of the following is not a form of nonrandom sampling?

Snowball sampling, convenience sampling, and purposive sampling are all forms of nonrandom sampling.

The entire set of subjects being studied is termed the:

The population is the entire set of subjects being studied.

Nonprobability sampling is:

used when there is difficulty obtaining random access to populations.

Hierarchy of evidence from strongest (clinical trials) to weakest (opinion) is also referred to as:

Hierarchy of evidence from strongest (clinical trials) to weakest (opinion) is also referred to as appraising evidence.

Which of the following is not an example of a construct?

Higher level concepts that have nonobservable behaviors are called constructs. Grief has observable behaviors; therefore, it is not a construct

Higher-level concepts derived from theories that represent nonobservable behaviors are called:

Higher-level concepts derived from theories that represent nonobservable behaviors are called constructs.

Hypotheses that do not specify a particular direction in relation to variables under study are called:

Hypotheses that do not specify a particular direction in relation to variables under study are called nondirectional hypotheses.

Which of the following statements is not true of an Institutional Review Board (IRB)?

IRB members may be lawyers, clergy, or lay persons unaffiliated with the institution.

A good qualitative problem statement:

A good qualitative problem statement conveys a sense of emerging design.

A research design that examines relationships between and among variables is referred to as:

Correlational research is a research design that examines relationships between and among variables.

What is the preferred mode for communicating the latest results of a research study?

Journals are the preferred mode for communicating the results of a research study.

Which of the following describes a quantitative research design?

Measurement of variables is a characteristic of a quantitative research design.

Research that uses numbers to represent reality is termed:

Researchers often define quantitative research as that which uses numbers to define reality.

Striving for excellence in research with discipline, adherence to detail, and strict accuracy is called:

Rigor is the striving for excellence in research that involves discipline, scrupulous adherence to detail, and strict accuracy.

The nurse-theorist Sister Callista Roy is associated with what grand theory?

Sister Callista Roy is associated with the Roy Adaptation Model.

The Theory of Chronic Sorrow is an example of what type of theory?

The Theory of Chronic Sorrow is an example of a middle-range theory

What is the advantage of using abstracts when performing a literature search?

The advantage of using abstracts is to determine whether a reference is relevant before performing a full search.

As a general rule, researchers tend to use ____ level of significance.

The choice of a statistical measure varies depending on the nature of the data and the level of measurement appropriate for the data.

The feasibility of a study should be considered in light of:

The cost and time required to conduct the study, skills required of the researcher, and potential ethical concerns should all be considered when determining the feasibility of a study.

Which scientific method focuses on testing hypotheses developed from theory?

The deductive approach focuses on hypothesis developed from theory.

Which scientific approach moves from empirical observations to theories?

The inductive approach moves from specific observations to general statements that can be tested through research.

The term _____ is often referred to as a delay in using research findings in practice.

The term "research-practice gap" is often referred to as a delay in using research findings in practice

When critiquing a theoretical framework, which statement might indicate problems with the study?

The theoretical framework should be clearly identified.

A research hypothesis always:

A hypothesis predicts the relationship between two or more variables

A null hypothesis is also referred to as a(n):

A null hypothesis is also referred to as a statistical hypothesis.

A statement that clearly describes the problem, makes a case for why it needs to be investigated, and often culminates by having the researcher articulate the problem in question form is found in what section of a research proposal?

A statement that clearly describes the problem, makes a case for why it needs to be investigated, and often culminates by having the researcher articulate the problem in question form is found in the problem statement section of the research proposal.

A study that follows a cohort of subjects and collects data over time is referred to as:

A study that follows a cohort of subjects and collects over time is referred to as longitudinal.

A rigorous process of collecting and reviewing literature to answer a specific clinical question is called:

A systematic review is a rigorous process of collecting and reviewing the literature to answer a specific clinical question.

A variable that is relevant to a study but is not under investigation is called a(n):

A variable that is relevant to a study but is not under investigation is called an extraneous variable.

Which of the following is not a central concept in conceptual models of nursing?

Central concepts in conceptual models of nursing include person, environment, health, and nursing.

What is Grey literature?

Grey literature is the unpublished evidence that has not been included in commercial or academic databases, such as technical papers, statistical reports, and white papers.

An example of an abstract concept is:

Grief is an abstract concept.

In an experimental research study, the primary goal is to isolate and identify the effect produced by the:

In an experimental research study, the primary goal is to isolate and identify the effect produced by the independent variable.

Individuals who provide data in a research study are often referred to as the:

Individuals who provide data in a research study are often referred to as the sample.

Theories that are more specific than middle-range theories and identify specific guidelines for practice are called:

Practice theories are more specific than middle-range theories and identify specific guidelines for practice.

Providing subjects with an estimate of the potential risks in relation to the potential benefits is called the:

Providing subjects with an estimate of the potential risks in relation to the potential benefits is called the risk-benefit ratio.

Research that is done to examine findings of another researcher using the same variables but different subjects is referred to as:

Research that is done to examine findings of another researcher using the same variables but different subjects is referred to as replication.

The process by which knowledge generated from research becomes incorporated into clinical practice is termed:

Research utilization is the process by which knowledge generated from research becomes incorporated into clinical practice. Research utilization focuses on the application of research findings.

Which study may qualify for an expedited IRB review?

Studies that consist of routine noninvasive procedures or when the study can be conducted with interviews or review of existing records may be granted expedited review. The effect of a dark room on the quality of sleep in hospitalized patients would likely meet these criteria.

In the above example, the investigators measured the amount of wound granulation, the number of wound infections, and the extent of the burn injury area. What finding would be most important to the researchers in relation to successful random assignment?

The size of the burn injury is an extraneous variable that may affect the healing process (the dependent variable). A successful random assignment would have similar burn injuries in both groups.

Limitations associated with the science and practice of evidence-based medicine include all of the following except:

There is difficulty in getting practitioners to accept evidence and change practice.

Which of the following describes a qualitative research design?

Understanding of human action is a characteristic of a qualitative research design.