Question 1

Read the following statement: There is no measurable difference in incidence of incarceration for adolescent children whose mothers work outside the home in comparison with those whose mothers do not work outside the home. How is this statement best defined?

Accepted Answer

This statement is best defined as a null hypothesis because it posits that there is no significant difference or effect between two groups being compared, which is a fundamental aspect of a null hypothesis in research.

Question 2

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What are the research variables in this study?

Accepted Answer

The research variables in this study are verbal skills, homelessness, fear of separation from parents, and length of hospital stay, as these are the specific factors being measured and compared in the study.

Question 3

A professor of medical-surgical nursing researches the effect of special tutoring sessions offered once weekly to students, in hopes of improving student performance on examinations. In the fall semester, student exam scores were significantly improved over those of the previous term, when tutoring was not offered. The performance of the spring term students does not show a significant improvement over students without tutoring. The professor's colleague identifies a confounding variable. Which variable is the confounding variable?

Accepted Answer

The change in the day and context of the tutoring sessions (after a different class) between the fall and spring semesters could significantly impact the effectiveness of the tutoring, making it a confounding variable.

Question 4

Simple descriptive statistics may be used to depict the sample characteristics, reflecting demographic variable values, in which kind of research?

Accepted Answer

Simple descriptive statistics can be used in both quantitative and qualitative research to depict sample characteristics and reflect demographic variable values. In quantitative research, it's used directly with numerical data, while in qualitative research, it can help describe the demographic context of the participants.

Question 5

The intervention that the researcher manipulates is the:

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the one that researchers manipulate or change to see if it has an effect on some other variable, making it the intervention in an experiment.

Question 6

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting seem to have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children, and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What is the research hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The research hypothesis suggests a relationship between homelessness in children and specific outcomes (length of hospital stay, verbal skills, and fear of separation from parents) without implying causation. Choice B correctly identifies this relationship as the focus of the study.

Question 7

The research question states: "Can diabetics on oral antiglycemic medications achieve better control of blood sugar, as measured by Hemoglobin A1C, if they are taught to meditate and do this on a daily basis?" What is the independent variable in this research question?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In this case, meditation is the variable being introduced to see its effect on blood sugar control, as measured by Hemoglobin A1C, in diabetics on oral antiglycemic medications.

Question 8

A research hypothesis states: "Providing early written feedback to undergraduate nursing students in the clinical setting increases the incidence of desired behaviors of safe medication administration, work efficiency, accurate charting, and competent time management." What type of hypothesis is this?

Accepted Answer

This is a complex hypothesis because it involves more than two variables (early written feedback and several desired behaviors). It's causal because it suggests that one variable (early written feedback) causes changes in another (incidence of desired behaviors). It's directional because it specifies the direction of the relationship, indicating an increase in desired behaviors with early written feedback.

Question 9

A researcher identifies three variables and formulates a hypothesis that links them. That hypothesis is testable. What does it mean that the hypothesis is testable?

Accepted Answer

A testable hypothesis means that the variables involved can be measured or observed in a way that can confirm or refute the hypothesis.

Question 10

A research hypothesis states: "Number of hours spent daily playing videogames is negatively related to student achievement in high school history class." What type of hypothesis is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A research hypothesis states: "Number of hours...

Question 11

A research hypothesis states: "Patients with recurrent bowel obstruction due to Crohn's disease who are assigned to be treated in an emergency room complain less frequently of pain and require less pain medication than those patients admitted, in the usual fashion, and treated on a medical floor." What is the independent variable in the hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated or changed in an experiment to assess its effects on the dependent variables. In this hypothesis, the place of treatment (emergency room vs. medical floor) is the variable being manipulated to observe its effect on pain complaints and medication requirements, making it the independent variable.

Question 12

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting seem to have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What is the research objective?

Accepted Answer

The research objective is to compare the length of hospital stay, verbal skills, and fear of separation from parents between homeless children and the average patients on the same unit, to determine if there are differences.

Question 13

What is the relationship between a conceptual definition and an operational definition?

Accepted Answer

The operational definition specifies the exact way in which a concept is measured or manipulated in a particular study, making it possible to empirically test theoretical concepts. The conceptual definition, on the other hand, offers a theoretical or abstract description of a concept without specifying how it can be measured or observed in practice.

Question 14

Read the following purpose statement: "The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a generous weekly allowance and twice-weekly text messages from parents on number of days absent from class, in freshman college students." What kind of variable is number of days absent from class?

Accepted Answer

The number of days absent from class is the outcome that the study is trying to measure or predict, based on the manipulation or observation of other variables (in this case, a generous weekly allowance and twice-weekly text messages from parents), making it the dependent variable.

Question 15

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting seem to have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children, and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What is the research question?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A pediatric nurse, who has worked on...

Question 16

A research hypothesis states: "Decreasing the time allotted for weekly, in-class pop quizzes increases student anxiety and decreases student grades." What type of hypothesis is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A research hypothesis states: "Decreasing the time...

Question 17

A research hypothesis states: "The number of minutes a 16-year-old girl spends applying her makeup in the morning is related to her perceived personal attractiveness." What type of hypothesis is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A research hypothesis states: "The number of...

Question 18

A research hypothesis states: "There is no measurable difference in incidence of acne in 15-year-olds who are placed on a chocolate-free diet." What is the dependent variable in this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome that the researcher is interested in measuring or observing, which in this case is the "incidence of acne."

Question 19

A research hypothesis states: "Having one's house and yard professionally sprayed yearly by an extermination service has an effect on infestations of common garden ants." What type of hypothesis is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A research hypothesis states: "Having one's house...

Question 20

A researcher identifies an important extraneous variable after a study is under way. What is the best action for the researcher to take now?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher identifies an important extraneous variable...

Quiz 6: Objectives, Questions, Hypotheses, and Study Variables