AGACNP Review Evidence-based Practice and Research Methods Questions and Answers.

AGACNP Review Evidence-based Practice and Research Methods Questions and Answers. Descriptive Research aims to describe situations, experiences and phenomena as they exist Ex-post facto or correlational research examines relationships among variables Cross Sectional study examining a population with similar attribute but differ in one specific variable at one point in time ex: studying asthma in different age groups Cohort study comparing a particular outcome in groups of individuals who are alike in many ways but differ by one characteristic ex: studying lung cancer in female nurses who smoke compared to those who do not smoke Longitudinal study involving taking multiple measures of a group/population over an extended period of time to find relationships between variables Experimental Research experimental manipulation of variables utilizing randomization and a control group to test the effects of an intervention or experiment Quasi experimental manipulation of variables but lacks a control group Qualitative explored phenomena through detailed descriptions of people, events, situations or observed behavior. - case studies - open ended questions - field studies - participant evaluation - ethnographic studies Problems with qualitative research - potential for research bias - questions generalizability of findings - produces very rich data through no other means of research Confidence interval interval with limits at either end, with a specified probability of including the parameter being estimated - small confidence interval implies a very precise range of values Standard deviation average amount of deviation from values from the mean Level of significance probability level of which the results of the statistical analyses are judged to indicate a statistically significant difference between groups - p value Perfect correlation measure of the interdependence of two random variables that ranges from -1 to +1 perfect negative correlation -1 perfect positive correlation +1 absence of correlation 0 t-test statistical test evaluating the differences between groups reliability -the consistency of a measurement -degree to which an instrument measures the same way over time with the same subjects - reflects repeatability - measure considered reliable if a person's score on a test is the same if test is given twice two ways to estimate reliability - test/retest - internal consistency Test-retest conservative measure of reliability - one should get the same score on a test if taken it twice Internal Consistency estimates reliability by grouping questions in a questionnaire that measure the same concept chronbach's alpha computing correlational values of questions on an instrument - the closer the # is to 1, the more reliable it is major difference between test/retest and internal consistency test/retest takes 2 measurements (two test administrations), internal consistency takes 1 measurement validity degree to which a variable measures what it is intended to measure