Review Questions - Chapter 06

Which statement by a fellow student best describes a confounding variable?

"A variable that cannot be controlled." A confounding variable is a special subtype of extraneous variable, but it is unique in that it is embedded in the study design because it is intertwined with the independent variable. The only way to control for the effects of a confounding variable is to operationally define the independent variable in a different way before the start of a study

Which terms best describe the following hypothesis? Guided-imagery relaxation produces lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and lower perceived anxiety levels in adults practicing the technique, compared with those not using the technique

Complex, causal, directional The hypothesis is a complex hypothesis, since it has more than two variables. It is also causal, since it is indicating a cause-and-effect relationship (i.e., that the intervention will result in lower heart rate and blood pressure and less anxiety). It is also directional, since it predicts that the value of the second variable will be lower with the treatment (intervention). It is also a research (rather than null) hypothesis

A variable that occurs with an intervention and alters the causal relationship between the intervention and the outcome(s) is called which of the following?

Confounding variable A confounding variable is a special subtype of extraneous variable that is intertwined with the independent variable

What type of research objective is the following statement? The aim of this research is to identify the extent to which a community sample of adolescent females in grades 9 through 12 in a public school report a desire to become pregnant during adolescence.

Description Research objectives that focus on description aim to describe a variable in a selected population. In the objective above, the variable to be described is the level of desire for pregnancy in the adolescent years.

Demographic variables are attributes of subjects that are collected to allow the researcher to do which one of the following?

Develop a description or profile of the sample. Demographic variables are subject characteristics measured during a study and used to describe a sample. In nursing research, common demographic variables are age, gender, and ethnicity, which define the population represented by the sample. Thorough description of the sample guides the researcher in making appropriate generalizations, conclusions, and recommendations at the study's end

In a study examining cause-and-effect interactions, what is the name of the variable that is the stimulus or activity to be varied (the "cause") to create an effect on the outcome?

Independent variable The independent variable is the one that is manipulated to create an impact or effect on the dependent or outcome variable. In intervention studies, the independent variable is most often the "type of intervention received," with two or more interventions being included. The experimental group is given the "experimental" intervention(s) (note that there may be more than one experimental intervention), and the other group is given the "control" or standard intervention

Select the independent and dependent variable(s) in the following statement: New graduate nurses who participate in a structured mentoring program during their first 6 months of employment will report higher levels of job satisfaction and report less intention to leave their jobs at 1 year than new graduate nurses who do not participate in the structured mentoring program.

Independent: participation/no participation. Dependent: job satisfaction and intention to leave job The independent variable is the one manipulated by the researcher; the dependent one is the result of the researcher's manipulation

In most research reports the researcher states at least one hypothesis. Which of the following is true of the statistical or null hypothesis?

It specifies there is no relationship or no interaction between variables being studied. The null hypothesis states that there is no interaction or relationship among or between variables. The null hypothesis (H0), also referred to as a statistical hypothesis, is used for statistical testing and interpretation of results. Even if the null hypothesis is not stated, it may be derived by stating its opposite

Research hypotheses may be classified in terms of being simple or complex. In stating that he or she is testing a complex hypothesis, what is the researcher saying?

More than two variables are included in the hypothesis to be addressed. A complex hypothesis predicts the relationship among three or more variables. It may be either causal or associative. Associations or interactions between more than two variables will be tested in this hypothesis, thus it is a complex hypothesis. A simple hypothesis would include two variables

Heart rate was recorded from the electrocardiographic (EKG) digital display. This is an example of which of the following?

Operational definition Operationally defining a concept converts it to a variable and establishes how it will be measured in that particular research study. This is an operational definition because it indicates that heart rate was recorded from an EKG: it makes the concept of heart rate measurable

What is the independent variable in the following hypothesis? A hospitalized child's anxiety level, crying, and restlessness are lower during a painful procedure if a parent is present during the procedure, compared to the condition in which the parent is not present.

Parental presence or absence The independent variable is "type of treatment received" (parent present or parent not present). The painful procedure is not a variable; it is neither manipulated nor influenced. Restlessness and anxiety level are dependent variables

Which of the following reflect the primary differences between a research question and a research hypothesis? (Select all that apply.)

