Final Review Quantitative Research (Chapters 9-13) t
On a 20-item Likert scale with five response categories, the range of possible scores is which of the following? A) 0 to 100 B) 20 to 80 C) 20 to 100 D) 0 to 50
c.) 20 to 100
If a target population contains 10,600 elements and the researcher seeks a systematic random sample of 50, the sampling interval would be which of the following? a.) 116 b.) 600 c.) 212 d.) 53
c.) 212
A researcher used a systematic sampling plan. The sample size was 200. The sampling interval was 250. The first element drawn was 196. The second element would be: a.) 396 b.) 45 c.) 446 d.) 646
c.) 446
A researcher wanted to predict whether nursing home residents would or would not experience a fall based on 10 characteristics (e.g. age, presence of absence of dementia, etc.). The analysis would involve which of the following? a.) Multiple regression b.) ANCOVA c.) Logsitic regression d.) MANOVA
c.) Logistic regression
The shape of a distribution with three values of high frequency is which of the following? a.) unimodal b.) bimodal c.) multimodal d.) a bell-shaped curve
c.) Multimodal
A p-value is a measure of the likelihood that the statistical results were obtained in error. A confidence interval, on the other hand, provides which of the following? a.) The range of the measure values in the sample reported in the research report. b.) The probability that similar results will be obtained in error, in the future. c.) The range of probable values of the variable in the population d.) The likelihood that the results will be useful in practice
c.) The range of probable values of the variable in the population.
When addressing control of confounding variables, which of the following best describes the question to be answered by the researcher? a.) Who needs to know sensitive information about the research details? b.) When will the data on the variables be collected? c.) What other variables may influence the results? d.) Where will data collection occur?
c.) What other variables may influence the results?
A study is investigating the rate of immunization at a community-based clinic. Selection bias is most likely to be present in which of the following examples? a.) random sample of clients accessing an urgent care clinic b.) random sample of records of school clinic vaccination rates c.) convenience sample of mothers who bring children to clinic for vaccinations d.) convenience sample of high school students who have received required vaccinations
c.) convenience sample of mothers who bring children to clinic for vaccinations
Using your knowledge of threats to internal validity, which research design will be most susceptible? a.) pretest-postest b.) cross-over c.) correlational d.) factorial
c.) correlational
The aspect of reliability for which inter observer reliability is appropriate is which of the following? a.) stability b.) internal consistency c.) equivalence d.) specificity
c.) equivalence
The aspect of reliability for which interobserver reliability is appropriate is which of the following? a.) stability b.) internal consistency c.) equivalence d.) specificity
c.) equivalence
When participants' behavior are affected not by the treatment per se but by their knowledge of participating in a study, interpretation of the findings is complicated by the influence of which of the following? a.) treatment effect b.) history effect c.) hawthorne effect d.) selection threat
c.) hawthorne effect
Which of the following most accurately describes the relationship between reliability and validity? a.) If a measure is reliable, it will be valid. b.) as reliability increased, validity decreases c.) if a measure is not reliable, it cannot be valid. d.) there is no relationship between the two.
c.) if a measure is not reliable, it cannot be valid.
Which aspect of reliability does the "Cronbach's alpha" indicate? a.) measurement stability performance over time b.) equivalence of two separate forms of a measure c.) internal consistency of the measure items within one measure d.) the extent of expert agreement ensuring adequate content coverage
c.) internal consistency of the measure items within one measure
When is a small sample size appropriate for a research study? a.) many uncontrolled variables are present b.) the population is very homogenous. c.) large differences are expected in members of the population on the variable of interest. d.) the population must be divided into subgroups.
c.) large difference are expected in members of the population on the variable of interest
A study that followed, over a 20-year period, 500 users and 500 non-users of oral contraceptives to determine if there were any long-term side effects would be which of the following? a.) time series b.) retrospective study c.) prospective study d.) crossover study
c.) prospective study
Strata are incorporated into the design of which of the following sampling approaches? a.) systematic b.) purposive c.) quota d.) consecutive
c.) quota
Applying your knowledge of random assignment, which statement is correct? a.) random assignment is accomplished with random sampling b.) grouping participants with similar features together is the best way to achieve random assignment. c.) random assignment ensure that the study is a true experiment d.) recruiting participants from significantly different neighborhoods results in random assignment.
c.) random assignment ensures that the study is a true experiment.
