Question 1

What should be the nurse researcher's primary concern in the data-collection phase of research?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Consistency is the most critical issue in the data-collection phase.
Incorrect A: Flexibility does not necessarily support integrity in data collection.
Incorrect C: Interpretation of data occurs in the data analysis phase.
Incorrect D: Arithmetic activities and statistical approaches are part of the data analysis phase.

Question 2

The nurse researcher decides to use a physiologic measurement in a research study.Which of the following is an example of a physiologic measurement?

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Arterial blood gas readings are examples of a physiologic measure.
Incorrect A: Definition of a human behavior pattern is a theoretical abstraction.
Incorrect B: Description of behaviors is observation of activities and is not physiologic.
Incorrect D: The State-Trait Anxiety Scale is a paper-pencil survey and is not physiologic.

Question 3

What type of observational role would be the nurse researcher's use of a focus group interview with audio-taping of group interactions?

Accepted Answer

Correct D: A focus group approach uses no concealment,and no intervention is inherent in the method.
Incorrect A: Concealment with intervention involves a hidden treatment without subject awareness.
Incorrect B: Concealment without intervention meAnswer subjects are unaware of observation and no action or treatment is invoked.
Incorrect C: No concealment with intervention would mean subject awareness of observation and a response provoked by the researcher.

Question 4

The nurse researcher is designing a research study that will require the use of multiple people as data collectors.How should the training of data collectors to adhere strictly to a standard protocol for the research project affect the ultimate outcome of the study?

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Training of data collectors increases consistency in data collection.
Incorrect A: Reducing risks to human subjects is best controlled by institutional review board clearance and informed consent.
Incorrect B: Data collector training may actually increase costs in a research study.
Incorrect D: Data collector training does not increase risk of researcher bias.

Question 5

Why would a nurse researcher choose to use physiologic data-collection methods?

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Data collected in this case are physiologic.
Incorrect A: Physiologic data collection instruments can be very costly.
Incorrect B: Physiologic measurement methods do not necessarily reduce researcher time.
Incorrect D: Physiologic measurement methods often use interrated approaches.

Question 6

The nurse researcher has experience with data collected when performing patient care but has never collected data for the purposes of research.What should the researcher expect to be the difference in data collection for patient care and data collection for the purposes of research?

Accepted Answer

Correct D: The major difference between data collection for patient care and research purposes is that data collection for research purposes must be free from the researchers' personal biases,beliefs,values,or attitudes and collected in a uniform,consistent,or standard way from each subject by everyone who is involved in the data collection process.
Incorrect A: In research,data may be collected from patients,medical records,and many other sources.
Incorrect B: Quotations may be used in either research or patient care.
Incorrect C: Research data collection may involve direct nurse contact,depending on design.

Question 7

Why would a nurse researcher select the interview method of data collection?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: The interview method allows subjects provide more in-depth Answerwers
Incorrect A: Interviews can be and often are used in quantitative studies.
Incorrect C: Interviews do not sacrifice consistency for objectivity; interviews are by nature subjective.
Incorrect D: Interviews are by nature subjective because subjects report data directly.

Question 8

During a research project,the researcher observes the subject and notes that he completes each assigned task with a much higher level of performance than he normally exhibits.How should a nurse researcher most accurately describe the change in a subject's behavior during observation as a result of being observed?

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Reactivity is behavior change that occurs as a result of being observed.
Incorrect B: Instability does not describe this situation adequately.
Incorrect C: Therapeutic refers to an intervention and might not be related to reactivity.
Incorrect D: Interventionist is not a term used to describe change in behavior that results from awareness of being observed.

Question 9

What is an advantage that is shared by both interview and questionnaire data-collection methods?

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Interviews and questionnaires are both good for understanding the attitudes,beliefs,and feelings of participants.
Incorrect B: Interviews are not usually analyzed using statistics.
Incorrect C: Interviews and questionnaires do not necessarily require extensive researcher training.
Incorrect D: Interviews are not usually paper-and-pencil tests.

Question 10

The nurse researcher is attempting to answer specific questions about families' perceptions of caring for elderly parents with dementia.What would be the most appropriate method of data collection for this study?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: A structured interview would allow the researcher to ask specific questions about families' perceptions and attitudes.
Incorrect A: Field notes are comments made by researchers and may not target critical areas of focus.
Incorrect C: Unstructured interviews may not permit coverage of critical topics to be addressed.
Incorrect D: Physiologic instrumentation would not be useful in collecting data about families' perceptions and feelings.

