Nursing Research Practice Flashcards - Comprehensive Review

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards covering key concepts from the nursing research lecture notes, including variables, sampling, research design, data collection, statistics, qualitative/quantitative methods, ethics, literature review, and study formulation.

In the study 'The effects of relaxation techniques in decreasing anxiety of cardiac patients,' what is the dependent variable?

Anxiety

In the same study, which variable is manipulated?

Relaxation technique

The type of hypothesis developed was:

Simple, directional

For systematic sampling with N=400 and a desired sample of 50, what is the sampling interval?

Every 8th person

If the first selected is the 8th person, what would be the next selection in systematic sampling?

16th person

Arrange the following steps in the typical sequence from first to last: Identify the problem; Determine the purpose; Review of literature; Formulate hypothesis; Select design; Select sample; Collect data; Analyze the data; Communicate findings

4,5,8,9,7,1,6,3,2 (Identify problem; Determine purpose; Review literature; Formulate hypotheses; Select design; Select sample; Collect data; Analyze data; Communicate findings)

The most important criterion of research significance?

Significance

All authors agree on the following number of steps in conducting quantitative research:

None of the above (no single agreed number)

What is the final step of the research process?

Communicate findings

Which mediums could Alex use to present research findings?

Books, Journals, Research seminars, Poster sessions (All of the above)

The plan for how a study will be conducted is called the:

Design

Nursing research uses which reasoning processes?

Inductive and deductive (both)

What distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research?

Random assignment of subjects to groups

Which item is based on qualitative research?

A study examining clients’ reactions to stress after open heart surgery

The title 'The Lived Experiences of Surviving a Typhoon (Yolanda)' would indicate which type of qualitative research?

Phenomenological

Nurse midwives during the 1950s would be studied using which design?

Historical

The described experimental design where groups are randomly assigned, taught vs not taught, and post-tested (no pre-test) is called:

Post-test only control group design

Group B, which will not be receiving relaxation instructions, is known as the:

Control Group

Group A, which will receive relaxation instructions, is known as the:

Experimental group

True experimental design must possess all essential characteristics except:

Anonymity of respondents

What is the most vital characteristic of a sample?

Representativeness

The small group selected from a larger group to participate in a study is known as the:

Sample

The nurse divided the population into freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors and sampled from each subgroup. This is which sampling design?

Stratified

A process of selecting a portion to represent the general population is termed as:

Sampling

The basic principle of random sampling ensures that each subject has:

An equal chance of selection

Which method allows the use of any group of research subjects?

Convenience

Which method involves a conscious selection of participants?

Purposive/Judgmental

A nurse randomly selects every tenth nurse from a mailing list. The sampling method is:

Systematic

A study of junk food consumption over a 10-year period (annual data) is which design?

Longitudinal Study

A miniature, trial version of the study conducted before the actual research is called:

Pilot Study

For touch therapy on premature infants’ vital signs, which research design is most applicable?

Applied

Selecting the first 50 premature infants admitted in the NICU during four months uses which sampling method?

Convenience

In the same situation, the sampling method would be:

Non-random (non-probability)

It would be best to secure informed consent from:

The parents (or guardians)

Taking the vital signs of premature infants will involve what data collection method?

Physiological measure

According to its level of measurement, temperature is classified as:

Interval

After gathering data, the statistics used to check the validity of findings and draw conclusions are:

Inferential statistics

What is the independent variable in the study?

Touch therapy (the intervention)

The hypothesis 'Touch therapy improves the vital signs of premature infants' is of which type?

Simple, Directional

What is the population in this study?

Premature infants

The plan that accompanies a questionnaire mentioning purpose is most closely a:

Cover letter

Which instrument is most commonly used to collect data in survey research?

Questionnaire

The most direct means of studying subjects when interested in their behavior is:

Observation

Which protocol would be considered unethical?

Verbal permission from the subject is unnecessary (privacy)

A semi-structured interview means:

Interviewer has a list of questions but can probe beyond them

A nurse researcher conducts research for varied reasons except:

For financial gain

After identifying the problem, the next step is:

Review of related literature

Which presents the results to readers and facilitates data description?