Quasi-experimental research designs lack what feature found in true experimental research? a.) control groups b.) pretests c.) randomization d.) placebos
c.) randomization
The fact that research study findings are statistically significant indicates which of the following? a.) intervention was effective b.) methods were valid c.) results were unlikely due to chance d.) sample size was adequate
c.) results were unlikely due to chance
What study design flaw may lead to a failure to achieve statistical significance? a.) variables precisely defined b.) adequate exposure to the intervention c.) small sample size d.) cross-sectional data collection
c.) small sample size
In the following statement, what would the number 50 be called: 95% CI for the mean of 60 = 50 to 70? A) The probability value B) The point estimate C) The lower confidence limit D) The effect size
c.) the lower confidence limit
A widely used index of risk used among practitioners of evidence-based practice is which of the following? a.) the t statistic b.) the f ratio c.) the odds ratio d.) pearson's r
c.) the odds ratio
Interviews are usually preferable to questionaires because of which of the following? a.) they are less expensive b.) the yield data that are easier to analyze c.) the quality of the data tends to be higher d.) they require less training of research personnel.
c.) the quality of the data tends to be higher
A research proposal states that the objective is to, "explore the incidence of homeopathic health practices on Iowa Native Reserves in Oklahoma." In describing the design to be used for conducting the study, the researchers plan to use a nonexperimental design. What can you conclude from this proposal?
c.) this research may not be answered completely if a quantitate design is used
A self-report method used to measure subjective experiences such as pain and fatigue is which of the following? a.) observation b.) in vivo measurements c.) visual analog scales d.) likert scales
c.) visual analog scales
Which of the following is an example of a nominal measurement? A) Grams of carbohydrate intake B) Hand dominance (right or left ) C) Emotional intelligence quotients D) Age in years
B) Hand dominance (right or left )
Which of the following is indicated by the "content validity index (CVI)"? A) Internal consistency of the measured items within one measure B) The extent of expert agreement ensuring adequate content coverage C) Equivalence of two separate forms of a measure D) Criterion-related assessment
B) The extent of expert agreement ensuring adequate content coverage
Which of the following is an example of ratio measurement? A) Likert scale response to questions B) Twenty-four-hour oral cc intake C) Eye color (blue, brown, hazel, green) D) Ability to perform activities of daily living
B) Twenty-four-hour oral cc intake
A study's purpose was to note maternal responses to infant cues within the first 48 hours after birth. The investigator and research assistant simultaneously but independently observed and scored the new mothers' behaviors while holding their infants en face. The agreement between the two raters can be described as which of the following? A) Content validity of the scoring instrument B) Internal validity of the research design C) Reliability of the scoring instrument D) External validity of the research design
C) Reliability of the scoring instrument
A p-value is a measure of the likelihood that the statistical results were obtained in error. A confidence interval, on the other hand, provides which of the following? A) The range of the measured values in the sample reported in the research report B) The probability that similar results will be obtained in error, in the future C) The range of probable values of the variable in the population D) The likelihood that the results will be useful in practice
C) The range of probable values of the variable in the population
Which correlation coefficient shows the strongest relationship between two variables? a.) -0.821 b.) -0.653 c.) 0 d.) 0.759
a.) -0.821
Which of the following statements describes a population? a.) All traumatic brain injury clients hospitalized in an intensive care unit during January 2012 b.) four hundred nurses selected from a membership list of American Nurses' Association (ANA) members c.) selected members of families of clients undergoing surgery d.) a sample of clients diagnosed with COPD and who currently smoke
a.) All traumatic brain injury clients hospitalized in an intensive care unit during January 2012
