What are some of the criteria for a research study to be defined as "well controlled"? - Answers There
should be a placebo, double-blind study, random assignment to groups will help find more consistent
results, use humans in the study
What should be controlled for? - Answers When a study is controlled it allows the researcher to get the
most accurate results and findings. There are no loopholes within the study.
What does a study that utilized good methodology look like? - Answers 1. logical rationale (what
researchers want to explore, what they already know, and what they want to find)
2. Appropriate subjects (male or female, fit or not, depending on study)
3. Valid performance tests (does sports drink help?)
4. placebo
5. random assignment of subjects
6. Double-blind protocol
7. Control of extraneous factors
8. Appropriate data analysis (statistics)
Placebo - Answers sugar pill, fake drink, etc. given to some of the participants without them knowing to
see the actual results of the individuals with the real pill or drink in contrast to the individuals with the
placebo
Double blind - Answers When both the researcher and the individuals do not know who has the placebo
or the real pill, drink, etc.
Independent variable - Answers what you implement in the study (the cause)
Dependent variable - Answers factors that you can measure (the effect)
Randomly assigned - Answers create groups in complete randomness to ensure that the study is as
controlled as possible
Experimental - Answers Essential to establishing a cause and effect relationship
TREATMENT
-Tighter control on what goes in participants in study
-Shorter time-frame: due to money concerns
Often utilizing;
, Randomized selection and assignment from larger population: get representative sample, but in reality
only get volunteers, so might not be a good generalization of population
Do have control in assignment to groups
Treatment (high fat diet) and control groups (low fat diet, a group you can compare to)
Can be more than 2 groups in a study
Placebo (fake treatment)
Single/double blind
SIZE MATTERS- MORE PEOPLE STUDYING THE MORE CONVINCING THE RESULTS ARE
Observational - Answers -Study large populations to find relationships between two variables
- ex. (trying to understand relationship between eating fast food and heart disease)
- does not determine cause or effect
either retrospective or prospective
Prospective - Answers Examines individuals without disease and are studied for years. then conclusions
are made to identify why some developed disease and others did not
Retrospective: - Answers findings done with surveys, past data, or medical records (poor source of data)
Compare those with a disease to a similar group (cohort) without the disease
- ex. researchers gathering group of people who have had a heart attack and those have not, figuring
out habits, characteristics, eating habits that have lead individuals who have had heart attacks to why
they had it. What makes them different? Behaviors or lifestyles that have allowed them not to have a
heart attack?
- use questions, surveys, "what did you weigh a year ago?" "how much fried food have you eaten in the
last month?", relies on recollection of someone, ability to recall on the past
Statistically significant - Answers The likelihood that a result or relationship is caused by something other
than mere random chance
Clinically significant - Answers measures how large the differences in treatment effects are in clinical
practice
whether the findings have real world applications, does it matter that drinking sports drink improves
endurance performance? Apply more judgement whether you think there is real world findings to the
study