STATS Lec 7- construct variables

Question 1

Why do research

Answer 1

• For the sake of knowledge itself
  
  • Academic or fundamental research
• For a practical reason (e.g. to develop the knowledge base for EBM)
  
  • Applied research

Question 2

The scientific methods

Answer 2

• Systematic observation, classification and interpretation of data
  
  • Everyone does this all the time on an ad hoc basis.. how we survive
• Formalised, rigorous, verifiable, valid
• The systematic investigation to find answers to a problem or question
  
  • Who is a scientist? Who can do research?
  • Pharmacist, sociologist, psychologist

Question 3

The scientific method

Answer 3

• Uses CONVENTIONAL procedures
  
  • The process undertaken within a framework of a set of philosophies- understand why you do and interpret results in certain ways
• Use procedures, methods, techniques that have been tested for reliability and validity
  
  • Or develops such procedures
• Is an activity designed to be OBJECTIVE (what actually happened) and UNBIASED

Question 4

Differing attitudes

Answer 4

• Method of investigation chosen depends on researchers own assumptions about the world
• Deduction: develop a theory, define a hypothesis, test it by research data
• Induction: Collect data, build up observations, formulate ideas and testable hypothesis, repeat to see if hypothesis valid
• Depends on PHILOSOPHY of researcher
  
  • Positivist philosophy, positivist paradigm

Question 5

Qualitative vs Quantitative

Answer 5

• QUALITATIVE- limited in statistical analysis
  
  • Description, in depth studies, HOW? WHY?
  • Observation, in depth interview, focus group, case studies, narative
• QUANTITATIVE
  
  • Large numbers, analysed by statistics
  • Surveys, RCT
  • Answers, How many???

Question 6

The research process

Answer 6

• Define research problem
  
  • Mind mapping, hypothesis
  • Check existing knowledge
• Develop approach
  
  • Aims and objectives, decide on methods
• Design study
• Data gathering
• Data entry and analysis
• Interpretation of results and report

Question 7

Which method

Answer 7

• Depends on the question
• Main QUANTITATIVE METHODS
  
  • Experiments (quasi and true)
  • Survey (questionairre, structured interveiw)
    
    • Designed to produce numbers
  • Randomised controlled trials
• Main QUALITATIVE methods
  
  • Focus groups
  • In depth interviews
  • Case studies, narratives

Question 8

Some concepts

Answer 8

• Validity
  
  • Internal: study design- Measuring what they think there measuring
  • External: can the results be generalised
• Replicability: can someone else replicate the study
• Reliability- is the design, interpretation reliability
  
  • Easy for lab-based work, more problematic for social science based studies
  • Ethically and practically difficult to recreate precise social conditions and interactions

Question 9

More concepts

Answer 9

• Research should be undertaken WITHOUT introducing vested interests
  
  • OR such interest should be declared and made obvious, not hidden from the reader
• Unbiased
  
  • Bias is a deliberate attempt to conceal or highlight something. Affects interpretation
  • Can be deliberate or accidental (we should avoid by having good methods)
• Objective
  
  • Subjectivity is an integral part of your thinking, conditioned by who and what you are. Leave yourself behind when you do research

Question 10

What is bad research

Answer 10

• Pointless or unanswerable question
  
  • Aims and objectives, previous work
  • Ethics
• Inappropriate methods
  
  • Useless results
• Bad design: ditto
• Inappropriate analysis
• Biased interpretation passing as objective
• Unpublished results don’t add to the knowledge

Question 11

Ethics

Answer 11

• Ethical issues
  
  • Professional integrity of a researcher
  • Relations with and respond to participants
    
    • Anonymity, privacy, confidentiality
  • Informed consent: willing and AWARE
  • Relations with and responsibility to sponsors
  • Privileged information: be aware of the political or social impact of a report of findings

Question 12

Variables

Answer 12

• Any characteristics that can assume multiple values or can vary
  
  • e.g. age, gender, body weight, alcohol consumption, occupation, test score
• An event or condition the researcher observes or measures
• Variables must be operational
  
  • i.e. explicitly stated

Question 13

Constructs vs variables

Answer 13

• Constructs defined by theoretical definition
  
  • e.g. intelligence: the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge; the faculty of thought and reason
• Variables defined by operational definitions
  
  • e.g. score on a standardised test of intelligence (for example, the wechsler intelligence scale)

Question 14

Examples of constructs/variables

Answer 14

• T: Schizophrenia is genetically determined
  
  • C: disintegration of personality expressedas disorder of feeling, thought and conduct
  • V: A score of 30 or lower MMPI personality scale with identified disorientation of thought and speech process
• T: Lecturing improves student knowledge
  
  • C: acquaintance with or understanding of course material
  • V: retention of material as assessed by an exam etc

Question 15

Examples of constructs/ variables

Answer 15

• T: exercise makes you fitter
  
  • C: fitness: body able to respond physically to challange
  • V: Heart rate after 5 minutes stair climbing
• T: Drug X improves memory
  
  • C: recall of information and experience
  • V: performance in a memory test e.g. tray game

Question 16

Construct variable: does it matter

Answer 16

• We MEASURE variables
• And sometimes try and draw conclusion about the construct