In an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which of the following contrasts variation between groups with variation within groups? a.) f ratio b.) post hac tests c.) chi-squared statistic d.) person's r
a.) F ratio
A study reports a 60% rate of attrition among the participants. This finding suggest which of the following? a.) a threat to internal validity b.) lack of recruitment c.) appropriate compensation/incentives d.) invalid measurements
a.) a threat to internal validity
The alpha level of significance refers to the probability of which of the following? a.) a type 1 error b.) a type II error c.) a null hypothesis d.) mulitple regression
a.) a type I error
Constancy of conditions is often enhanced through which of the following? a.) collect data at the same time every day b.) using a crossover design c.) maximizing the external validity of the study d.) avoiding carryover effects
a.) collect data at the same time every day
The type of validity that employs primarily judgment in its assessment is which of the following? a.) content b.) concurrent c.) predictive d.) construct
a.) content
Which of the following types of sample is considered to be the weakest for quantitative studies? A) Convenience B) Quota C) Purposive D) Systematic
a.) convenience
Which statement infers the advantage to using cross-over designs for quantitative research? A) Enhances equivalence among participants exposed to different interventions B) Different levels of the intervention are easily compared. C) Delaying the intervention highlights the effects of persuasion. D) Allows all participants to choose the intervention they will receive.
a.) enhances equivalence among participants exposed to different interventions
Testing the significance of difference in two group means is done with which of the following? a.) independent groups t-test b.) paired t-test c.) dependent groups t-test d.) chi-squared test
a.) independent groups t-test
Cronbach's alpha is used to assess which of the following attribute of an instrument? a.) internal consistency b.) stability c.) equivalence d.) sensitivity
a.) internal consistency
A researcher plans to use a proxy variable to measure the concept of patient outcome. Which of the following would be an appropriate variable to use? a.) length of stay in hospital b.) medicare eligibility c.) falls risk d.) staffing ratios
a.) length of stay in hospital
Which of the following results from a sample size that is too small? a.) low power to detect a difference in the outcomes of the two groups b.) lack of control over extraneous variables c.) limits to random sampling d.) a weak questionaire survery tool
a.) low power to detect a difference in the outcomes of the two groups
The social desirability response set bias is least likely to be a problem on scales incorporated into which of the following? a.) mailed anonymous questionaires b.) face-to-face interview c.) telephone interviews d.) all options are equally susceptible
a.) mailed anonymous questionaires
If the coefficient alpha for a stress scale was computed to be .80, the scale would be which of the following? a.) more reliable than a scale with an alpha of .50 b.) a valid indicator of stress c.) of indeterminate reliability until the scale's test-retreat reliability was assessed d.) Of unacceptably low reliability
a.) more reliable than a scale with an alpha of .50
Blood type is measure on which of the following? a.) nominal scale b.) ordinal scale c.) interval scale d.) ratio scale
a.) nominal scale
Questionaires have the advantage of which of the following? a.) offering the possibility of anonymity b.) having high response rates c.) reducing the possibility of response set biases d.) being suitable for all types of study participants
a.) offering the possibility of anonymity
Which of the following signifies the strongest relationship? a.) r= -.64 b.) m=.99 c.) t=1.44 d.) r=.57
a.) r = -.64
A review of research reveals two article that have conflicting results. A national randomized controlled trial found that annual brain scans will allow early detection and treatment of brain cancers, reducing mortality by 65%. An international quasi-experimental trial reported no significant reduction in mortality with annual scans. Based on you review propose the best recommendation. a.) recommendations from the national study should be followed. b.) recommendations should be stratified according to where the research was conducted
a.) recommendations from the national study should be followed.
