Deck 7: Review of Relevant Literature

Question 1

In phenomenology, often the review of the literature is conducted after data analysis is complete. What is the reason for this?

A)The data analysis phase of phenomenology includes a literature review.
B)Phenomenology is data-free, and analyses are based only on the interpretation of the researcher.
C)Some phenomenologists do believe that one can "bracket" what is known, in order to perform an unbiased analysis, but it seems pointless to absorb information just to then put it aside, so literature review is usually postponed.
D)Some phenomenologists don't believe that one can "bracket" what is known, in order to perform an unbiased analysis of the data, so they try to minimize what they read about the topic of the study until data analysis is complete.
E)The review of the literature provides an objective cross-check for the researcher's interpretation.

Answer 1

Some phenomenologists do believe that one can "bracket" what is known, in order to perform an unbiased analysis, but it seems pointless to absorb information just to then put it aside, so literature review is usually postponed.
Some phenomenologists don't believe that one can "bracket" what is known, in order to perform an unbiased analysis of the data, so they try to minimize what they read about the topic of the study until data analysis is complete.

Question 2

What type of literature describes concept analyses, models, and frameworks?

A)Empirical
B)Applicable
C)Able to be replicated
D)Theoretical

Answer 2

Theoretical

Question 3

The first draft of a student's thesis contains the following:
Evidence to the contrary was provided in several studies of efficacy but never examined in a context of "the adolescent at sea with the ghost of his losses" (Reynolds, 2011).
The student's reference list contains the following citation for this work:
Reynold, A. R. (2010). Never underestimate depression. Journal of Applied Psychology.
What is wrong with it?

A)The reference list should restate the quotation.
B)The reference is incomplete, lacking volume number and page numbers.
C)The years of the citation differ.
D)The author's name is spelled differently in the citation and in the reference list.
E)No page number is provided for the direct quotation.

Answer 3

The reference is incomplete, lacking volume number and page numbers.
The years of the citation differ.
The author's name is spelled differently in the citation and in the reference list.
No page number is provided for the direct quotation.

Question 4

It is appropriate to conduct a review of the literature in which circumstances?

A)An ethnographic study is planned.
B)A nurse is interested in conducting research on patients who "sundown."
C)One requirement for a graduate course paper is a written literature review.
D)A hospital is attempting to develop a policy on bathing frequency for elders.
E)The hospital attorney is preparing a brief, relative to a fall suffered by a patient.

Question 5

What are the purposes of the literature review in quantitative research concerning patient compliance with alternating leg pressure stockings (ALPs)?

A)It gives the researcher an overview of anecdotal reports about how it feels to the patient to wear ALPs.
B)It allows the researcher to use the data from previous research on ALPs to add to his or her database.
C)It allows the researcher to construct theory about compliance with ALPs.
D)It gives the researcher something with which to compare his or her findings on compliance with ALPs.
E)It allows the researcher to discover previous research in the area of ALPs, so as to identify what is not known (the research gap).

Question 6

The original quotation in the fictional text by Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (2009) is as follows: "Because of overemphasis on academic excellence, especially test grades, the high schools studied had a disproportionate number of students who reported sleeplessness, nervousness, nightmares, and guilt. These were attributed to various factors, the most significant of which was a very strict principal, who voiced open disapproval of students she felt were underachieving their enormous academic potential. Parents were very accepting of this behavior, echoing it in their interactions with the students." What is the acceptable way to properly attribute this content in a literature review?

A)Parents were very accepting of the principal's behavior, which included voiced disapproval of underachieving students, echoing it in their interactions with their sons and daughters.
B)Because of overemphasis on academic excellence, especially test grades, the high schools studied had a disproportionate number of students who reported sleeplessness, nervousness, nightmares, and guilt. These were attributed to various factors, the most significant of which was a very strict principal, who voiced open disapproval of students she felt were underachieving their enormous academic potential. Parents were very accepting of this behavior, echoing it in their interactions with the students (Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe, 2009).
C)As compared with other high schools, Atchison et al. (2009) reported a higher incidence of distress manifestations, such as nightmares and nervousness, in a strictly college-prep school with an extremely disapproving principal, who verbally berated students for less-than-expected academic performance.
D)High schools with disapproving authority figures have a higher incidence of somatization (see Atchison et al., 2009).

