Deck 8: Clarifying Quantitative Research Designs

Question 1

A dependent and independent variable would be used in which type of study?

A) Case study
B) Causal
C) Homogenous
D) Replication

Answer 1

Causal

Question 2

A researcher has designed a study looking at the effects of peer support on outcomes of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. In designing the study, the researcher randomly assigns some patients to a group who will receive support from a recovered CABG patient and some patients to a group who receive no formal support from another CABG patient. This process would be an example of which of the following?

A) Bias
B) Manipulation
C) Multicausality
D) Probability

Answer 2

Manipulation

Question 3

Which of the following is a necessary component of experimental design?

A) Attrition
B) Comparison of naturally occurring groups
C) Convenience sample
D) Manipulation of the independent variable

Answer 3

Manipulation of the independent variable

Question 4

At the beginning and end of a 10-week exercise program the subjects have their lung vital capacity measured by the researchers. The readings are plotted on a graph and then the results are recorded. Which of the following can pose a threat to the internal validity in this study?

A) Instrumentation
B) Selection
C) Setting
D) Testing

Question 5

Which will help avoid the external validity of a study?

A) Hawthorne effect
B) Laboratory setting
C) Representativeness of the sample
D) Tight controls over all groups

Question 6

The diagram below represents what type of design?

A) Factorial design
B) Posttest-only design
C) Pretest-posttest control group design
D) Time series design

Question 7

The one-group pretest-posttest design is an example of what type of design?

A) Comparative
B) Descriptive
C) Experimental
D) Quasi-experimental

Question 8

A threat to internal validity of a study using a two-group pretest-posttest design is that:

A) external events are extremely likely to affect the outcome of these studies.
B) people are more likely to drop out of this type of study.
C) the pretest may sensitize subjects so they change their behavior or responses on the posttest.
D) there is no way to determine if the groups are alike before starting the study.

Question 9

The term "internal validity" refers to the degree to which the:

A) groups in the sample were equivalent before beginning the study.
B) independent variable can be interpreted as being responsible for the effects on the dependent variable.
C) researchers followed the design they selected for the study.
D) results of the study can be generalized to groups other than the one in the study.

Question 10

In experimental research, the researcher's control of the "treatment" is referred to as:

A) bias.
B) manipulation.
C) random selection.
D) validity.

Question 11

The concept of causality would be important in which of the following research designs?

A) Descriptive
B) Experimental
C) Phenomenological
D) Time dimensional

Question 12

The "T" placed in the research design model below indicates:

A) test.
B) time.
C) treatment.
D) trial.

Question 13

Probability in research is associated with which kind of causality?

A) Absolute
B) Conclusive
C) Definite
D) Likelihood

Question 14

Correlational research has which of the following characteristics? Correlational research:

A) can manipulate dependent variables.
B) can only be used to determine causality.
C) examines relationships between existing variables.
D) is always used to generate rather than test hypotheses.

Question 15

Matching of one subject with another and the use of random selection of subjects are examples of:

A) causality.
B) control.
C) manipulation.
D) nonprobability sampling.

Question 16

A research design is best described as a:

A) blueprint for conducting the study.
B) mechanism to guarantee validity of study findings.
C) methodology used only in quantitative studies.
D) model showing two or more concepts and their proposed relationships.

Question 17

Internal validity would be of most concern in which of the following study designs?

A) Correlational
B) Descriptive
C) Exploratory
D) Quasi-experimental

Question 18

A researcher is interested in looking at the relationship between sleep and use of meditation in nurses who work the night shift. The researcher obtains permission to collect data from the night nurses at a local hospital. While planning the study, the researcher is informed that a nurse on the night shift in intensive care is a frequent speaker on meditation techniques. The researcher must now address what specific issue related to her study design?

A) Bias
B) Manipulation
C) Multicausality
D) Probability

Question 19

Which of the following must be present in experimental research?

A) A comparison group made up of different subjects
B) Convenience sample of subjects from the population
C) Matching of subjects on demographic characteristics
D) Random assignment of subjects to groups

Question 20

Most phenomena in nursing would be considered:

A) multicausal.
B) physical.
C) simple.
D) unique.