One source of measurement error in social-psychological scales is which of the following? a.) response-set bias b.) nonresponse bias c.) attrition bias d.) selection bias
a.) response-set bias
One source of measurement error in social-psychological scales is which of the following? a.) Response-set bias b.) Nonresponse bias c.) Attrition bias d.) Selection bias
a.) response-set biases
With screening or diagnostic instruments, the concept indicating the instruments' ability to correctly identify a "case" (i.e., to screen in or diagnose a condition correctly) is which of the following? a.) sensitivity b.) stability c.) specificity d.) sensibility
a.) sensitivity
If the power for an analysis was .50, which of the following would be true? a.) There would be a 50% risk of a type II error. b.) the odds ratio would be equal to .50 c.) The 95% CI would have a range of 50 points d.) there would be a 50% risk of a type I error
a.) there would be a 50% risk of a type II error
A main purpose of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow diagram is which of the following? a.) track the progress of study participants b.) present accurate statistical analyses c.) compare and contrast current study findings d.) summarize previous study findings
a.) track the progress of study participants
The term validity refers to which of the following? a.) truth of an inference b.) honesty of the report c.) accuracy of the measurement d.) preparation of the researcher
a.) truth of an inference
One of the characteristics of a normal distribution is which of the following? a.) it is bimodal b.) 95% of the values are within two standard deviations above and below the mean c.) the values are positively skewed d.) the mean is 100
b.) 95% of the values are within two stand deviations above and below the mean
A researcher wanted to compare male and female oncology patients in terms of satisfaction with nursing care, controlling for age and severity of illness. The analysis would involved which of the following? a.) Mulitple regression b.) ANCOVA c.) logistic regression d.) MANCOVA
b.) ANCOVA
Which of the following is an example of a nominal measurement? a.) Grams of carbohydrate intake b.) hand dominance (right or left) c.) emotional intelligence quotients d.) age in years
b.) Hand dominance (Right or Left)
To test the significance of differences between the means of two or more groups on two or more outcome variables simultaneously, without controlling for covariates, one would use which of the following? a.) Analysis of variance (ANOVA) b.) Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) c.) Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) d.) Multivariate Analysis Of Covariance (MANCOVA)
b.) Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)
Which of the following are advantages to biophysiologic measures? a.) Biophysiologic measurements are subjective and accurate. b.) Patients cannot distort the measurements and have objective measures. c.) Biophysiologic measurements are self-reported. d.) Biophysiologic measurements effectively indicate pain levels.
b.) Patients cannot distort the measurements and have objective measures.
A pretest is to a postest as which of the following? a.) the placebo effect is to the hawthorne effect b.) a baseline measure is to a final outcome measure. c.) blinding is to matching d.) attrition is to a mortality threat
b.) a baseline measure is to a final outcome measure
The symbol represents which of the following? a.) an effect size b.) a mean c.) total sample size d.) an individual score
b.) a mean
Two groups of smokes, one control and one experimental, what index would measure the proportion of individuals in the control group who ma have avoided the undesirable outcome of continued smoking had they been chosen for the experimental group? a.) absolute risk b.) absolute risk reduction c.) odds ratio d.) risk ratio
b.) absolute risk reduction
Which of the following is invariable present in quasi-experimental research? a.) a control group b.) an intervention c.) matching of subjects d.) randomization
b.) an intervention
A major advantage of close-ended question is that they do which of the following? a.) are easy to construct b.) are analyzed in a straightforward manner c.) encourage in-depth responses d.) are not subject to response biases
b.) are analyzed in a straightforward manner
A group of nurse researchers specializing in the care of pediatric oncology patients decides to perform interviews on nurses caring for pediatric oncology patients to determine patterns of nurse caring. After deciding on fifteen interview questions, they submit their draft to five pediatric oncology nurse practitioners for input. This practice illustrates obtaining which of the following? a.) internal consistency b.) content validity c.) face validity d.) equivalency
b.) content validity
The nurse wishes to study the opinions of high school students concerning the availability of health care services at XYZ High School during the past school year. What research design best fits with the study objective? A) Trend study B) Cross-sectional study C) Longitudinal study D) Follow-up study
b.) cross-sectional study
The nurse wishes to study the opinions of high school students concerning the availability of health care services at XYZ High School during the past school year. What research design best fits with the study objective? a.) trend study b.) cross-sectional study c.) longitudinal study d.) follow-up study
b.) cross-sectional study
A group of 150 seniors with type II diabetes consented to a study examining the relationship between self-care and quality of life. Seniors received didactic classes on proper diet, exercise, stress, and medication adherence with 30-minute low-impact exercise sessions once monthly for a period of 6 months. Ordinal level data collected during the study would include which of the following? A) Gender, ethnicity B) Education level, Heart Association classification C) Age, body mass index D) Scores on a self-care index
b.) education level, Heart Association classification
Which of the following statements is true? a.) The results of statistical testing have direct meaning. b.) evaluating the credibility of a study typically involves a careful assessment of methodology decisions. c.) support of a researcher's hypothesis through statistical testing offers proof of its veracity. d.) a correlation between two variables indicates that the independent variable caused the dependent variable.
