Chapter 8

What type of hypothesis is "Cancer patients who use guided imagery during chemotherapy administration will have less nausea and vomiting and less anxiety than chemotherapy patients who do not use guided imagery"? 1. Complex and directional. 2. Simple and directional. 3. Complex and nondirectional. 4. Simple and nondirectional.

Correct Answer: 1 Rationale 1: The hypothesis has one independent and two dependent variables, so it is complex; it also states one group will have less nausea and vomiting and anxiety, so it is directional.

Research hypotheses may be simple or complex. Which statement describes a study that is designed to test a complex hypothesis? 1. There are two groups of subjects in the study. 2. There are more than two variables to be tested in the hypothesis. 3. There are complex definitions for the variables in the hypothesis. 4. The hypothesis will be too difficult to test in a study.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: A complex hypothesis tests the relationship between more than two variables.

For which reason do many researchers prefer to write a hypothesis as a directional hypothesis? 1. The use of the null hypothesis in a study demonstrates the researcher's lack of critical thought about the phenomenon under study. 2. It clarifies the study's framework and demonstrates that the researcher has thought critically about the phenomenon under study. 3. A research hypothesis should not specify the proposed relationship between the study variables. 4. Occasionally the researcher writes a research hypothesis, which is the same as the null hypothesis.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: A directional hypothesis is preferred when there is a reasonable basis to predict the relationship between the variables that is based on the researcher's critical thought and analysis of the phenomenon under study.

Choose the term(s) that would indicate a prediction when used in a directional research hypothesis. 1. Corresponding. 2. Decrease. 3. Better. 4. Theoretical. 5. Prove.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: A directional hypothesis should contain predictive terms such as less, greater, decrease, or negative correlation.

The nurse researcher has identified the study problem and variables. The nurse is now writing a formal statement of the expected relationship between the variables in a specific population. What portion of the study is the researcher developing? 1. Research question. 2. Hypothesis. 3. Objective. 4. Variable.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: A hypothesis is the expected relationship between two or more variables in a population.

Why is the hypothesis "There will be a positive relationship between a patient's level of formal education and his or her score on a health questionnaire," incorrectly stated? 1. It predicts a positive relationship. 2. It is written in future tense. 3. It only has no variables. 4. It cannot be empirically tested.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: The hypothesis should be written in present tense.

When does the researcher set the level of significance for rejecting the statistical null hypothesis? 1. Once enough data are collected to show a definite trend. 2. Before data are collected. 3. After data are analyzed. 4. Just before study findings are published.

Correct Answer: 2 Rationale 2: This designation is made before data are collected.

Which options are considered appropriate sources for the rationale for study hypotheses? Standard Text: Select all that apply. 1. The researcher's best guess. 2. The researcher's clinical experience. 3. The literature including other research studies. 4. The theoretical framework for the study. 5. The conceptual framework for the study.

Correct Answer: 2,3,4,5 Rationale 2: Recognized sources for this rationale include the researcher's clinical experience, the literature on the topic, and the theoretical or conceptual framework for the study. Rationale 3: Recognized sources for this rationale include the researcher's clinical experience, the literature on the topic, and the theoretical or conceptual framework for the study. Rationale 4: Recognized sources for this rationale include the researcher's clinical experience, the literature on the topic, and the theoretical or conceptual framework for the study. Rationale 5: Recognized sources for this rationale include the researcher's clinical experience, the literature on the topic, and the theoretical or conceptual framework for the study.

The statement "There is no relationship between nurses' ages and their level of assertiveness" is which type of hypothesis? 1. Research hypothesis. 2. Directional hypothesis. 3. Nondirectional hypothesis. 4. Null hypothesis.

Correct Answer: 3 Rationale 3: In a nondirectional hypothesis, the researcher merely predicts that a relationship exists.

The researcher has discovered that study data have tested three hypotheses that were not stated in the original research design. How would the research reader identify these hypotheses? 1. They are reported as "additional" comparisons. 2. They are reported as "serendipitous" comparisons. 3. They are reported as "ad hoc" comparisons. 4. They are reported as "extra" comparisons.

Correct Answer: 3 Rationale 3: It is permissible for the researcher to report these comparisons and they are listed as "ad hoc" comparisons.

The nurse researcher is evaluating study results and believes that data support one part of the two-part study hypothesis, but do not support the other part. What should the researcher do at this point? 1. Report the hypothesis as supported. 2. Revise the hypothesis from the two-part statement to two separate statements. 3. Report the hypothesis as not supported. 4. Report the hypothesis as partially supported.

Correct Answer: 3 Rationale 3: Since half of the hypothesis is not supported, the researcher must report that the hypothesis is not supported.

What type of hypothesis is "Postoperative pediatric patients who use TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation) will have a different level of pain than pediatric postoperative patients who do not use TENS"? 1. Simple and directional. 2. Complex and directional. 3. Simple and nondirectional. 4. Complex and nondirectional.

Correct Answer: 3 Rationale 3: The hypothesis tests the relationship between one independent and one dependent variable, so it is simple; it states pain level will be different between the groups but does not specify the difference, so it is nondirectional.

Which hypothesis is correctly stated? 1. There will be a positive relationship between the amount of time nurses spend in patient rooms and the number of times patients use their call lights. 2. Nurses' level of job satisfaction will influence their length of employment. 3. Patients who use guided imagery have less pain than patients who do not use guided imagery. 4. Is there a relationship between anxiety and ability to learn in new graduate nurses during their orientation?

Correct Answer: 3 Rationale 3: This hypothesis is written in the present tense, is empirically testable, and contains the variable and the population.

Which of the following studies would test a hypothesis? 1. A study on the lived experience of having a myocardial infarction. 2. A study investigating the use of triangulation in mixed method nursing research. 3. A study that investigates the design of grading tools used by clinical nursing faculty. 4. A study that investigates the development of nosocomial urinary tract infection in catheterized and non-catheterized patients.

Correct Answer: 4 Rationale 4: Hypotheses are appropriate for studies that examine relationships between variables, in this case, being catheterized and not being catheterized.

The hypothesis "Elderly patients with social support have fewer somatic complaints and fewer episodes of depression than elderly who do not have social support" is what kind of hypothesis? 1. Null. 2. Simple and directional. 3. Complex and nondirectional. 4. Complex and directional.

Correct Answer: 4 Rationale 4: The hypothesis has one independent and two dependent variables, so it is complex; it states one group will have fewer episodes of depression, so it is also directional.