Week 8

Question 1

What does descriptive statistics allow?

Answer 1

Allows the researchers to describe, organise and summarise raw data

Question 2

What does inferential statistics allow for?

Answer 2

It allows researchers to estimate how reliably they can predictions and generalise their findings based on the data

Question 3

What are the 3 most common measures of variability?

Answer 3

• range
• variance
• standard deviation

Question 4

What is standard deviation?

Answer 4

Standard deviation is the square root of the variance- therefore in same units as original measurements

Question 5

What are the advantages of standard deviation?

Answer 5

• takes all the scores into account
• can be used to interpret individual scores
• standard deviation allows the reader to get a feel for the variation the data contain
• used in calculation of many inferential statistics

Question 6

What are inferential statistics?

Answer 6

It allows inferences or conclusions to be drawn from data

Question 7

What does descriptive statistics do?

Answer 7

It summarises data

Question 8

There are usually 2 purposes for inferential statistics. What were they?

Answer 8

• estimate how well a sample statistic reflects the population parameter
• test hypotheses or predictions about population

Question 9

What do research hypotheses do?

Answer 9

Shows that there is some specified relationship between dependent and independent variables

Question 10

What does a null hypotheses do?

Answer 10

Shows that there is no relationship between dependent and independent variables.
It is easier to disprove something than to prove it.

Question 11

How is trustworthiness/rigor assured in qualitative research?

Answer 11

-Credibility (truthfulness)
-Auditability (consistency)
-Transferability (fittingness/applicability)
-Confirmability (no bias or distortion)
through member checking, audit trails, triangulation

Question 12

Why is rigor so important?

Answer 12

Need to know methods can be trusted and can have confidence in results, and using them ie
applying in clinical practice

Question 13

List four quantitative data collection methods

Answer 13

• Physiologic/laboratory-based: Experiments/clinical trials
• Observational: Observing and recording well-defined events (e.g., counting the number of patients waiting in emergency at specified times of the day)
• Questions & self-report scales- questionnaires: -Administering surveys with closed-ended questions questionnaires
• Interviews: face-to face and telephone interviews

Question 14

Define reliability and validity in relation to measurement error.

Answer 14

-Reliability means: that a measure can be relied upon consistently to give the same result if the aspect being measured has not changed
-Validity reflects how accurately the measure yields information about the true or real
variable being measured.
A measure is valid if it measures correctly & accurately what it is intended to measure

Question 15

Descriptive statistics allow researchers to?

Answer 15

describe, organise & summarise raw data

Question 16

Inferential statistics allow researchers to?

Answer 16

Estimate how reliably they can make predictions & generalise their findings based on the data

Question 17

The purpose of descriptive statistics is to?

Answer 17

organize and summarise the data

Question 18

Name four levels of measurement in quantitative data analysis and briefly define each of these:

Answer 18

• Nominal: discrete categories
• Ordinal: relative ranking
• Interval; specific numerical distance between scores- treated as equal; continuous
• Ratio: as above but has absolute zero

Question 19

Name and briefly describe the three most common measures of central tendency?

Answer 19

• Mean: average score
• Median: middle score
• Mode: most common score

Question 20

Briefly describe Cross-sectional studies?

Answer 20

collect all data at one point in time

Question 21

Briefly describe Longitudinal studies ?

Answer 21

Longitudinal studies collect data at different points in time

Question 22

Briefly describe Retrospective studies

Answer 22

Retrospective studies collect data on past events

Question 23

Briefly describe Prospective studies

Answer 23

Prospective studies collect data as they occur

Question 24

Briefly describe Independent variable

Answer 24

• manipulated variable (cause)

- used to predict outcome of interest ie dependent variable

Question 25

Briefly describe Dependent variable

Answer 25

• measured variable (effect)

- consequence/presumed effect that changes with change in independent variable

Question 26

Name two types of validity and briefly define each

Answer 26

-Internal validity: does the independent variable accurately measure what it says it will
measure. Asks whether independent variable really made the difference- refers to
the causal relationship
-External validity: deals with problems of generalisability of findings to other populations and
other environmental conditions