b.) evaluating the credibility of a study typically involves a careful assessment of methodologic decisions.
A measure of which of the following traits would be a particularly good candidate for a test-retest reliability assessment? a.) anxiety b.) fear of heights c.) mood d.) fatigue
b.) fear of heights
A survey question asks subjects to respond to the following statement: "The overall hospital experience that I received during my hospital stay considered my needs as an individual." They were asked to identify, on a five-point scale, the degree to which they agreed to disagreed with the statement. This is an example of which scale? a.) social scale b.) likert scale c.) visual analog scale d.) differential scale
b.) likert scale
Which of the following can reduce the statistical conclusion validity of a study? a.) low attrition b.) low power c.) low generalizability d.) low maturation
b.) low power
Type of college degree (associate's, bachelor's, master's, doctorate) is measured on which of the following scales? a.) nominal b.) ordinal c.) interval d.) ratio
b.) ordinal
What is the strongest method of controlling for intrinsic (subject) factors? A) Statistical control B) Randomization C) Matching D) Homogeneity
b.) randomization
Which of the following research designs is weakest in terms of the researcher's ability to establish causality? a.) experimental b.) retrospective case-control c.) prospective cohort d.) quasi-experimental
b.) retrospective case-control
In a nonequivalent control group design, the most serious threat to internal validity is which of the following? a.) testing b.) selection c.) maturation d.) history
b.) selection
Sampling may be defined as which of the following? a.) selection of a accessible population for a study b.) selection of a subset of a population to represent the entire population. c.) assignment of study participants to treatment groups d.) technique for ensuring that every element in the population has an equal chance of being included in the study
b.) selection of a subset of a population to represent the entire population
Which of the graphic representations illustrates a randomized experimental interventional desgin with pre- and posttest? a.) R X O X b.) R O R X c.) R X O O d.) R O X O
d.) R O X O
When testing multiple independent variables, the proportion of variability in the outcome variable that is explained by the predictors is measured as which of the following? A) Paired t-test B) The product-moment correlation coefficient C) R D) R2
d.) R2
A frequency distribution for height would most likely be represented by which of the following? a.) a symmetric distribution b.) a postive skew c.) a negative skew d.) a normal distribution
d.) a normal distribution
Researchers conducting an exercise intervention study with overweight adults recruited a sample of 250 adults from a primary care clinic. Of the 250 adults, 82 participants completed the study. The 82 particpants represent what type of sample? a.) target population b.) accessible population c.) recruited sample d.) actual sample
d.) actual sample
On a five-point Likert scale, a person who strongly agreed with a statement would be scored as which of the following? a.) 1 b.) 3 c.) 5 d.) Cannot be determined
d.) cannot be determined
An important function of a rigorous research design in a quantitative stud is to have control over which of the following? a.) outcome variables b.) mediating variables c.) carryover variables d.) confounding variables
d.) confounding variables
Which situation best reflects "attrition" in quantitative research? a.) control and intervention groups are very different in age ranges b.) subjects receive promotional materials about the benefits of the intervention c.) adolescent subjects improve in body hygiene practices over 4 years d.) control group subjects drop out of the study when their disease process does not improve
d.) control group subjects drop out of the study when their disease process does not improve
Which of the statements below best illustrates the temporal criterion needed for a causal relationship? a.) skin cancer occurs because of genetic predisposition b.) kidney disease develops as a result of pesticide exposure. c.) hepatitis C occurs in population with substance abuse histories. d.) following vaccination for varicella, rates of varicella infection are lower
