Ch 3: Solving Research Problems

Applied research

applies basic questions to practical problems

- seeks to solve a specific problem

Qualitative variables

(wordy part)

- involve descriptions of categories

- have names for labels of categories

quantitative variables

(numbers)

- discrete (the count)

- continuous (the measure)

discrete

can be counted; not expressed in fraction or decimal

- number of subjects or treatment sessions

continuous

Expressed in any numerical form including fractions/decimals

- age, test scores, height and weight

independent variable

- Explains the cause of hypothesized change in the dependent variable;

- Explanatory

- What is manipulated to prompt an outcome

- Ex. type of fluency treatment provided

dependent variable

(aka the outcome variable)

the change you might expect given manipulation of the independent variable

- Ex. the change you see in severity of disfluency

The goal is to control as strictly as possible in order that any changes in your _______ can be truly attributed to the _____

- dependent variable (OUTCOME)

- independent variable (CAUSE)

methods of control

- Control groups with random assignment

- "Blindness" of investigators/participants

- Standardized methods

extraneous variable

a factor not directly related to the purpose of the study,

- but may affect the dependent variable (OUTCOME) (Portney & Watkins, 2000)

- Ex. smoking and exercise

an extraneous variable can become a ____ on the true variables under investigation

confounding variable

PICO

P- population

I- Intervention/indication

C- comparison/control

O- outcome

Population

what are the participants (specific diagnosis, severity level, ages)

Intervention/Indication

What are you looking at using? (screening/assessment tool, treatment or service delivery model)

Comparison/Control

main alternative to the intervention (different approach, different amount, no treatment)

Outcome

What is the hypothesized outcome?