Question 1

In addition to empirical association, what are the two other criteria needed to assess a cause-and-effect relationship between a dependent and an independent variable?

Accepted Answer

A)   measurement level and p value
B)   effect size and value
C)   confidence limits and standard error
D)   mechanism and nonspuriousness D

Question 2

What does the first of the "W's," "What," refer to?

Accepted Answer

A)   topic of study
B)   location
C)   time period
D)   type of case A

Question 3

A 'substantive significance of an estimate is assessed by its p value and confidence limits.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

In the case of observational studies with multiple independent variables, what factor should be kept in mind during the data collection task to ensure stronger empirical association?

Accepted Answer

A)   units of the variables in the study
B)   type of variable to be used
C)   temporal design of the study
D)   information on potential confounders

Question 5

In which of the following cases, should statistical significance of an association not be the reason for an intervention?

Accepted Answer

A)   the dependent variable is modifiable
B)   the size of the association is large
C)   direction of association is known
D)   the independent variable cannot be modified

Question 6

Refer to the research article you used in Question 1. Comment on the study design, sample size, and the W's related to criteria used by the authors in assessing overall importance of their research results.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the research article you used...

Question 7

In many instances, an association between an outcome and an independent variable could be confounded by another independent variable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Which of the following criteria is used to assess the internal validity of a research result?

Accepted Answer

A)   empirical association
B)   effect size
C)   p value
D)   measurement value

Question 9

What does "substantive significance" mean in the context of research?

Accepted Answer

A)   significance level of a test
B)   validity of a sample
C)   p value of a significance test
D)   practical importance of a result

Question 10

Discuss the quantitative criteria needed to determine internal validity of a study. Illustrate with the help of an example.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the quantitative criteria needed to determine...

Question 11

In determining practical importance of a result, which measure is referred to, along with effect size?

Accepted Answer

A)   variation
B)   mean
C)   standard error
D)   confidence level

Question 12

Explain in your own words, how sample size affects p values for hypothesis testing.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain in your own words, how sample...

Question 13

How is the sample size related to the measure of spread in a research study?

Accepted Answer

A)   weakly related
B)   positively related
C)   inversely related
D)   not related

Question 14

A regression analysis was conducted with dependent variable A and independent variables B and C. The regression coefficients fell within confidence intervals that did not equal 0. Moreover, the coefficients had p values less than 0.0001. Which dimension of "importance" do these results satisfy?

Accepted Answer

A)   cause-and-effect
B)   statistical significance
C)   benchmarking
D)   effect size

Question 15

In deciding on units or categories of a dependent variable for a study, which of the following would serve as a guiding principle?

Accepted Answer

A)   assess the "W's" of the study
B)   identify appropriate benchmarks
C)   review prior literature on the variable
D)   assess the context of the study

Question 16

'External validity' is one of the four dimensions used for assessing importance of research results.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What does the honorary W, "How", refer to?

Accepted Answer

A)   time period of study
B)   interpreting results
C)   study design and methods
D)   location of study

Question 18

Provide an example of how statistical significance of an estimate is determined.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide an example of how statistical significance...

Question 19

A statistical significance test of association can indicate the direction of the association.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

What are the criteria for assessing practical meaning of a research result? Explain what factors these criteria depend on.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the criteria for assessing practical...

Exam 15: The Role of Research Methods in Making Sense of Numbers

In addition to empirical association, what are the two other criteria needed to assess a cause-and-effect relationship between a dependent and an independent variable?

What does the first of the "W's," "What," refer to?

A 'substantive significance of an estimate is assessed by its p value and confidence limits.

In the case of observational studies with multiple independent variables, what factor should be kept in mind during the data collection task to ensure stronger empirical association?

In which of the following cases, should statistical significance of an association not be the reason for an intervention?

Refer to the research article you used in Question 1. Comment on the study design, sample size, and the W's related to criteria used by the authors in assessing overall importance of their research results.

In many instances, an association between an outcome and an independent variable could be confounded by another independent variable.

Which of the following criteria is used to assess the internal validity of a research result?

What does "substantive significance" mean in the context of research?

Discuss the quantitative criteria needed to determine internal validity of a study. Illustrate with the help of an example.

In determining practical importance of a result, which measure is referred to, along with effect size?

Explain in your own words, how sample size affects p values for hypothesis testing.

How is the sample size related to the measure of spread in a research study?

A regression analysis was conducted with dependent variable A and independent variables B and C. The regression coefficients fell within confidence intervals that did not equal 0. Moreover, the coefficients had p values less than 0.0001. Which dimension of "importance" do these results satisfy?

In deciding on units or categories of a dependent variable for a study, which of the following would serve as a guiding principle?

'External validity' is one of the four dimensions used for assessing importance of research results.

What does the honorary W, "How", refer to?

Provide an example of how statistical significance of an estimate is determined.

A statistical significance test of association can indicate the direction of the association.

What are the criteria for assessing practical meaning of a research result? Explain what factors these criteria depend on.