Tables and Graphs

In quantitative data, the distance between the highest and lowest values is called:

Range

A numerical measure of how data vary around the mean is:

Standard deviation

According to WHO statistics, which group disproportionately represents the homeless population?

African Americans

Mean of the numbers 60, 62, 63, 41, 56, 44, 49, 45 is:

52.5

For the data set 16, 15, 13, 12, 13, 9, 6, 4, 12, the mode is:

12 and 13 (bimodal)

Median of the numbers 45, 5, 30, 65, 19, 15, 100, 50 is:

37.5

A set of data with one value that occurs most frequently is called:

Unimodal

A nurse should protect patient privacy; violating privacy would be an ethical issue. Which option reflects privacy violation?

Not obtaining privacy correctly or disclosing private information

Identifying a clinical problem in a research study is an example of which activity?

Identifying clinical problem (feasibility and relevance are also considered)

What does the mean age of 88 indicate in a study?

The average age is 88 (mean)

Which measure is NOT a measure of central tendency: mean, median, mode, variance?

Variance

Informed consent should disclose which of the following?

Benefits, risks, procedures, and confidentiality; not incomplete disclosure

Which statement defines the population in a study about mastectomy?

Post-mastectomy woman ages 30 to 50 (target population)

Which statement defines the subgroup representing the target population in a mastectomy study?

Ten post-mastectomy women aged 30-50 (sample)

Aling Selena in a study is best described as which?

Subject (or participant)

A miniature, trial version of the study before the actual research is conducted is called:

Pilot Study

Which statement best represents the problem statement in research on body image after mastectomy?

Is there a correlation between body image and self-esteem levels of women who have experienced mastectomy?

Which is an appropriate title for a mastectomy-related study?

The relationship between Body Image and Self-Esteem levels of woman post-mastectomy.

In the mastectomy study, what is the independent variable?

Body image (positive body image)

In the mastectomy study, what is the dependent variable?

Self-esteem

What is the universe for the mastectomy study title?

Post-mastectomy women

Which statement reviews the related literature?

A citation-based statement such as 'Recent research on this problem shows…'(A)

For the hypothesis 'more positive body image leads to higher self-esteem,' what type is it?

Simple, Directional

What type of hypothesis is 'Is there a correlation between body image and self-esteem levels of women who have experienced mastectomy?'

Correlational (Simple, Non-Directional)

Feasibility in research refers to what?

Feasibility (time, access, resources)

What is the primary purpose of a literature review?

To gather what is known and unknown about the problem

What is a major reason for nursing research?

Promote evidence-based care for patients/clients

What is the purpose of a pilot study?

To test procedures, instruments, and data collection processes on a small scale; to prevent costly errors in full study

In a study comparing patient-controlled vs nurse-administered antiemetic therapy, the best state of the research question is:

To compare the effectiveness of patient-controlled and nurse-controlled antiemetic therapy with regard to medication consumption and control of nausea and vomiting in patients on chemotherapy (long, comprehensive question)

Which source would provide the most current literature?

Online database

Which electronic database is most important for nurses?

CINAHL

Independent variable in the hypothesis 'Unmarried pregnant teenagers report a less positive body image than those married'

Marital status

Dependent variable in the hypothesis 'Unmarried pregnant teenagers report a less positive body image than those married'

Positive body image

What type of hypothesis is used in 'Unmarried pregnant teenagers report a less positive body image than those married'

Simple, Directional

Independent variable in 'Older adults demonstrate a lower self-image after retirement than before retirement'

Retirement (retired vs not retired)

Dependent variable in 'Older adults demonstrate a lower self-image after retirement than before retirement'

Self-image

What type of hypothesis is used in 'Older adults demonstrate a lower self-image after retirement than before retirement'

Simple, Directional

What is the universe in the mastectomy-related hypothesis example?

All individuals affected by the population described in the study (e.g., women post-mastectomy)