Exam 24: Evaluating Research Validity: Part II

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -Based on the information provided, evidence to support the measurement reliability of the CCFNI is:

A researcher predicted that music training would enhance young children's spatial-temporalreasoning. 88 preschool children participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: 30 children received private music lessons, 29 children received computerlessons, and 29 children were the controls. A standardized test, the Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), was used to measure spatial-temporal reasoning beforeand immediately after the interventions. The WPPSI is evaluated positively in Buros MentalMeasurements Handbook and has been used in hundreds of studies on preschoolers' reasoningskills. All tasks were independently scored by two researchers blind to condition assignment.Interobserver reliability was r =.95. Significant improvement was found for the private musicgroup only. The researcher stated that this study demonstrates that music training produces longterm modifications in underlying neural circuitry, and improvement of this type may enhance thelearning of mathematics and science -The conclusions of the study are:

In a research study with more than one research question, the researcher may be using more than one research approach.

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -The design classification being used is:

Regression analyses are used to predict a criterion variable from several predictor variables.

Measurement instruments for dependent variables seldom require reporting of measurement reliability and validity.

Participant characteristics in two groups may appear equal initially, but differences may occur over time as a result of genetic predisposition or maturation. These differences mostly affect external validity.

A researcher predicted that music training would enhance young children's spatial-temporalreasoning. 88 preschool children participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: 30 children received private music lessons, 29 children received computerlessons, and 29 children were the controls. A standardized test, the Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), was used to measure spatial-temporal reasoning beforeand immediately after the interventions. The WPPSI is evaluated positively in Buros MentalMeasurements Handbook and has been used in hundreds of studies on preschoolers' reasoningskills. All tasks were independently scored by two researchers blind to condition assignment.Interobserver reliability was r =.95. Significant improvement was found for the private musicgroup only. The researcher stated that this study demonstrates that music training produces longterm modifications in underlying neural circuitry, and improvement of this type may enhance thelearning of mathematics and science -An appropriate statistic is:

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -Based on the information provided, the population external validity is:

A researcher predicted that music training would enhance young children's spatial-temporalreasoning. 88 preschool children participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: 30 children received private music lessons, 29 children received computerlessons, and 29 children were the controls. A standardized test, the Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), was used to measure spatial-temporal reasoning beforeand immediately after the interventions. The WPPSI is evaluated positively in Buros MentalMeasurements Handbook and has been used in hundreds of studies on preschoolers' reasoningskills. All tasks were independently scored by two researchers blind to condition assignment.Interobserver reliability was r =.95. Significant improvement was found for the private musicgroup only. The researcher stated that this study demonstrates that music training produces longterm modifications in underlying neural circuitry, and improvement of this type may enhance thelearning of mathematics and science -Rate evidence for reliability of the WPPSI:

Why is peer review important?

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -Based on the information provided, evidence to support the measurement validity of the CCFNI is:

Independent variables are also known as criterion variables.

A researcher predicted that music training would enhance young children's spatial-temporalreasoning. 88 preschool children participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: 30 children received private music lessons, 29 children received computerlessons, and 29 children were the controls. A standardized test, the Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), was used to measure spatial-temporal reasoning beforeand immediately after the interventions. The WPPSI is evaluated positively in Buros MentalMeasurements Handbook and has been used in hundreds of studies on preschoolers' reasoningskills. All tasks were independently scored by two researchers blind to condition assignment.Interobserver reliability was r =.95. Significant improvement was found for the private musicgroup only. The researcher stated that this study demonstrates that music training produces longterm modifications in underlying neural circuitry, and improvement of this type may enhance thelearning of mathematics and science -What type of research approach was used?

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -Based on the information provided, the ecological validity is:

A researcher predicted that music training would enhance young children's spatial-temporalreasoning. 88 preschool children participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: 30 children received private music lessons, 29 children received computerlessons, and 29 children were the controls. A standardized test, the Wechsler Preschool andPrimary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), was used to measure spatial-temporal reasoning beforeand immediately after the interventions. The WPPSI is evaluated positively in Buros MentalMeasurements Handbook and has been used in hundreds of studies on preschoolers' reasoningskills. All tasks were independently scored by two researchers blind to condition assignment.Interobserver reliability was r =.95. Significant improvement was found for the private musicgroup only. The researcher stated that this study demonstrates that music training produces longterm modifications in underlying neural circuitry, and improvement of this type may enhance thelearning of mathematics and science -The design classification is:

What type of study should include the evaluation of the construct validity of the intervention?

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -The research approach being used in this study is:

Laboratory settings are considered highly artificial with regards to ecological validity.

A researcher uses convenience samples of 30 parents of critically ill children and 30 pediatriccritical care nurses to identify the needs of parents of critically ill children. The researcher wantsto compare parents' self-reported needs with nurses' perceptions of their needs. The nurses allhad a BA degree, were female, and had at least 5 years of experience in the critical care unit. TheCritical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used to quantify the importance ofperceived family needs. This 45-item instrument consists of needs statements rated on a 4-pointscale from 1 (not important) to 4 (very important). Psychometric evaluations of the CCFNI havebeen performed in other studies, including construct validity of the needs statements and a 5-factor solution that grouped the needs statements into 5 conceptually meaningful categories:support, comfort, information, proximity, and reassurance. Internal consistency reliabilities inprevious studies ranged from .90 to .95. After obtaining permission from the Institutional ReviewBoard, primary caregivers and their child's primary nurse were recruited for the study within 48hours of admission to a public hospital in a big city. Wilcoxon signed ranks matched-pairs testsdemonstrated a significant difference between the caregivers and nurses in perceived importancefor 4 out of the 5 needs factors or categories. -The choice of the Wilcoxon test is: