Week 1: Research Statistical Terminology

Meta Analysis

Compare and contrast different research articles and studies in order to find patterns among the study results. Example: You look at 5-7 articles on Constraint induced therapy to see if that is an intervention you want to use for your feeding group at the hospital.

Longitudinal study

A correlational research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time- often many decades. It is a type of observational study. 1.) The affect of smoking in the Los Angeles area for 10 years.

Measures of central tendency

A determination of average or typical scores -Mean: the average of all scores -Median: the midpoint -Mode: the most frequently occurring score

Qualitative methods

A form of descriptive research that studies people, individually,collectively, in their natural social and cultural context. -A systematic, subjective approach to describe real life experiences that are meaningful. -It is rich in verbal descriptions of people and phenomena based on direct observation in naturalistic settings. Observations are unstructured and ever-changing according to the contexts and results of the observations.

A criterion-reference test

A style of test which uses test scores to generate a statement about the behavior that can be expected of a person with that score.

Ordinal

Allows for rank order 1st , 2nd, 3rd etc. by which data can be sorted, but still does not allow for relative degree of difference between them. Examples include: sick vs healthy

Correlation coefficient

Also known as r, R, or Pearson's r: measure of the strength and direction of the linear relationships between two variables that in defined as the sample covariance of the variable divided by the product of their sample standard deviations.

Case Studies/ Case series

Analyses of persons, events, decisions, periods, projects, policies, institutions, or other systems that are studied holistically by one or more methods.

Measures of variability

Determine the spread of a group of scores -Range: the difference between the highest score and the lowest score -Standard deviation: a determination of variability of scores (difference) from the mean. -Normal distribution: a symmetrical bell-shaped curve indicating the distribution of scores, the mean, median and mode are similar.

Inter-rater reliability

Determines the extent to which two or more raters obtain the same resukt when using the same instrument to measure a concept. (THINK INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS). It gives a score of how much homogeneity or consensus. If various raters do not agree, either the scale is defective or the raters need to be re-trained. -A statistical measure ranging from 0-1.0. The larger the number the better the reliability, values near or less than zero suggest that agreement is due to chance alone.

Nominal

Differentiates between items or subjects based only on their names or categories and other qualitative classifications that they belong to. Example: gender, race, language etc.

Cohort Studies

Is a form of longitudinal study. It is an analysis of risk factors and follows a group of people who do not have the disease and uses correlations to determine the absolute risk of subject contraction. Cohort studies are largely about the life histories of segments of populations, and the individual people who constitute these segments. 1. A group of graduate students who take the same classes together for 2 years.

Outcomes Research

Refers to research (usually medically related) which investigates the outcomes of health care practices. It has been defined as the study of the end results of health services that takes patients experiences, preferences, and values, into account- is intended to provide scientific evidence relating to decisions made by all who participate in health care.

Reliability

The consistency or repeatability of research measures. If the reliability is low, then the test if not reliable measure. If your score is inconsistent then you need to do a test/retest.

Grounded Theory Method

The discovery of theory through the analysis of data. A research method which operates almost in reverse fashion from traditional social science research. Rather than beginning with a hypothesis, the first step is data collection, the key points are marked with a series of codes which are extracted from the text.

Randomized Control Trials (RCT)/ Randomized assigned Trial

The gold standard for a clinical trial. RCTs are often used to test the efficacy or effectiveness of various types of medical intervention within a patient population. RCTs may also provide an opportunity to gather useful information about adverse effects, such as drug reactions. Example: In your feeding group of 10 patients, you will use constraint induced therapy on 5 patients. After this group is finished you can compare and contrast the results to see if constraint induced therapy made an impact on ROM and independence on feeding.

Non-experimental/correlational

There is no manipulation of independent variable; randomization and researcher control are not possible. -Used to study the potential relationships between two or more existing variables (e.g., attendance at a day program and social interaction skills)

Expert Opinion

Who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience is believed to have expertise and specialized knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person. 1. Ayres is an expert in sensory integration

Case study

a single subject or a group of subjects is investigated in an in-depth manner -Purpose can be description, interpretation, or evaluation.

Phenomenological

a study of one or more persons and how they make sense of their experience.

Quasi-experimental

an independent variable is manipulated to determine its effects on a dependent variable but there is a lesser degree of researcher control and or no randomization. -Used study intact groups created by events or natural process.

Heuristic

complete involvement of the researched in the experience of the subjects to understand and interpret a phenomenon. -Aim to understand human experience and its meaning -Meanings can only be understood if personally experienced

Purposive

individuals are purposefully and deliberately selected for a study ex: all consumers of a program for a CQI study

Systematic sample

individuals are selected from a population by taking individuals at specified intervals example: every 10th name

Stratified random sample

individuals are selected rom a populations identified subgroups based on some pre-determined characteristics ex: diagnosis that correlates with the study.

Random sample

individuals are selected through the use of a table of random numbers

Convenience sample

individuals are selected who meet population criteria based upon availability to the researcher.

Level/test of significance

level which you may be wrong (p value). P=.05 (5 out of 100x you may be wrong). Null hypothesis is rejected if you reach a significance level of .05 or less.

Intra-rater reliability

makes it possible to determine the degree to which the results obtained by a measurement procedure can be replicated. Lack of intra-rater reliability may arrive from divergences between measurement instruments or instability of the attribute measures. -This is the type of assessment in which the same rater completes it on two or more occasions.

Ethnographic

patterns and characteristics of a cultural group, including values, roles, beliefs, and normative practices, are intensely studied. -Extensive field observations, examinations of literature and materials, and cultural immersion are used. -Study of a nursing home

Snowball sampling/network

study subjects provide names of other individuals who can meet study criteria.

Quantitative methods/studies

the classic two-group design which includes random selection and assignment into an experimental group that receives treatment or a control group that receives no treatment. -Two levels of treatment(some and none) together constitute the independent variable being manipulated. -The cause and effect relationship between the independent and dependent variable is examined. -Observations are structured and formalized.

Phenomenological study

the collection of participants experiences through focus groups that contain open-ended interview questions

Interval

the interval type allows for the degree of difference between items but not the ratio between them.

Ratio

the measurement in the estimation of the ratio between magnitude of a continuous quantity and a unit magnitude of the same kind.