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What are the main learning objectives of quantitative research?
Outline the goals of quantitative research, describe key study designs, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and analyze criticisms of quantitative research.
What are the four main goals of quantitative research?
Measurement, establishing causality, generalization of findings, and replication.
Why is measurement important in quantitative research?
It quantifies social phenomena and relationships, making measurement validity a major concern.
What does establishing causality in quantitative research mean?
Identifying what causes health conditions, diseases, or social phenomena.
Why is generalization important in quantitative research?
It ensures findings apply to a broader population, increasing external validity.
What is replication in research, and why is it important?
Replication verifies findings, reducing biases and errors, and increasing confidence in results.
What are cross-sectional studies?
Studies that analyze data from a population at a single point in time.
What are the advantages of cross-sectional studies?
They are generalizable, quick, cost-effective, and useful for estimating disease prevalence.
What are the limitations of cross-sectional studies?
Cannot establish causality, separate cause from effect, or efficiently study rare conditions.
What is a cohort study?
A study that follows a group of people over time to observe the development of a disease or condition.
What is the difference between prospective and retrospective cohort studies?
Prospective follows participants into the future; retrospective analyzes past exposures.
What are the advantages of cohort studies?
They can establish incidence, examine rare exposures, infer causality, and study multiple outcomes.
What are the disadvantages of cohort studies?
They are expensive, time-consuming, unsuitable for rare diseases, and subject to biases.
What is a case-control study?
A study that compares people with a disease (cases) to those without it (controls) to identify risk factors.
When are case-control studies useful?
For studying rare diseases, new conditions, or diseases with long latency periods.
What are the advantages of case-control studies?
They are cost-effective, quick, require fewer participants, and can study multiple exposures.
What are the disadvantages of case-control studies?
They cannot determine incidence, are prone to recall bias, and may have selection bias.
What is a randomized trial?
A study design where participants are randomly assigned to groups to test interventions.
What is stratified randomization?
A method ensuring different groups are balanced in characteristics before random assignment.
What is masking (blinding) in a randomized trial?
Keeping participants and/or researchers unaware of group assignments to reduce bias.
What is a placebo, and why is it used?
An inactive substance used to compare with an intervention, ensuring valid results.
What are the main criticisms of quantitative research?
It oversimplifies human behavior
It relies too much on instruments and numbers
It ignores real-life experiences and meanings
It assumes an objective reality that may not exist
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