Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

Which type of study design is most appropriate when a floodplain surveyor needs to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a levee setback project over 20 years?

Answer: Longitudinal cohort study

A longitudinal cohort study tracks the same subject (the levee area) over time, making it ideal for evaluating long-term infrastructure outcomes.

A floodplain manager wants to determine if a community's NFIP participation rate is correlated with flood insurance claim frequency. Which statistical measure is most appropriate?

Answer: Pearson correlation coefficient

The Pearson correlation coefficient measures the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two continuous variables.

When conducting a literature review for evidence-based floodplain management, which source hierarchy is generally considered most reliable?

Answer: Peer-reviewed journals, then government technical reports, then gray literature

Peer-reviewed journals undergo rigorous expert evaluation, followed by government technical reports, then gray literature in terms of reliability.

A CFS professional is using LiDAR-derived elevation data to assess flood risk but discovers the dataset is 8 years old. Which research principle is most relevant?

Answer: Data currency and temporal relevance

Data currency refers to how current the data is; outdated elevation data may not reflect changes from development, subsidence, or channel migration.

In floodplain research, what is the primary purpose of a sensitivity analysis?

Answer: To assess how model outputs change when input parameters are varied

Sensitivity analysis tests how much the model output (e.g., flood extent) changes when individual input variables are adjusted, revealing which parameters most influence results.

Which sampling method would be most appropriate for gathering community flood perception data when the population is geographically clustered in distinct neighborhoods?

Answer: Cluster sampling

Cluster sampling divides the population into natural geographic groups (clusters) and randomly selects entire clusters to survey, making it efficient for geographically dispersed populations.

A floodplain surveyor encounters conflicting results between two peer-reviewed studies on flood damage functions. What is the best evidence-based approach?

Answer: Conduct a meta-analysis or systematic review to reconcile findings

A systematic review or meta-analysis synthesizes findings across multiple studies using rigorous methodology to resolve conflicts and produce stronger evidence.