Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Studies

Flashcards covering key terminology and concepts related to experimental and quasi-experimental studies.

Experiment

A study where participants are assigned to different groups to evaluate the effect of an intervention.

Quasi-experiment

A study that evaluates the effect of an intervention without random assignment of participants.

Randomized Control Trial (RCT)

An experimental study where participants are randomly assigned to either intervention or control groups.

Placebo

An inactive substance used as a control in clinical trials that mimics the intervention being tested.

Blinding

A method used in experiments to prevent bias by keeping participants or researchers unaware of group assignments.

Equipoise

The state of having genuine uncertainty about the relative therapeutic merits of each arm in a trial.

Adverse reaction

A negative side effect resulting from a medication, vaccination, or other exposure during a study.

Compliance

The extent to which participants follow the assigned treatment protocol in a study.

Bias

Systematic error in a study that can affect the validity of the results.

Efficacy

The ability of an intervention to produce a desired beneficial effect under ideal conditions.

Objective

The goal of an experimental study to compare outcomes between intervention and control groups.

Ethical considerations

Factors that researchers must evaluate to ensure the rights and welfare of participants are protected.

Regulation

Guidelines that govern the conduct of experimental studies, ensuring ethical practices are followed.

Self-control study

A type of study where participants serve as their own control by undergoing before-and-after measurements.

Crossover design

A research design where participants receive both the experimental treatment and control in a sequential manner.

Detection bias

An information bias that occurs when there's unequal detection of outcomes among study groups.

Non-compliance

The failure of participants to adhere to the assigned treatment regimen of a study.

Intervention

The treatment or procedure tested in the study to assess its efficacy.

Regression to the mean

The phenomenon where extreme measurements are likely to be closer to the average on subsequent measurements.

Outcome

The result measured in a study, which indicates the effect of the intervention.

Randomization

The process of assigning participants to different groups using random methods to reduce bias.

Therapeutic equivalence

The condition in which different treatments have similar effects on the outcome.