Practice Test 1

Question 1

1. Ethics is present in all aspect of the research process. The researcher’s obligation to do no harm is described by which of the following ethical guidelines?

A. Promoting justice.
B. Promoting health and well-being.
C. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
D. Preserving dignity.

Answer 1

B. Promoting health and well-being.

Question 2

2. Review the abstract information and identify the dependent variable from the variables in the list: “Across time, increases in social support and marital satisfaction were associated with increased psychological well-being, whereas longer periods of unemployment were connected with higher depression and lower self-esteem.”

A. “Social support”.
B. “Marital satisfaction”.
C. “Psychological well-being”.
D. “Unemployment”.

Answer 2

C. “Psychological well-being”.

Question 3

3. Which of the following distinctions is characteristic of qualitative research methods?

A. Data are in text form.
B. Data are dichotomous (either yes or no).
C. Qualitative research does not generate data.
D. Data from qualitative studies are inappropriate for analysis.

Answer 3

A. Data are in text form.

Question 4

4. To infer causality:

A. the relationship between cause and effect must be measurable and reciprocal.
B. the relationship must not be explainable by any other variable.
C. the independent variable must change in response to manipulation of the dependent variable.
D. the outcome must be logical, expected, and predictable.

Answer 4

B. the relationship must not be explainable by any other variable.

Question 5

5.	A factor considered a measure to keep the conditions of a quantitative study uniform is:
A.	accuracy.
B.	methods.
C.	control.
D.	validity.

Answer 5

C. control.

Question 6

6. In what way is nursing research significant to the profession of nursing?
   A. Responsibility is more specifically defined.
   B. Liability within the practice of nursing is decreased.
   C. A specialized body of knowledge is generated for use in the delivery of nursing care.
   D. The scope of nursing practice is expanded into areas formerly reserved for other disciplines.

Answer 6

C. A specialized body of knowledge is generated for use in the delivery of nursing care.

Question 7

7. Secondary sources can be valuable in a literature review because:
   A. they provide material written by the person who conducted the study.
   B. they provide a different way of looking at specific issues or problems
   C. they determine the relationship of two or more variables affecting an outcome
   D. they increase the body of nursing knowledge in a specific area of practice.

 

Answer 7

D. they increase the body of nursing knowledge in a specific area of practice.

Question 8

8. Which ethical principle is violated when a potential subject refuses to participate in a clinical study and, in response, the nurse takes less time to answer this patient’s questions than she does with other patients?
   A. Promoting justice.
   B. Promoting health and well-being.
   C. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
   D. Preserving dignity.

Answer 8

A. Promoting justice.

Question 9

9. By what specific criterion should you judge the results or findings of experimental research?
   A. The size of the experimental group compared with the size of the control group.
   B. The validity that the experimental treatment caused the desired effect on the outcome.
   C. The degree to which the research questions were congruent with the hypotheses and the purpose of the study.
   D. The degree to which the researcher was able to apply the findings to clinical or practice settings.

Answer 9

B. The validity that the experimental treatment caused the desired effect on the outcome.

Question 10

10. The best approach to use when reading a research report for the first time is:
    A. reading the entire article for specific content, then looking up cited journal articles.
    B. first reading the conclusions carefully and then skimming the rest of the article.
    C. breaking the content into parts to understand each aspect of the study.
    D. reading the title and abstract closely and then skimming the content.

Answer 10

D. reading the title and abstract closely and then skimming the content.

Question 11

11. Which of the following factors would be considered a mediating variable among potential subjects in a study to determine whether high doses of vitamin C are helpful in reducing susceptibility to influenza?
    A. Gender and religion of the potential subjects.
    B. The subjects’ previous experience with influenza.
    C. The subjects having received influenza vaccination.
    D. The educational level and marital status of the potential subjects.

Answer 11

C. The subjects having received influenza vaccination.

Question 12

12. Which of the following is the correct definition of theory?
    A. The assumptions and beliefs of the “worldview” of the researcher.
    B. A set of interrelated concepts that provides a systematic view of a phenomenon.
    C. The specific and measurable premise or assumption based on which the rationale for research direction is established.
    D. A researcher’s “best guess” of the expected direction of the relationship between independent and dependent variables.

Answer 12

B. A set of interrelated concepts that provides a systematic view of a phenomenon.

Question 13

13. What is the purpose of a correlational study of multiple variables?
    A. To identify the independent variable.
    B. To test whether one variable causes another variable.
    C. To examine relationships between or among variables.
    D. To distinguish how different one variable is from another variable.

