Exam 3: Topic and Conceptualization

How is an anecdote different from a definition?

A researcher studying the association between elementary home-schooling and credit score of the respondent, chose cases which she knew had a positive association between the dependent and independent variable. What term or phrase is used to define this study design?

What does the term "cutoff value" mean?

Define the misclassification terms "false positive" and "false negative." Provide an example of each term.

The conceptualization of any topic should always have variables with both positive, zero, and negative values.

Explain how a change in scope affects the trade-off between false positive and false negative cases. Give an example.

What does the phrase "selective observation" mean? Illustrate with an example.

Adjusting the value of a cutoff point results in a trade-off between false positive and false negative cases.

What are the likely effects of a revision of the definition of a concept? Provide an example.

A cutoff value is a number used to include or exclude cases for a research study.

The perspective of the researcher on a given topic may affect which values are considered optimal.

Conceptualize a research study on an abstract topic of your choice. Explain the dimensions in your study design and their units of measure. How would you collect the data needed for this study?

What does the scope of a definition refer to?

Which of the following statements is valid with regard to a research study?

What should be the role of an anecdote in defining a concept?

Which of the following factors affects the optimal value in research?

Illustrate with an example, how the scope of a definition is determined.

Which of the following would be a true conceptualization of a research study?

A research study on the effect of the 2008 recession on small businesses in Florida, defined small business as those with less than 200 employees. Another later study, also researching effects of the 2008 recession on small business, limited "small business" to include only those with 100 or less employees. Which of the following aspects of research make it difficult to compare the two studies?

A private vehicle insurance company in New Hampshire conducts a study on risk of road incidents of their policyholders. The study was based on a similar study conducted by NAIC, the national insurance regulatory body. However, the cutoff value to identify high risk policyholders was kept at a lower level than the NAIC study. Which factor influenced the company's decision to choose a different cutoff?