| Term | Definition |
|---|
| cause-and-effect relationship | relationship between two variables such that presence or absence of one variable ("cause") determines presence or absence (or value) of other ("effect") |
| clinical trial | study designed to assess safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of new clinical intervention, sometimes involving several phases, one of which is randomized clinical trial using experimental design |
| concept | abstraction based on observations of behaviors or characteristics (e.g. fatigue, pain) |
| conceptual definition | abstract or theoretical meaning of concept being studied |
| construct | abstraction or concept that is deliberately invented (constructed) by researchers for scientific purpose (e.g. health locus of control) |
| data | pieces of information obtained in study |
| dependable variable | variable hypothesized to depend on or be caused by another variable (the independent variable); outcome variable of interest |
| emergent design | design that unfolds in course of qualitative study as researcher makes ongoing design decisions reflecting what has already been learned |
| ethnography | branch of human inquiry, associated with anthropology, that focuses on culture of a group of ppl with effort to understand world view of those under study |
| experimental research | researchers actively introduce intervention or treatment; called clinical trials in medical research |
| fieldwork | activities undertaken by qualitative researchers to collect data out in field (ie natural settings) |
| gaining entree | process of gaining access to study participants through cooperation of key factors in selected community or site |
| grounded theory | approach to collecting and analyzing qualitative data that aims to develop theories grounded in real-world observations |
| hypothesis | statement of predicted relationships between variables or predicted outcomes |
| independent variable | variable that is believed to cause or influence dependent variable; in experimental research, manipulated treatment variable |
| intervention protocol | specification of exactly what intervention and alternative treatment conditions will be, and how they are to be administered |
| literature review | critical summary of research on topic, often prepared to put research problem in context or to summarize existing evidence |
| nonexperimental research | studies in which researcher collects data without introducing intervention |
| observational research | studies that do not involve an experimental intervention (ie non-experimental research; also, research in which data are collected through direct observation) |
| operational definition | definition of concept or variable in terms of procedures by which it its to be measured |
| outcome variable | aka dependent variable |
| phenomenology | qualitative research tradition, with roots in philosophy, that focuses on lived experiences of humans |
| population | entire set of individuals or objects having some common characteristics (eg all RNs in New York); sometimes called universe |
| qualitative data | information collected in narrative(non numeric form), such as transcript of an unstructured interview |
| quantitative data | information collected in quantified (numeric) form |
| relationship | bond or connection between two or more variables |
| research design | overall plan for addressing a research question, including strategies for enhancing study's integrity |
| sample | subset of population, selected to participate in study |
| sampling plan | formal plan specifying sampling method, sample size, and procedures for recruiting subjects |
| saturation | collection of qualitative data to pt where sense of closure is attained because new data yield redundant information |
| statistical analysis | organization and analysis of quantitative data using statistical procedures, including both descriptive and inferential statistics |
| study participant | individual who participates and provides information in study |
| subject | individual who participates and provides data in study; term used primarily in quantitative research |
| variable | attribute that varies, that is, takes on different values (eg body temperature, heart rate) |
Combine with other sets
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