Deck 8: Introduction to Quantitative Research

Question 1

The nurse researcher designed a study examining anxiety among elementary school children. If a widely publicized murder of a child occurred in the city during the time frame of the study, what type of threat to internal validity would the murder represent?

A) Maturation
B) Instrumentation
C) Selection bias
D) Historical

Answer 1

Historical

Question 2

Why should a nurse researcher want to limit or eliminate extraneous variables in a study?

A) More research questions would be required to account for the extraneous variables.
B) Extensive statistical analysis would be required to justify the presence of extraneous variables.
C) Extraneous variables compete with the independent variables as explanations of the study's outcome.
D) Manipulation of the extraneous variables increases the risk for researcher bias in the study's outcomes.

Answer 2

Extraneous variables compete with the independent variables as explanations of the study's outcome.

Question 3

When reviewing a research report, the nurse determines that all aspects of a study systematically and logically follow from the research problem. Which condition has been met?

A) Accuracy
B) Feasibility
C) Internal validity
D) External validity

Answer 3

Accuracy

Question 4

Which factor is most likely to be a mediating variable in a study to determine if high doses of vitamin C help reduce the subjects' susceptibility to influenza?

A) The subjects' use of influenza vaccine
B) The subject' knowledge of vitamin C's functions
C) The gender of the potential subjects
D) The marital status of the potential subjects

Question 5

How could a nurse researcher's use of a homogeneous sample weaken a research study?

A) By decreasing the reliability of the findings
B) By decreasing the generalizability of the findings
C) By increasing the number of subjects needed to reach statistical significance
D) By increasing the risk that the findings were the result of chance alone

Question 6

The issue of control would be less important in a quantitative study with which type of research design?

A) Exploratory
B) Experimental
C) Correlational
D) Randomized clinical trial

Question 7

How would a nurse researcher ensure that the sample used in a quantitative study is homogeneous?

A) Use eligibility criteria to limit extraneous variables relevant to the study.
B) Randomly assign subjects to either the experimental or the control group.
C) Assign one research assistant to collect data from all subjects.
D) Collect data from all subjects at the same time of day.

Question 8

A nurse researcher assigns subjects to experimental and control groups in such a manner that each subject in a population has an equal chance of being selected. What is the researcher using?

A) Selection bias
B) Convenience sampling
C) Randomization
D) Internal validity

Question 9

What is the overall purpose of the research design in a quantitative research study?

A) To determine sample size
B) To identify the problem statement
C) To assist the researcher in identifying gaps in the knowledge base
D) To provide the plan for answering the research question

Question 10

A study is examining the effect of a new antilipemic drug, compared with placebo, on lipoprotein levels in postmenopausal women. Which of these actions represents the researcher's attempt at constancy in data collection to control extraneous variables?

A) Drawing the serum lipoprotein levels of all subjects at the same time of day
B) Having the same phlebotomist draw serum lipoprotein levels of all subjects
C) Using the same room for drawing blood for lipoprotein levels of all subjects
D) Ensuring that all subjects are postmenopausal women taking lipid-lowering medication

Question 11

A nurse researcher should consider mortality a threat to the study's internal validity for which of these reasons?

A) There is concern that the intervention may have harmful effects on subjects.
B) Those who dropped out of the study may be different than those who remained in the study.
C) Those who participated in the study may have died as a result of being in the study.
D) There is concern that the design is inappropriate for the study question if a large number of participants drop out of a study.

Question 12

For which of these reasons would a nurse researcher choose to assign subjects randomly to groups in a study?

A) To help ensure that all groups within a study are representative of the larger population
B) To increase the chance that the study groups will be different from each other with regard to extraneous variables
C) To help ensure that current events do not influence the outcomes of the study
D) To eliminate the need for establishing specific study criteria and subject eligibility

Question 13

A nurse is designing a study to determine whether a videotape or a written pamphlet is more effective in teaching young women how to perform breast self-examination (BSE). Which of these actions would provide the best control for a mediating variable?

A) Include identical content in both BSE teaching methods
B) Exclude subjects who already perform BSE on a regular basis
C) Limit the study subjects to women who are heterosexual
D) Determine what breast cancer means to the individual participants

Question 14

A nurse researcher can control for selection bias in a study by taking which of these actions?