d.) following vaccination for varicella, rates of varicella infection are lower
The threat to internal validity that occurs when external co-occurring events or conditions affect outcomes is the threat known as which of the following? a.) maturation b.) selection c.) testing d.) history
d.) history
Which procedure describes a probability sampling method? a.) Identification of community organizations and churches in an urban setting and recruiting participants b.) identification of individuals demonstrating the variable(s) of interest to the research and recruiting participants c.) Identification of the accessible population and selecting study participants based upon the researcher's belief that the participant is representative of the accessible population d.) identification of a sampling frame for an accessible population, writing element names on paper, placing the written names in a bowl, and drawing a select number of names form the bowl.
d.) identification of a sampling frame for an accessible population, writing element names on paper, placing the written names in a bowl, and drawing a select number of names from the bowl.
The nurse plans a study comparing the occurrence of anxiety disorders in military personnel deployed overseas with those who served strictly within the borders of the United States. What research design should be selected for this study? a.) experimental b.) quasi-experimental c.) cohort d.) nonexperimental .
d.) nonexperimental
To study the effects of Healing Touch; what is the best choice to minimize confounding variables? a.) offer a small payment for participants' time. b.) offer all participants a Healing Touch session when data collection is completed c.) offer to enroll only individuals who do not have any medical conditions d.) offer another activity that gives similar time and attention to control group participants
d.) offer another activity that give similar time and attention to control group participants
Which of the following is the most effective method for controlling participant factors? a.) using a homogenous sample b.) statistical control c.) matching subjects d.) randomization
d.) randomization
Which statement regarding sampling error and sampling bias is accurate? a.) Sampling bias may be defined as the difference between data obtained from a simple random sample and the data that would be obtained if an entire population were measured. b.) sampling bias occurs by chance. c.) sampling error and sampling bias are synonymous. d.) sampling error may be contained in sample data even when the most careful random sampling procedure has been used to obtain the sample.
d.) sampling error may be contained in sample data even when the most careful random sampling procedure has been used to obtain the sample.
Bias in a sample for a quantitative study refers to which of the following? a.) lack of heterogeneity in the population on the attribute of interest b.) sample seletion using non probability-type sampling methods c.) the margin of error in the data obtained from samples d.) systematic over- or underrepresentation of a key attribute vis-a-vis the population
d.) systematic over- or underrepresentation of a key attribute vis-a-vis the population.
The use of a diverse sample of study participants in multiple sites might affect which of the following? A) Replicability of the study B) The ability to use randomization C) The ability to use blinding as a strategy D) The study's external validity
d.) the study's external validity
The use of a diverse sample of study participants in multiple sites might affect which of the following? a.) Replicability of the study b.) The ability to use randomization c.) The ability to use blinding as a strategy d.) The study's external validity
d.) the study's external validity
The nurse researcher is conducting a study on a nonpharmacologic nursing intervention for the treatment of pain. Which data collection instrument would provide the most sensitive measurement of pain? a.) differential scale b.) physiologic measures c.) likert scale d.) visual analog scale
d.) visual analog scale
If a researcher wanted to assess whether an experimental group differed significantly from a control group in terms of proportion with a post-discharge readmission, the test statistic would be which of the following? a.) t b.) r c.) F d.) x2
d.) x2
