Deck 10: Observational Research

Question 1

Researchers using a ______ research design start by first identifying the determinant or risk factor and then follow the participants over time until they develop the outcome.

A) deductive
B) retrospective
C) prospective
D) causal

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Researchers using a ______ research design start by first identifying the outcome and then looking backward in time to see whether they can find the determinant or risk factor that contributed to the outcome.

A) deductive
B) retrospective
C) prospective
D) causal

Answer 2

B

Question 3

An observational research design is conducted when an experimental design might not be ______.

A) ethical
B) easy
C) expedient
D) expected

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Observational research designs can be broken up into how many classifications?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Question 5

A group of researchers focus on exposure to dust from September 11 as a risk factor. They then follow participants for 5 years. What type of study is this?

A) prospective
B) deductive
C) qualitative
D) retrospective

Question 6

Why would a researcher use a retrospective research design?

A) to make the research process quicker
B) to limit the amount of resources they need
C) when the problem has not yet been identified
D) when the problem has already occurred

Question 7

Which research design is used when researchers initially expect an association between exposure and population outcomes?

A) ecological
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort
D) case-control

Question 8

Which research design is used when a researcher simultaneously determines exposure and the outcome for everyone in the study?

A) ecological
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort
D) case-control

Question 9

Which research design is used when both individuals who have and who have not been exposed are followed over time?

A) ecological
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort
D) case-control

Question 10

Which research design is used when individuals are selected based on the outcome and are compared to those without the outcome?

A) ecological
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort
D) case-control

Question 11

A ______ analysis is often used to measure the association in an ecological research study.

A) relational
B) quasi-relational
C) correlational
D) situational

Question 12

A ______ design is good for establishing an association between the exposure and outcome.

A) cross-section
B) spurious
C) confounding
D) prevalent

Question 13

A(n) ______ assumes that the relationship that exists for groups is also true for individuals.

A) hypothesis
B) ecological fallacy
C) odds ratio
D) theoretical perspective

Question 14

______ variables are related to both the exposure variable and the outcome variable.

A) Realistic
B) Spurious
C) Ecological
D) Confounding

Question 15

A(n) ______ relationship is one in which the relationship between the exposure variable and outcome variable is due to a third variable.

A) realistic
B) spurious
C) ecological
D) confounding

Question 16

Which term refers to the number of cases in a population in a specific time period that are expressed as the proportion of the total population at risk for the condition?

A) exposure group
B) confounding variables
C) prevalence
D) variability

Question 17

A cohort research design can be used to assess causality because the exposure has been identified ______ the outcome and can be prospective or retrospective.

A) during
B) after
C) before

Question 18

A cohort research design is great for identifying the occurrence of new cases of the outcome. These are known as ______.

A) risks
B) incidents
C) biases
D) associations

Question 19

An observational cohort research design is appropriate when the outcome is not too ______.

A) obvious
B) rare
C) definitive
D) complex

Question 20

An ______ rate is the number of new cases arising in a given period in a specified population.

A) incidence
B) intentional
C) observational
D) opinion

Question 21

What is used to measure the association in a cohort research design study?

A) relative detriment
B) relative risk
C) restrictive risk
D) restrictive detriment

Question 22

Threats to the internal validity of an observational cohort research are attrition and ______ bias.

A) inherent
B) prospective
C) selection
D) respective

Question 23

Attrition occurs as a result of persons ______ the study.

A) dropping out of
B) contaminating
C) duplicating
D) disproving

Question 24

______ bias could occur when there are systematic differences between the exposed group compared to the not exposed group on factors related to the outcome.

A) Inherent
B) Prospective
C) Selection
D) Retrospective

Question 25

When a researcher is studying individuals with a past history of exposure to a disease, toxin, or event, which design should they use?

A) ecological
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort
D) case-control

Question 26

When are case-control designs appropriate to use?

A) when there is better funding for this format than others
B) when there is reliable evidence of past exposure
C) if participants prefer it
D) when research collection time is limited

Question 27

In case-control research design, researchers must ensure that the controls are ______ when compared to the previous cases in all respects other than what they were exposed to.

A) opposite
B) similar
C) obvious
D) unexpected

Question 28

A case-control research design is usually ______.

A) longitudinal
B) prospective
C) retrospective
D) spurious

Question 29

Researchers must ensure that the controls are ______ to the cases in all respects other than what they were exposed to.

A) similar
B) identical
C) opposite

Question 30

Ecological research design studies only be undertaken when individual-level data are ______.

A) consistent
B) unavailable
C) known
D) biased

Question 31

The observational researcher should always randomly assign the participants to the exposure.

Question 32

Observational research examines the effects of exposure to a variable of interest that is under the control of the researcher.

Question 33

An OR = 1 means exposure does not affect the odds of developing the outcome.

Question 34

When data are collected on the exposure and outcome simultaneously at one point in time, causality cannot be established.

Question 35

The exposure variable in observational research could serve as the independent variable in a study examining a direct relationship.

Question 36

How might external validity invalidate a study?

Question 37

What does an ecological fallacy assume?

Question 38

How are ethical issues associated with observational research designs different than those associated with experimental and quasi-experimental designs?

Question 39

In cross-sectional research, why can causality not be established?

Question 40

Why is an observational research design conducted?