Answer 13

C. To examine relationships between or among variables.

Question 14

14. Which of the following activities or situations is a hallmark of critical reading?
    A. Checking the age of the author.
    B. Clarifying unfamiliar concepts or terms.
    C. Memorizing key sentences within the text.
    D. Understanding the concepts at first reading.

Answer 14

B. Clarifying unfamiliar concepts or terms.

Question 15

15. What should be the determining factor for a researcher to conduct a qualitative study?
    A. The need to test a theory.
    B. The nature of the research question.
    C. The age and gender of the study participants.
    D. The availability of valid instruments to measure the phenomenon.

Answer 15

B. The nature of the research question.

Question 16

16. Which of the following statements about independent and dependent variables is true?
    A. All research problem statements must contain a dependent variable and an independent variable.
    B. There should only be one dependent variable associated with a single independent variable.
    C. The relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable for any study must be causal.
    D. A given characteristic or situation may be a dependent variable in one study and an independent variable in another.

Answer 16

D. A given characteristic or situation may be a dependent variable in one study and an independent variable in another.

Question 17

17. Why is randomization important in a study with an experimental design?

A. It reduces the risk of the subject being harmed by participation in the study.
B. It ensures that the experimental group and the control group have the same number of participants.
C. It allows the study to proceed without the researcher knowing the identity of the treatment group.
D. It increases the likelihood that differences in the outcomes of the groups are not related to chance alone.

Answer 17

D. It increases the likelihood that differences in the outcomes of the groups are not related to chance alone.

Question 18

18.	A mother agreed to let her young son participate in a research study because she believed that if she did not agree, her child would be denied drug therapy. What right has been violated in this situation?
A.	Voluntary consent.
B.	Freedom from harm.
C.	Protection from discomfort.
D.	Fair and equitable treatment.

Answer 18

A. Voluntary consent.

Question 19

19. Which of the following research problems is testable as written?
    A. Should mothers addicted to crack cocaine be permitted to raise their children?
    B. Is the classroom an appropriate place to teach sex education to 10-year-old children
    C. Are older adults residing in assisted-living facilities satisfied with their level of social interaction?
    D. Is an HIV infection or AIDS status sufficient rationale for barring the person from employment as an elementary school teacher?

Answer 19

C. Are older adults residing in assisted-living facilities satisfied with their level of social interaction?

Question 20

20. Which of the following titles suggests that the researcher employs the ethnographic method?

A. The Phenomenon of Breast Self-Examination Among African-Canadian Women.
B. The Lived Experience of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women.
C. The Need for Culturally Sensitive Cancer Prevention Patient Education Materials.
D. Preserving Femininity after Mastectomy.

Answer 20

A. The Phenomenon of Breast Self-Examination Among African-Canadian Women.

Question 21

21. Nurses who do not conduct research need to understand the nursing research process:

A. to identify potential subjects for clinical research studies.
B. to assist in collecting accurate data for clinical research studies.
C. to teach patients and families about the usefulness of participation in research.
D. to be able to evaluate nursing research reports for relevance to their own clinical practice.

Answer 21

D. to be able to evaluate nursing research reports for relevance to their own clinical practice.

Question 22

22. A representative from a pharmaceutical company presents a new product, a pre-medicated wound dressing for treating pressure ulcers, to the nurses at a long-term care facility. The representative asks the nurses to try the new product for 1 month and compare its effectiveness with that of their current method of treatment. What type of unethical action does this situation demonstrate?

A. Intent to harm.
B. Fraudulent behaviour.
C. Scientific misconduct.
D. Unauthorized research.

Answer 22

D. Unauthorized research.

Question 23

23. The foundation of the grounded theory method of qualitative research is considered to be:

A. cultural anthropology.
B. spirituality or religiosity.
C. philosophy, art, and science.
D. symbolic interaction and social science.

Answer 23

D. symbolic interaction and social science.

Question 24

24. An investigator would ensure that a sample is homogeneous by:

A. restricting eligibility criteria to control for extraneous variables relevant to the study.
B. randomly assigning subjects to either the experimental group or the control group.
C. assigning one research assistant to collect all data.
D. collecting all the data at the same time of day.

Answer 24

A. restricting eligibility criteria to control for extraneous variables relevant to the study.

Question 25

25. Which of the following article titles is suggestive of an article that is conceptual or theoretical in nature? A. A Nursing Intervention to Reduce Prehospital Delay in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial. B. The Vulnerability of Elder Abuse Among a Sample of Custodial Grandfathers: An Exploratory Study. C. Depression, Self-Esteem, Loneliness, and Social Support Among Mothers Participating in the New Parents Project. D. Toward a Theory of Patient Satisfaction.