Question 21

A researcher reports that a study exploring adolescent behavior has predicted that adolescents will follow the advice of an instructor he or she will see on an individual basis more than any other category of adult. Which term or word denotes that this study is not a typical descriptive design?

A) Category
B) Exploring
C) More
D) Predicted

Question 22

In a critique of a case study design, one would need to pay particular attention to which of the following?

A) How long ago it was conducted
B) The number of subjects in the sample
C) What the goal of the study was
D) Whether it was quantitative or qualitative

Question 23

Nurses in a hypertension clinic have found that many patients do not comply with their treatment regimen. They designed an intervention based on Bandura's social cognitive theory and wanted to study the effect of this intervention in a convenience sample. Which of the following designs would be best suited?

A) Correlational
B) Descriptive
C) Exploratory
D) Quasi-experimental

Question 24

A problem for nurses conducting quasi-experimental or experimental research is that many times a patient cannot ethically be left without a treatment. What is the best solution for this problem?

A) Control for the situation statistically.
B) Create placebo treatments.
C) Ensure all patients receive the standard of care.
D) Use other research designs as often as possible.

Question 25

A well documented case study detailed the experience of caring for an autistic child and suggested some very credible ways to intervene into the child's world. A nurse reading the report thinks this intervention will work with other children. Which of the following would be the best way to make the intervention evidence-based practice?

A) Copy the article and distribute it to co-workers.
B) Develop a research project using the intervention.
C) Replicate the study in another facility.
D) Write a letter to the editor praising the work.

Question 26

When a researcher defines the variables in a study both conceptually and operationally, selects instruments with good validity, and attempts to make the data collection procedures the same for all subjects, what is the goal?

A) Achieve a high correlation coefficient.
B) Create a high degree of reliability.
C) Describe the setting for a study.
D) Protect against bias.

Question 27

A researcher wonders where, geographically, the highest incidence of home births occurs and what type of care the mothers who deliver at home have. Additional questions include how old these mothers are, whether or not they tend to be married, and what kind of complications are encountered. What type of study design would this researcher select to best answer these questions? A ___________ design:

A) correlational
B) descriptive
C) qualitative
D) quasi-experimental

Question 28

What is the biggest problem in the documented lack of replication studies in nursing research?

A) A knowledge base is not developing.
B) Nurses do not learn how best to conduct studies.
C) Replicating studies is more scholarly.
D) Very few people hear about the research.

Question 29

A hypothesized causal model has been proposed. How would another researcher go about testing the model?

A) Examine each variable one by one.
B) Identify all paths expressing relationships between concepts.
C) Recruit a small homogenous group to control for most variables.
D) Use a convenience sample to ensure enough subjects.

Question 30

Which of the following is a true statement regarding nursing research?

A) Descriptive and correlational research methods are most successful in addressing the research questions nurses typically have.
B) Nurses do not typically attempt to conduct experimental research because it is beyond their level of expertise.
C) Nurses have successfully used a variety of designs in research studies because there are many types of questions to be answered.
D) The most common type of research used by nurse researchers is ethnographic research because it studies the lived experience of their patients.

Question 31

When critiquing a descriptive study, which of the following is important to find in the study report?

A) A discussion of the variables of interest and how they were defined
B) A well-written directional hypothesis that describes the proposed relationship between the variables under study
C) Evidence of a random probability sample
D) The use of constant comparative analysis for data interpretation

Question 32

In critiquing a comparative descriptive study design, which of the following would be cited as a deficit of a study? The:

A) instrument used in the study was created by the researcher specifically for the project.
B) literature search was not long enough; it included only six references.
C) researcher did not say what theory or conceptual model provided the foundation for the study.
D) study used two groups that were not randomly assigned.

Question 33

A possible reason that nurses have not been involved in conducting clinical trials until recently is that:

A) funding in the amount needed had not been available.
B) little value was seen in conducting clinical trials.
C) nurses did not have the expertise to conduct large studies.
D) the research questions nurses asked did not lend themselves to a clinical trial.