Research Practice test

 What term describes the probability that a study’s findings are due to random chance rather than a true effect?

Statistical significance

 In evidence-based medicine, the “three pillars” include

Research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values

The variable that is manipulated by the researcher in an experimental study is the:

 Independent variable

The degree to which an instrument measures what it intends to measure is known as:

Validity

A test that consistently gives similar results across repeated trials demonstrates high:

 Reliability

What is the probability value (p-value) most commonly used to indicate statistical significance?

0.05

A 95% confidence interval that does not cross zero suggests:

The intervention likely had an effect

Which level of evidence represents the highest strength of research?

Meta-analysis

Which study design follows subjects over time to observe who develops an outcome?

Cohort

A study comparing patients with and without a disease to identify risk factors is called:

Case-control

Which of the following is a prospective design?

Cohort study

What is the best research design for determining cause-and-effect relationships?

Randomized controlled trial

A researcher collects non-numerical interview data about athlete motivation. This is:

Qualitative research

Which of the following best defines incidence?

Number of new cases within a time period

The total proportion of people in a population who currently have a disease is known as:

Prevalence

Which diagnostic measure represents the probability of having a disease given a positive test?

Positive predictive value

Which measure describes a test’s ability to identify patients without the condition?

Specificity

If a diagnostic test has 95% sensitivity, what does this indicate?

It correctly identifies 95% of those with disease

What is the correct formula for Specificity

True Negative/ (True Negative + False Positive)

A negative result from a highly sensitive test means:

The patient probably does not have the disease

The proportion of true positives among all positive test results is the:

Positive predictive value

A clinician interprets a positive likelihood ratio (LR+) > 10 as:

Strongly increasing probability of disease

A clinician reflecting on her past decision-making to improve future practice demonstrates:

Metacognition

The “SNOUT” acronym refers to:

Sensitive tests rule out disease when negative

Which reasoning system is fast, automatic, and experience-based?

System 1

Repetitive use of System 2 reasoning enhances:

 System 1 accuracy

What is the term for the likelihood that a result is due to random error rather than true difference?

 p-value

In research, the “methods” section should:

Describe how data were collected and analyzed

Which of the following best describes a Type I error?

Rejecting a true null hypothesis

Which of the following best describes Type II error?

Missing an effect that actually exists

The ability of a study to detect a true difference when one exists is called:

Power

In an article, the section summarizing major results and suggesting future research is the:

Discussion

When a study’s sample closely matches the population of interest, it has high:

External validity

Which of the following improves external validity the most?

 Random sampling

A researcher’s personal beliefs unintentionally influencing outcomes is an example of:

Bias

Which of the following sources is most reliable for medical research?

Cochrane Library

What is the purpose of listing study limitations in a research article?

To identify weaknesses that may affect interpretation

Which term describes the relationship between two variables without implying causation?

Correlation

What is the name of the variable measured as an outcome in a study?

Dependent variable

When clinicians rely on experience to make quick judgments, they are using:

Heuristics

Which of the following indicates clinical significance rather than just statistical significance?

Meaningful improvement in patient outcomes

What type of research focuses on describing existing characteristics without examining cause-and-effect?

Descriptive

Which type of validity tests whether an instrument appears to measure what it claims?

 Face validity

Which measure is used to determine association between two continuous variables?

Pearson correlation

The extent to which different raters give consistent results on the same test is:

 Inter-rater reliability

The process of applying research findings to patient care is known as:

Evidence translation

Which type of study is most useful for identifying risk factors for a disease?

Cohort

When a test yields different results for the same subject each time, it lacks:

Reliability

Which value describes how close repeated measurements are to each other?

 Precision

Which statistical test compares the means of two independent groups?

Independent t-test