Research Methodology Flashcards

1
Q

____________ refers to the specific procedures used to identify select process and analyze information about a topic

A

Research methodology

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2
Q

___________is an indication of how sound your data is

A

Validity

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3
Q

__________is the study of methods by which knowledge is gained

A

Methodology

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4
Q

A ___________ is a characteristic of a person or object that can take up different values

A

Variable

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5
Q

The variable used to describe the problem under study is called __________

A

Dependent variable

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6
Q

A variable that is believed to influence or cause me a problem under study is called

A

Independent variable

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7
Q

A variable that is associated with the problem and the possible cause of the problem is called_______

A

Confounding variable

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8
Q

____________ is a variable whose values are expressed in categories

A

Categorical variables

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9
Q

A variable whose values are expressed in numbers is _______

A

Numerical variables

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10
Q

___________ are variables that are related to a number of independent variables that they influence the problem directly

A

Background variables

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11
Q

__________is a detailed outline of how an investigation will take place

A

Research design

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12
Q

State six types of variables

A
  • dependent variable : the problem under study is influenced by independent variables
  • independent variable:known to influence the dependent variables but is not influenced by them
  • categorical variable : is express in categories eg sex
  • numerical variable :is expressed numbers eg age
  • confounding variables: influence both the problem and contributing factors
  • background variable : influence a number of independent variables in the background
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13
Q

State three factors that the nature of the study design depend on.

A
  • the nature of the problem
  • the knowledge that is already available about the problem
  • the resources available for the study
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14
Q

Explain the two main types of study designs

A

1) INTERVENTIONAL
- exploratory: explores to find out more info but no solutions are made
- descriptive: simply observe and describe the nature of the subject without influencing it types include case study, cross sectional surveys
- analytical: to find out if an outcome is related to exposure can be interventional or non interventional there are three main types ie analytical retrospective and prospective

2)NON INTERVENTIONAL
Researcher manipulates the objects understudy and records the outcome and can compare two groups there are two categories ie
- experimental: two groups are compared has three characteristics ie manipulation control and randomization
Quasi experimental: one of the characteristics is missing therefore is a half experiment

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15
Q

__________ is the type of non interventional studies that is carried out when little is known about the topic

A

Exploratory studies

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16
Q

______________is a research design that involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way

A

Descriptive studies

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17
Q

________________ is used to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon or population being studied.

A

Descriptive research

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18
Q

An intensive study about a group of people or unit is called________________

A

Case study

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19
Q

______________ are studies aimed at determining the frequency of a particular attribute

A

Cross sectional surveys

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20
Q

______________are studies done to determine if an outcome is related to exposure

A

Analytical studies

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21
Q

State three types of analytical study design

A
  • analytical: to measure the prevalence of health outcomes and the determinants of health can be qualitative or quantitative
  • retrospective: compares two groups one which the problem exists and the other in which the problem does not exist
  • prospective: compare on group exposed to a risk factors and group not exposed
22
Q

State one advantage of analytical study design

A

Retrospective and analytical studies are inexpensive and take less time

23
Q

State 6 disadvantages of analytical study design

A
  • with analytical the study results cannot be generalized
  • the results are only true to the people who were studied
  • selection of appropriate control groups are a major problem
  • the matching of cases and controls has to be done with care
  • prospective studies take longer than analytical studies and are expensive
  • identifying all cases in a study population is a big problem
24
Q

What are the two categories of intervention studies

A

-experimental and quasi experimental

25
Q

State three characteristics of classical experimental studies

A
  • manipulation:researcher does something to one group of the study
  • control : researcher introduces one or more controls to compare with the other group
  • randomization :the reseaher takes care to randomly select subjects to the control groups and experimental group
26
Q

In _________one characteristic of the true experiment is missing

A

Quasi experimental

27
Q

___________is a selection of a number of study units from a defined population

A

Sampling

28
Q

The total group of individuals from which a sample can be drawn is called______________

A

Target population

29
Q

______________is the group of people who take part in the investigation

A

The sample

30
Q

The extent to which we can apply our findings to the target population is called ______________

A
  • generalizability
31
Q

___________ is a list of all units that compose a study population

A

-the sampling frame

32
Q

____________is one m member of a study population

A

-study unit

33
Q

Explain the four main aspects to consider when sampling

A
  • study population : the population from which you will collect your sample
  • sample size: how many do we need in our sample?
    _sampling methods ; the availability of the sampling frame greatly impacts the choosing of a method
  • representativeness : to what extent does your sample represent your study population
34
Q

A ____________is a population from which you will select your sample

A

Study population

35
Q

A ___________sample has all the important characteristics from which it is drawn

A

Representative

36
Q

State the two classifications of sampling methods

A

1) Non Probability: the probability of selecting each study unit is unknown
The types are
- convenience : pick who are available
-quota: pick according to certain characteristics
- purposeful : the researcher knows the best sample
2)probability: requires methods that ensure that the samples are selected by chance
The types are
Simple randomized: lottery like
Systematic : assign numbers
Stratified : divided in groups then chosen individuals
Cluster : chosen as a group
Multistage : uSe more than one method

37
Q

In __________method the probability of selecting each study unit is unknown

A

Non probability

38
Q

Explain three types of non probability sampling methods

A

1) convenience sampling:the ones that happen to be available are chosen , sample is not representative of population,
2) Quota: sample is chosen according to certain characteristics , ensures samples from different categories are chosen
3) purposeful:researcher has adequate knowledge of the study population to hand pick the sample

39
Q

__________is a method in which the study units that happen to be available at the time of data collection are selected

A

Convenience sampling

40
Q

A non probability sampling method in which the researcher looks for specific characteristics in their respondents to then take a tailored sample is called ___________

A

Quota sampling

41
Q

____________ sampling is based on the belief that the researcher has adequate knowledge of the study population to hand pick the sample

A

Purposeful sampling

42
Q

Explain the five probability sampling methods

A

1) Simple randomized : used the lottery method does not ensure representation
2) Systematic :chosen at regular intervals is less time consuming and easier but also does not ensure representation
3) Stratified: divide into groups then randomly select sample only possible if population is known and is more representative
4) cluster: select groups instead of individuals can be done when groups are easily chosen
5) multistage :carried out in phases using more than one method useful when dealing with huge population

43
Q

_______________ is the simplest form of probability sampling

A

Simple randomized sampling

44
Q

___________ is when individuals are chosen at regular intervals from the sampling frame

A

Systematic sampling

45
Q

__________ is when we divide the sampling frame into groups before selecting

A

Stratified sampling

46
Q

The selection of study units in groups rather than individually is called_____________

A

Cluster sampling

47
Q

A ________sampling procedure is carried out in phases usually involving more than one sampling method

A

Multistage sampling

48
Q

A systematic error in the procedure of sampling that leads to a distortion in the results of the study is called __________

A

Bias

49
Q

Explain five biases that can take place during sampling and the remedial action that can be taken

A

1) non response ; person refuses to answer questions or forgets to fill in questions data collection methods must be pretested
2) improper sampling procedures: eg studying volunteers only leading to bias in the results
3) missing cases of short duration:
4) seasonal bias: results may vary in different seasons eg malnutrition do study in all seasons
5) tarmac bias: choosing areas that are easily accessible

50
Q

State the two types of sample sizes

A

1) desirable sample size: determined by the variation of characteristics in the study population
2) feasible sample size is one that can actually be collected considering the resources