Answer 25

D. Toward a Theory of Patient Satisfaction.

Question 26

26. A qualitative nursing research approach will be most suitable for which of the following research topics? A. Experiences of elder abuse among diverse ethnic populations. B. Reduction of pre-hospital delay in the face of acute coronary syndrome symptoms. C. Examining trajectories of depressive symptoms among young adults. D. Perceived risk and willingness to interact with individuals with HIV or AIDS.

Answer 26

A. Experiences of elder abuse among diverse ethnic populations.

Question 27

27. Which of the following study titles is suggestive of a cross-sectional design? A. Effect of Prenatal Parenting Classes on Maternal–Infant Bonding in the Early Postpartum Period. B. Change in Self-Esteem Over Time Among Women Participating in a Weight Loss Support Group. C. Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Successful Breastfeeding at 1 Month and 6 Months After Delivery. D. Women’s Appraisal of the Diagnosis Within the First 48 Hours After Initial Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

Answer 27

D. Women’s Appraisal of the Diagnosis Within the First 48 Hours After Initial Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

Question 28

28. Which of the following strategies is most likely to facilitate comprehensive understanding of a research paper or article? A. Stating or restating the main theme of the article in your own words. B. Evaluating the qualifications of the author as an expert in the field. C. Examining the reference list to determine whether the literature cited is current. D. Determining whether the content meets the criteria for each step of the research process.

Answer 28

A. Stating or restating the main theme of the article in your own words.

Question 29

29. In a research study, what are the properties of interest that take on different values and are different from each other? A. Variables. B. Concepts. C. Hypotheses. D. Assumptions.

Answer 29

A. Variables.

Question 30

30. Which of the following research questions is most appropriate for a grounded theory approach? A. How do incarcerated persons interact with fellow prisoners convicted of violent crimes against children? B. How do First Nations adolescent girls select a method of contraception? C. What percentage of primary school teachers has a master’s degree? D. How is the total number of clinical hours in a nursing program related to CRNE pass rates?

Answer 30

A. How do incarcerated persons interact with fellow prisoners convicted of violent crimes against children?

Question 31

31. Which of the following statements about the importance of a literature review to the research process is accurate? A. Literature review guides all steps of the research process. B. Literature review is necessary only in defining the problem statement. C. Literature review provides a vehicle to disseminate the findings of the study. D. The value of literature review is limited to finding gaps or inconsistencies in the knowledge base.

Answer 31

A. Literature review guides all steps of the research process.

Question 32

32. Which of the following factors limits the usefulness of the World Wide Web as a source of information for research consumers? A. Downloading being a slow process at times. B. Nontext capabilities that reduce the professionalism of presentations. C. Poor quality control over the information on some Web sites. D. Much of the available information being too technical to be understood by the casual reader.

Answer 32

C. Poor quality control over the information on some Web sites.

Question 33

33. What study type is indicated by data collection at only one point in time? A. Cross-sectional. B. Retrospective. C. Longitudinal. D. Prospective.  

Answer 33

A. Cross-sectional.

Question 34

34. Review the abstract information provided below to determine which qualitative approach is being used in each study. Abstract #1: This study outlines a brief history of men as nurses in the United Kingdom. It uses a variety of historical sources—primary archival, oral history, and secondary sources— to retell the history of nursing with emphasis on the frequently neglected place of men within it. History appears to indicate that men have had a place in nursing for as long as records are available, but their contribution has been perceived as negligible, largely because of the dominant influence that the nineteenth century female nursing movement has had on the occupation's historical ideology. The study indicates that men have an equally valid historical role within nursing and that this should be acknowledged when considering male nurses’ position within the nursing profession. Abstract #2: The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of nurses’ use of humour in their nursing practice. Twenty-one registered nurses enrolled in a graduate nursing program described in detail their experiences using humour in providing nursing care. The 21 written descriptions were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Five themes emerged in which humour was found to (a) help nurses deal effectively with difficult situations and difficult patients, (b) create a sense of cohesiveness between nurses and their patients and also among the nurses themselves, (c) be an effective therapeutic communication technique that helped to decrease patients’ anxiety, depression, and embarrassment, (d) be planned and routine or be unexpected and spontaneous, and (e) create lasting effects beyond the immediate moment for both nurses and patients. Abstract #3: To a) explore young people’s experiences of school and drug use, b) generate hypotheses regarding the pathways through which schools may influence students’ drug use, and c) examine how these may vary according to students’ socio-demographic characteristics, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 students (aged 14-15 years) and 10 teachers in two case-study schools. Students were purposively sampled to encompass variations in socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and school engagement. Techniques associated with thematic content analysis were used to analyze the data and generate hypotheses. A. Abstract #1 = Ethnographic method, Abstract #2 = Phenomenology, Abstract #3 = Historical. B. Abstract #1 = Historical, Abstract #2 = Phenomenology, Abstract #3 = Case study. C. Abstract #1 = Case Study, Abstract #2 = Phenomenology, Abstract #3 = Historical. D. Abstract #1 = Historical, Abstract #2 = Phenomenology, Abstract #3 = Ethnographic method.

