Research Methods Final Exam NURS 3500 Questions and Correct Answers Relative timing ✅when will info on independent and dependent variables be collected - looking forward or backward in time? (retrospective, prospective) Features of quantitative design ✅1. Masking /blinding 2. Time frames 3. Relative timing 4. Location Within -subjects design ✅same people compared at different time or under different conditions (pre and post) Between -subjects design ✅different people are compared (ex. Men and women) RCT ✅randomized controlled trials, experimental designs, tests cause & effect eflationships Quasi -experimental ✅controlled trial, no randomization Non-experimental ✅observational study Causality ✅relationship of cause and effect, criteria for making causal inferences - cause must precede the effect in time, must be a demonstrated empiral relationship between the cause and effect, relationship between the presumed cause and effect cannot be explaine d by a third variable, another factor related to the presumed cause and effect cannot be the "real" cause Manipulation ✅something is done to some subjects, introducing an intervention / treatment, manipulation of the independent variable Control ✅introducing controls, use of control or comparison group Randomization ✅random assignment, assigning subjects to groups at random to an experimental group or control group; purpose - to make the groups equal with regard to all other factors except receipt of the intervention Hawthorne Effect ✅participants' knowledge of being in the study effects outcome of study Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (RCT) ✅conducted to test effectiveness of interventions, treatments, procedures; involves subjects being randomized into two or more groups; often involves having a medical advisory board that tracks findings and can stop the trial if there are issues with patien t safety FDA phases to develop drugs or devices - Phase I ✅initial testing, focuses on best dose and safety FDA phases to develop drugs or devices - Phase 2 ✅seeks preliminary evidence of effectiveness FDA phases to develop drugs or devices - Phase 3 ✅fully test intervention, comparing efficacy to standard/alternative FDA phases to develop drugs or devices - Phase 4 ✅monitoring of long term consequences, use in actual practice Post-test only (or after -only) design ✅outcome data collected only after the intervention, group 1 is experimental, group 2 is control R X O R O R ✅randomization to treatment groups X ✅Receipt of intervention O ✅observation/measurement of dependent variable (outcome) Pretest -posttest (before -after) design ✅outcome data collected both at baseline and after the intervention R O1 X O2 R O1 O2 Crossover design ✅subjects exposed to 2+ conditions in random order, subjects serve as their own control Symbolic representation: R O XA O XB O R O XB O XA O Quasi -Experiments ✅involve an intervention but lack either randomization or a control group, used to examine cause and effect, less control than with true exp. Design ; practical, easy to implement, feasible (resources, subjects, time, setting) Categories of Quasi Experiments ✅involve an intervention but lack either randomization or a control group, used to examine cause and effect *Non -equivalent control group designs *Within -subjects designs Non-equivalent control group designs ✅those getting the intervention are compared with a non randomized comparison group; quasi -experiment Within -subjects designs ✅one group is studied before and after the intervention; quasi -
experiment Nonequavalent Control Group Design ✅If preintervention data are gathered, then the comparability of experimental and comparison groups at the start of the study can be examined, NO RANDOMIZATION, can't assume the two groups are equivalent Without preintervention (baseline) data, it is risky to assume the groups were similar at the outset Nonequivalent control group after -only design is MUCH weaker Nonequivalent Control Group Design - symbolic representation ✅O1 X O2 O1 O2 Nonequivalent Control Group After -Only Design - symbolic representation ✅X O1 O1 Within -Subjects Quasi Experiments ✅One group -before -after designs & Time series designs 1. One group -before -after designs - Yield extremely weak evidence of causal relationships; No comparison group, no randomization 2. Time series designs - gather pre intervention and post intervention data over a longer period, extended time allows the ability to attribute change to the intervention One group -before -after designs - symbolic rep. ✅O1 X O2 Time series designs - symbolic rep. ✅O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 O6 O7 Non experimental designs ✅If there is no intervention, the study is non experimental (observational) Not all independent variables (causes) of interest to nurse researchers can be experimentally manipulated (ex. Gender , smoking cannot be ethically manipulated) Describes a picture of what something actually is, how it exists in the world Cannot establish cause & effect relationships Ex. S/S associated with heart failure Questions to ask in non experimental design ✅What are the differences and similarities to other things?
experiment Nonequavalent Control Group Design ✅If preintervention data are gathered, then the comparability of experimental and comparison groups at the start of the study can be examined, NO RANDOMIZATION, can't assume the two groups are equivalent Without preintervention (baseline) data, it is risky to assume the groups were similar at the outset Nonequivalent control group after -only design is MUCH weaker Nonequivalent Control Group Design - symbolic representation ✅O1 X O2 O1 O2 Nonequivalent Control Group After -Only Design - symbolic representation ✅X O1 O1 Within -Subjects Quasi Experiments ✅One group -before -after designs & Time series designs 1. One group -before -after designs - Yield extremely weak evidence of causal relationships; No comparison group, no randomization 2. Time series designs - gather pre intervention and post intervention data over a longer period, extended time allows the ability to attribute change to the intervention One group -before -after designs - symbolic rep. ✅O1 X O2 Time series designs - symbolic rep. ✅O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 O6 O7 Non experimental designs ✅If there is no intervention, the study is non experimental (observational) Not all independent variables (causes) of interest to nurse researchers can be experimentally manipulated (ex. Gender , smoking cannot be ethically manipulated) Describes a picture of what something actually is, how it exists in the world Cannot establish cause & effect relationships Ex. S/S associated with heart failure Questions to ask in non experimental design ✅What are the differences and similarities to other things?
