Exam 6: Objectives, Questions, Hypotheses, and Study Variables

Read the following statement: There is no measurable difference in incidence of incarceration for adolescent children whose mothers work outside the home in comparison with those whose mothers do not work outside the home. How is this statement best defined?

The intervention that the researcher manipulates is the:

A research hypothesis states: "There is no measurable difference in incidence of acne in 15-year-olds who are placed on a chocolate-free diet." What is the dependent variable in this hypothesis?

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting seem to have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What is the research objective?

An experimental psychologist studies rat behavior. The psychologist runs rats through a maze, under different scent conditions. At the end of the maze is cheese. Sometimes the maze is lit, and sometimes it is dark. During each run, the rats are subjected to different scents (cat pheromone, the smell of cheddar cheese, tiger pheromone, the smell of rat feces) at crucial decision points in the maze. The psychologist measures the time it takes the rats to finish the maze. What could be considered independent variables in this study?

Simple descriptive statistics may be used to depict the sample characteristics, reflecting demographic variable values, in which kind of research?

What could be an independent variable in an experimental study?

A research hypothesis states: "The number of minutes a 16-year-old girl spends applying her makeup in the morning is related to her perceived personal attractiveness." What type of hypothesis is this?

A research hypothesis states: "Taking lessons to learn how to play bridge and weekly practice in playing bridge have an effect on beginning bridge players' win-loss ratio." What type of hypothesis is this?

A cook wants to know what happens to bacon when it is fried in a frying pan, versus microwaving it. Specifically, the cook wonders if the bacon ends up moister and more flavorful when fried or when microwaved. What are the dependent variables?

A research hypothesis states: "The number of children in the home is associated with noise level in that home and with parental stress." What type of hypothesis is this?

A professor of medical-surgical nursing researches the effect of special tutoring sessions offered once weekly to students, in hopes of improving student performance on examinations. In the fall semester, student exam scores were significantly improved over those of the previous term, when tutoring was not offered. The performance of the spring term students does not show a significant improvement over students without tutoring. The professor's colleague identifies a confounding variable. Which variable is the confounding variable?

The research question states: "Can diabetics on oral antiglycemic medications achieve better control of blood sugar, as measured by Hemoglobin A1C, if they are taught to meditate and do this on a daily basis?" What is the independent variable in this research question?

A researcher identifies three variables and formulates a hypothesis that links them. That hypothesis is testable. What does it mean that the hypothesis is testable?

A research hypothesis states: "Number of hours spent daily playing videogames is negatively related to student achievement in high school history class." What type of hypothesis is this?

A researcher identifies an important extraneous variable after a study is under way. What is the best action for the researcher to take now?

A research hypothesis states: "Patients with recurrent bowel obstruction due to Crohn's disease who are assigned to be treated in an emergency room complain less frequently of pain and require less pain medication than those patients admitted, in the usual fashion, and treated on a medical floor." What is the independent variable in the hypothesis?

A research hypothesis states: "Decreasing the time allotted for weekly, in-class pop quizzes increases student anxiety and decreases student grades." What type of hypothesis is this?

A pediatric nurse, who has worked on the inpatient unit for 7 years, is enrolled in a master's program. The nurse notes that children who are homeless and who are admitted to the inpatient setting seem to have longer lengths of hospital stay, appear to have poorer verbal skills, and seem to be more fearful of separation from their parents. The nurse designs a study to measure these variables in homeless children, and to compare the findings with the average patients on the same unit. What is the research question?

What could be a dependent variable in an experimental study?