Quick Notes - Module 12 Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is a p-value?
A probability value indicating how likely results are due to chance.
A p-value below 0.05 is traditionally considered ‘statistically significant.’
What does a p-value < 0.05 suggest?
Statistical significance but doesn’t guarantee the result reflects reality.
What is p-hacking?
The misuse of data analysis to obtain significant p-values through selective reporting or trying multiple statistical tests.
What is the file-drawer problem?
The tendency for non-significant or negative research results to remain unpublished, skewing the available evidence.
What influences the likelihood that a significant result is actually true?
Prior probability.
What is prior probability?
The likelihood that a hypothesis is true before conducting a study.
What is the reproducibility crisis?
A large number of published studies, especially in psychology, cannot be replicated, raising questions about their validity.
What is replication in research?
Repeating a study to see if the original results can be obtained again under similar conditions.
What is preregistration?
The act of publicly recording a study’s methods and hypotheses before data collection.
What should readers do to evaluate research critically?
Be sceptical and critical, look for badges (e.g., preregistration, open data), and value meta-analyses over single studies.
What are the stages of the research continuum?
Basic research, translation to humans, translation to participants, application, dissemination.
What is internal validity?
The extent to which a study shows that the intervention caused the outcome.
What is external validity?
The degree to which study findings can be generalised to other people, settings, or times.
What is empirical evidence?
Data obtained through observation or experimentation rather than theory or opinion.
What are threats to internal validity?
History, maturation, testing, instrumentation, regression to the mean, selection bias, attrition, diffusion of treatment.
What is efficacy in evaluating treatments?
Whether an intervention works under controlled conditions.
What is effectiveness in evaluating treatments?
Whether an intervention works in real-world settings.
What is efficiency in evaluating treatments?
The cost-effectiveness and accessibility of a treatment.
What is Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)?
An approach that integrates the best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values.
What is a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)?
A study where participants are randomly assigned to different groups to test cause-and-effect relationships.
What is a Small-N / Single-Case Design?
A study design focusing on a small number of participants, where each acts as their own control.
What are the levels of efficacy?
- Efficacious
- Probably Efficacious
- Possibly Efficacious
- Not Empirically Supported
- Discredited
What characterizes an efficacious treatment?
Backed by multiple well-designed, randomised studies showing consistent results.
What characterizes a probably efficacious treatment?
Supported by strong but less rigorous or fewer studies.