Answer 34

B. Abstract #1 = Historical, Abstract #2 = Phenomenology, Abstract #3 = Case study.

Question 35

35. Which of the following statements regarding the role of the nurse in research is true? A. Nurses must be prepared at the baccalaureate level or higher to have any role in nursing research. B. Master’s-prepared nurses (those with MSN, MN, or MS degrees) are primarily responsible for using the findings of nursing research in clinical practice. C. One role of the registered nurse is to identify issues in clinical practice that are suitable for research. D. Regardless of nursing education, the only nurse who should interpret research findings is the one who has the most comprehensive understanding of statistical analysis methods.

Answer 35

C. One role of the registered nurse is to identify issues in clinical practice that are suitable for research.

Question 36

36. Using the abstract information provided below, identify which group would be considered the “control group” for this experimental study. “To determine the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for treating insomnia in breast cancer survivors, randomized controlled trials were conducted with 72 women who, through sleep diaries, were identified as experiencing insomnia. Participants were randomly assigned to a multi-component intervention including stimulus control instructions, sleep restriction, and sleep education or to a single-component group (sleep education).” A. The group receiving the multi-component. B. The group receiving the single component. C. The group experiencing adverse effects. D. The group refusing to participate.

Answer 36

B. The group receiving the single component.

Question 37

37. What is the first question that should be asked in determining whether an experimental design or a non-experimental design should be used in a quantitative study? A. Is there an independent variable? B. What is the nature of the problem being studied? C. Will a measurement tool or instrument be needed? D. Can statistical analysis be applied to the study data?

Answer 37

B. What is the nature of the problem being studied?

Question 38

38. Which of the following definitions of paradigm is correct? A. A way of linking the naturalistic world to empirical thought. B. Philosophical beliefs that influence the way people in a society think about the world. C. A model that captures the interaction of specific variables within a known concept. D. A concept that encompasses the integration of “wholeness”, spirituality, and personal worth into scientific thought.

Answer 38

B. Philosophical beliefs that influence the way people in a society think about the world.

Question 39

39. What type of literature is implied when the author uses the following phrase in the abstract of the article? “A study was conducted.” A. Empirical literature. B. Conceptual literature. C. Clinical literature. D. Informational literature.

Answer 39

A. Empirical literature.

Question 40

40. How is a hypothesis related to a theory? A. A hypothesis can determine the validity of a theory. B. A hypothesis can be used to evaluate the merit of a theory. C. A theory can determine the validity of a hypothesis D. A theory can be used to evaluate the merit of a hypothesis

Answer 40

B. A hypothesis can be used to evaluate the merit of a theory.

Question 41

41. Which of the following qualitative research approaches is most commonly used for theory building? A. Case study. B. Phenomenology. C. Grounded theory. D. Ethnographic method.

Answer 41

C. Grounded theory.

Question 42

42. For which type of quantitative study is the issue of control less important? A. Paper-and-pencil. B. Exploratory. C. Experimental. D. Correlational.

Answer 42

B. Exploratory.

Question 43

43. Metasynthesis involves: A. developing typologies as results of qualitative investigations. B. different hierarchies of evidence as compared with quantitative studies. C. interpreting various qualitative studies to reveal similarities and differences. D. a systematic review of the literature involving classic and recent studies.

Answer 43

C. interpreting various qualitative studies to reveal similarities and differences.

Question 44

44. In which section of a research report or study would unexpected findings be presented? A. “Methods”. B. “Discussion”. C. “Conceptual Framework”. D. “Review of Literature”.

Answer 44

B. “Discussion”.

Question 45

45. Some reviews of the literature are organized according to: A. retrieved materials. B. theoretical summaries. C. importance of the author. D. variables being studied.

Answer 45

D. variables being studied.

Question 46

46. Which of the following statements, descriptions, or pieces of information is considered an essential element of the informed consent form for a research study? A. Patients who were contacted by study personnel and who signed (or whose proxy signed) informed consent were enrolled in the study cohort. B. The research has been reviewed and approved by the Human Participants’ Review Committee, which includes Jane Doe and John Smith. C. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this study or your rights as a research participant, please contact Jay Tee, lead investigator for this project at... D. You have been randomly assigned to the intervention group, which will receive a new experimental drug developed to prevent breast cancer.

Answer 46

C. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this study or your rights as a research participant, please contact Jay Tee, lead investigator for this project at...