Question 7

Considering phenomenologists' belief that experience constitutes reality, how does their approach to the literature review dovetail with that belief?

A)The literature is exactly as real as the other research data, and it is all analyzed and valued equally during the data analysis portion of the study.
B)If the literature reports other phenomenologists' findings, based on experience, these can be considered alternative data sources.
C)The literature is a false interpretation of reality and cannot be considered, either before or after data analysis is complete.
D)The literature review is usually postponed until after data analysis completion, so that the understanding of the phenomenon will emanate solely from the data.

Question 8

Which study would be considered landmark research?

A)The discovery that during pancreatitis, the pancreas is actually digested by its own enzymes
B)A description of the importance of injecting immunizations in the proper location of the deltoid
C)The third in a series of four papers describing patterns of emergency room use in vacation communities
D)The first paper describing the effect of using insulin for type I diabetes in humans

Question 9

In terms of the literature review, how are quantitative research and ethnographic research similar?

A)Both require the researcher to review the literature before beginning the study.
B)Both require the researcher to review the literature after completion of data analysis.
C)Both require the researcher to utilize the literature as the primary data source.
D)Both consider the literature review extraneous, postponing it until after the study is published.

Question 10

In which methods does substantive review of the literature take place after data analysis?

A)Grounded theory
B)Narrative inquiry
C)Phenomenology
D)Ethnography
E)Quantitative descriptive

Question 11

What is the purpose of the minimal review of relevant studies that the grounded theory researcher undertakes before writing the research proposal?

A)To compare the anticipated findings with the findings of similar research
B)To direct the researcher in how to strategize data collection
C)To help the researcher to identify previous findings that will assist in interpretation of the planned study
D)To reveal the need for the planned research by identifying what others have done

Question 12

Why would a reputable researcher use a secondary source instead of a primary one?

A)The primary publication is written in a language not currently spoken.
B)The primary source is located in a museum 1100 miles away, and the cost of travel to review it would be prohibitive.
C)The primary publication is so steeped in jargon that it is very difficult to decipher.
D)The researcher has limited time and cannot squander it searching for primary sources.
E)The primary publication describes only the beginnings of a theory, and a later publication presents it in its entirety.
F)There have never been any primary sources in this area.
G)The primary publication is no longer in print, and there are no existent copies.

Question 13

A publication is printed every 2 months. Its volume number coincides with its year of publication (2008 = 1; 2009 = 2; 2010 = 3; etc.). Its issue number coincides with the order of publication, within a given year (Jan to Feb = 1; Mar to Apr = 2; etc.). What kind of a publication is this?

A)A monograph
B)A periodical
C)An eBook
D)A serial

Question 14

Why would the Boolean article OR be used if a researcher is conducting a digital literature search of journals on the topic of prolonged adolescent grieving after parental loss?

A)It focuses the search on parental loss, the last search term.
B)It is useful when a researcher is undecided.
C)It narrows the search to articles containing all terms.
D)It allows the researcher to enter synonymous terms such as parental loss and parental death, instructing the computer to find articles containing either term.

Question 15

Which primary source might be available to someone writing a biography of Queen Elizabeth I, who died in the 17th century?

A)An interview with one of her maids-in-waiting
B)A previous history written about her
C)An article about her in a 17th-century publication
D)A diary written by her

Question 16

What might a researcher include in a preliminary review of the literature concerning acupuncture and conscious sedation for major surgical procedures?

A)A research article from the Journal of Acupuncture comparing the use of acupuncture with general anesthesia
B)Bryson's Human Physiology textbook
C)A research synthesis on alternatives to general anesthesia compiled by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
D)An article in the National Enquirer on the dangers of major surgery
E)A master's thesis on the use of acupuncture during closed reduction of radial-ulnar fractures
F)A Wikipedia article on how acupuncture works
G)A monograph written by a physician in a third world country who used acupuncture to control pain during surgical procedures

Question 17

The review of literature in quantitative research directs everything from the first ideas about the study variables through recommendations based upon the study's conclusions. What are outputs of the literature review in quantitative research?

A)Development of conceptual definitions of concepts
B)Determining the statistical power of the sample
C)Determination of how many subjects will drop out of the study
D)Description of what studies have been performed, so as to provide initial direction for the study method
E)Interpretation of the study findings, in comparison with previous research