A) Allow subjects to self-select into an experimental or a control group
B) Handpick the subjects for group assignment
C) Use defined selection criteria for approaching potential subjects
D) Have someone other than the researcher select the subjects for the study

Question 15

In which of these ways does the nurse researcher's literature review help select the appropriate study design?

A) By enlarging the scope of the study's hypotheses
B) By objectively assessing available knowledge of the area
C) By comparing current findings with previous study findings
D) By ensuring faithfulness to the study's purpose

Question 16

The measures used by a nurse researcher to maintain uniformity of conditions in a quantitative research study refer to which aspect of the study?

A) Accuracy
B) Methods
C) Control
D) Validity

Question 17

Which situation represents a threat to internal validity in an experimental study measuring the effect of a videotape of discharge instructions for patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery?

A) Both men and women undergoing CABG surgery were included as subjects in the study.
B) Two new surgeons began performing CABG surgery during the study period.
C) Patients in the experimental group discussed aspects of the videotape with patients in the control group.
D) Data collection for the videotape and control groups took 1 year.

Question 18

A nurse researcher is designing a quantitative research study involving a specific group of patients admitted to local hospitals. Which factor would negatively affect the feasibility of this study?

A) The local region has a high percentage of families that could participate in the study.
B) Potential study subjects represented less than 1% of hospital admissions during the year previous to the study.
C) Study participants who were hospitalized children younger than 5 years could not give direct informed consent to participate in the study.
D) A comprehensive review of the literature revealed no studies were conducted that examined this question during the past 15 years.

Question 19

A nurse researcher assigns half a study sample to an experimental group and the other half to a control group. What does this action represent?

A) Instrumentation of the independent variable
B) Manipulation of the mediating variable
C) Elimination of the mediating variable
D) Manipulation of the independent variable

Question 20

When should a nurse researcher include an extraneous variable as part of a study's design?

A) When excluding the variable would limit the study's generalizability
B) When the variable is an important consideration for the study's outcome
C) When the researcher is limited by time or monetary constraints
D) When it would not make a difference in the overall study outcome

Question 21

What action by a nurse researcher will help eliminate bias on the dependent variable?

A) Establishing strict eligibility criteria for the study participants
B) Ensuring that all data are collected by a single researcher
C) Formulating at least two hypotheses for each research question
D) Developing a strong theoretical framework for the study

Question 22

A nurse researcher is planning to write a proposal for a research study using a quantitative design. To maintain control in the study, the nurse should include which elements? (Select all that apply.)

A) Valid, reliable collection methods
B) Subjects of all ages
C) Trained data collectors
D) Standardized data collection processes
E) Analysis of data by words or text only

Question 23

What should the nurse researcher consider when determining the feasibility of a research question? (Select all that apply.)

A) Time
B) Selection effects
C) Reactive effects
D) Measurement effects
E) Subject availability
F) Cost

Question 24

A nursing student is reviewing a research study in which researchers used a pretest/posttest design to examine the effect of an AIDS education intervention on teenagers' knowledge about the condition over a school year. What threats to internal validity could be present? (Select all that apply.)

A) Maturation
B) Selection effects
C) Reactivity
D) Hawthorne effect
E) Testing

Question 25

Which of these situations describes a reactive (Hawthorne) effect?

A) Control subjects in an intervention study to reduce anxiety also experience a reduction in anxiety.
B) The subjects in an intervention support group continue the support group after the study has ended.
C) Subjects become concerned after learning that they received a placebo, not the treatment, during the study.
D) Study subjects want to know the outcomes of the study after it is completed.

Question 26

Which factors would be considered threats to internal validity? (Select all that apply.)

A) Time
B) Selection effects
C) History
D) Testing
E) Subject availability
F) Cost
G) Selection bias

Question 27

A nurse researcher is investigating the effect of type of operating room mattress and surgical position on tissue interface pressures in healthy young adults. Which component of research is most affected by the choice of subjects?

A) Mortality
B) Instrumentation
C) Internal validity
D) External validity

Question 28

External validity refers to which of these issues?

A) The relationship existing between the independent variable and the study outcomes
B) The influence of a specific event on the independent variable
C) The degree to which extraneous or mediating variables interfere with the study outcomes
D) The degree to which findings are generalizable to populations beyond those studied