Research questions are interrogative statements; hypotheses are declarative.....Hypotheses state a predicted or expected outcome and are tested..... Research questions are written as questions while hypotheses are stated in declarative form. Hypotheses state what the researcher expects to find or predicts with regard to the study's outcome, while research questions might not. Hypotheses exist for the purpose of testing them. Both research questions and hypotheses are written in the present tense. One or more variables may be listed in both the research question and hypothesis. The research question is slightly more tangible, less conceptual, than the research purpose. However, the research question does not define the manner in which variables will be measured so, in a technical sense, the research question exists at the conceptual level, as well. The hypothesis, because it is the stated relationship among variables, like the variables, exists at the concrete level.

There are three levels of abstraction in a research report. Which of the following is an example of the lowest level of abstraction?

Social support, balanced diet, and regular exercise decrease the incidence of childhood obesity. The concrete level is the lowest level of abstraction. Variables, the relationship among them, the study hypothesis, the specific of measurement, and quantitative data are concrete, since they are consistent with classification, counting, or measurement

Which statement(s) accurately characterize(s) hypotheses? (Select all that apply.)

The hypothesis includes at least two variables and a statement predicting how these variables are related.....A single research study may have several hypotheses..... The hypothesis must include at least two variables and the researcher's prediction about how these are related. It is not uncommon for researchers to include several hypotheses in studies when more than one relationship among three or more variables is investigated. It is not true that all research studies have a hypothesis. Descriptive studies, for example, aim to describe phenomena rather than explain, predict, or control and may not include a hypothesis about what the researcher expects because there may not yet be sufficient information to make a prediction. The research design is not stated in the hypothesis, but it is implied (e.g., "We hypothesize that participants in the intervention group will report more x than participants in the comparison group" would reflect a comparative study). A simple hypothesis predicts the relationship between only two variables; a complex one predicts the relationship among three or more

What parts should be included in a research question? (Select all that apply.)

The study variables, if appropriate....A questioning part...What is to be learned...The population of interest, if appropriate..------ A research question includes a questioning part, such as "what is," "what are," "is there," or "were there" and words that indicate what the researcher wants to know about the study variables or population. A research question may include naming of the population. Sometimes the population is not named in qualitative research purposes and questions, especially if the researcher is attempting to define a concept that transcends one particular population. The variables are identified in the research question most of the time but not always. In quantitative designs, the research question hints heavily at the type of design that is to be used, but it is not a part of the research question

Which of the following are accurate characterizations of study variables? (Select all that apply.)

They are concepts at various levels of abstraction....When they reflect abstract concepts (e.g., self-esteem, competence), they may be referred to as research concepts......When they reflect concrete concepts (e.g., temperature, O2 saturation levels), they are referred to as study variables....----- Study variables can be either concrete or more abstract. The term "variable" is used to describe concrete factors under study. The term "research concepts" is used sometimes to describe the more abstract terms in a study. Operationally defining a concept translates it into a variable. Although variables in a quantitative study should be conceptually defined so that the concept's meaning is articulated for the researcher and study reviewer/user, variables in quantitative research must be operationally defined so that they can be measured or manipulated. This means that the researcher indicates how the concepts under study will be measured. Research or study variable is a default term used to refer to a variable that is the focus of a quantitative study but that is not identified as an independent or a dependent variable. Research variables include those stated in the research purpose and question. The design of a study containing research variables is either descriptive or correlational

In quantitative studies, researchers make a formal statement about the expected relationship between two or more variables in a specified population. This formal statement is called a research:

hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement of the relationship between or among variables, within a specified population. It uses the same variables originally identified as concepts in the research purpose and subsequently given operational definitions. The purpose of the hypothesis statement is to begin the logical process of hypothesis-testing

Research hypotheses may be classified as "associative" or "causal." Which statement accurately describes an associative hypothesis?

t identifies variables that vary or change together in an identified population. An associative hypothesis identifies existing variables whose values vary or change together. An associative hypothesis presents a noncausative relationship between or among variables