Data Collection & Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real CRA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Data Collection & Analysis flashcards as text
A researcher uses a pre-existing theory to form hypotheses before collecting data. This approach is called:
Answer: Deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning moves from general theory to specific hypotheses that are then tested with empirical data, the hallmark of confirmatory research.
Which of the following best describes face validity?
Answer: The extent to which an instrument appears to measure what it claims on the surface
Face validity is a subjective, surface-level assessment of whether a measure looks appropriate to stakeholders and participants, not a formal statistical evaluation.
In experimental research, the variable that the researcher manipulates is called the:
Answer: Independent variable
The independent variable is deliberately altered by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable, establishing the cause-and-effect relationship.
Which threat to internal validity occurs when participants drop out of a study at different rates across groups?
Answer: Differential attrition
Differential attrition (or selective mortality) threatens internal validity when dropout rates differ systematically between experimental and control groups, biasing comparisons.
A Likert scale with five response options (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) is typically treated as what level of measurement in research practice?
Answer: Interval or ordinal depending on the researcher's assumptions
Likert items are technically ordinal, but researchers often treat them as interval when summing multiple items into a scale, a practice that is debated but widely accepted.
Which qualitative data analysis technique involves breaking data into segments and assigning descriptive labels?
Answer: Content coding
Content coding (or thematic coding) organizes qualitative data by labeling segments to identify patterns, categories, and themes across the dataset.
When the same questionnaire administered twice to the same group produces similar results, this demonstrates:
Answer: Test-retest reliability
Test-retest reliability measures the temporal stability of an instrument by correlating scores from two administrations separated by a defined time interval.