Research Design and Variables Quiz

What is the purpose of a correlational design in non-experimental studies?

• To determine whether an association exists between exposure to a proposed risk factor and occurrence of a disease

• To address cause-probing questions for which manipulation is not possible

• To detect cause and effect relationships

• To observe, describe, and document aspects of a situation

What is the key criteria for making causal inferences in research?

• Correlation, Cohort, Case-control

• Prospective, Retrospective, Descriptive

• Randomization, Control, Intervention

• Temporal, Relationship, Confounder

Which type of study involves following a group of similar individuals over a period of time to observe the occurrence of an outcome?

• Case-control Study

• Prospective Cohort Study

• Time-series Study

• Retrospective Cohort Study

What is the main disadvantage of non-experimental research studies?

• Does not yield persuasive evidence for causal inferences

• May be easier and more practical than true experiments

• More difficult to infer causality due to the lack of randomization

• Efficient way to collect large amounts of data when intervention and/or randomization is not possible

What is the purpose of a post-test only design in experimental studies?

• To compare the experimental and comparison groups at the start of the study

• To gather pre-intervention and post-intervention data over a longer period

• To observe, describe, and document aspects of a situation

• To collect outcome data only after the intervention

What is the advantage of experimental designs in research?

• More difficult to infer causality due to the lack of randomization

• Does not yield persuasive evidence for causal inferences

• May be easier and more practical than true experiments

• Powerful for detecting cause and effect relationships

What is the symbolic representation of a pretest-post-test design in experimental studies?

• O1 X O2

• GR 1: R O1 X O2 GR 2: R O1 O2

• O1 O2 O3 O4 X O5 O6 O7 O8

• GR 1: R X O GR 2: R O

What is the purpose of a case-control study in non-experimental research?

• To determine whether an association exists between exposure to a proposed risk factor and occurrence of a disease

• To observe, describe, and document aspects of a situation

• To compare the experimental and comparison groups at the start of the study

• To follow a group of similar individuals over a period of time to observe the occurrence of an outcome