Question 11

Which type of observational role would be most appropriate if the nurse researcher wants to identify maternal response behaviors to cries of infants with colic?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Concealment without intervention would promote valid observations of maternal response behaviors to infants' cries.
Incorrect A: Concealment with intervention would not allow natural observations; the mother would be prompted to a response.
Incorrect C: The mother would be aware of the observation and prompted to act,affecting validity of the observations.
Incorrect D: No concealment without intervention could affect the validity of observations owing to maternal awareness of being watched.

Question 12

The nurse researcher is concerned about bias in observation methods.Which data-collection method should the researcher be aware is most vulnerable to the bias of the researcher?

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Researcher bias can most affect observational methods because the researcher is the observer.
Incorrect A: Questionnaires,because they are prestructured,are less susceptible to researcher bias.
Incorrect B: Available data do not constitute a data-collection method.
Incorrect D: Physiologic measurement is objective and less susceptible to researcher bias.

Question 13

The nurse researcher is designing a research study to measure postoperative pain during the first 8 hours after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.Which data-collection method would be most appropriate for this particular study?

Accepted Answer

Correct C: A visual scale would allow the patient who may be intubated to indicate pain level.
Incorrect A: Arterial blood gas reveals blood pH and oxygen levels,not pain levels.
Incorrect B: An unstructured interview would not focus on pain,and the postoperative patient might be asleep.
Incorrect D: A pain questionnaire could not be completed by a sedated or sleeping postoperative patient.

Question 14

How should the nurse researcher inform subjects that he or she would like to include them in a research study and that they can refuse to participate?

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Informed consent is the process of asking subjects to participate in a research study.
Incorrect B: Concealment meAnswer that research subjects are unaware that they are being observed by a researcher.
Incorrect C: Unauthorized research would not have been approved by an IRB.
Incorrect D: Scientific misconduct is unethical or illegal activities committed by the researcher(s)in a research study.

Question 15

Why would a nurse researcher decide not to use physiologic data-collection methods?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: When physiologic measurements are used,data collected must be physiologic.
Incorrect A: Physiologic data collection methods,if used appropriately,are objective and precise.
Incorrect C: Physiologic measurement methods can be used on independent or dependent variables.
Incorrect D: Physiologic measurement methods can be used on independent or dependent variables.

Question 16

The nurse researcher is designing a research study that requires the use of specific physiologic measures.Which statement about the use of physiologic or biologic measures of data is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Physiologic or biological measurement involves the use of specialized equipment.
Incorrect B: Data-collection error is reduced in physiologic and biologic measures only if they are used appropriately.
Incorrect C: Physiologic measures are not routinely used in qualitative research.
Incorrect D: Physiologic measures mandate that the validity and reliability of these instruments be checked frequently.

Question 17

Which data-collection method would be most appropriate in studying bullying behavior in elementary school aged girls?

Accepted Answer

Correct D: This method is often used in developmental research and allows for observational studies.
Incorrect A: Children may be unable to Answerwer unstructured questions and stay focused on the topic of interest.
Incorrect B: Parents' opinions would not give the best data for children's views on bullying.
Incorrect C: Children may not give accurate responses to such a scale.

Question 18

What should be the nurse researcher's primary consideration when deciding on a method of data collection for a specific research study?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: The nature of the research question and the specific population to be studied are most important for determining a method of data collection.
Incorrect A: Researcher experience should not influence choice of data-collection method.
Incorrect C: Cost of instrumentation and research effort should be addressed in obtaining funding and should not affect choice of data collection method.
Incorrect D: The number of coinvestigators and the researcher's educational preparation are not prime considerations in data-collection method choice.

Question 19

When would structured,forced-response questionnaires be most appropriate as a data-collection choice?

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Structured,forced-response questionnaires are most appropriate when questions have a finite number of responses.
Incorrect A: Participant confusion will not necessarily be decreased by use of structured,forced-response questionnaires.
Incorrect C: Structured,forced-response questionnaires are not most appropriate for use in public places.
Incorrect D: Forced-response questionnaires are not appropriate for opinion type questions only.

Question 20

Two data collectors scored 54 of 56 pressure ulcers identically using the Braden Scale for pressure ulcer assessment.What can be determined from this finding?

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Interrater reliability is the consistency of observations between two or more observers.
Incorrect B: Agreement of 54 of 56 scores would indicate a high level of interrater reliability.
Incorrect C: The data collection method was appropriate for pressure ulcer risk assessment.
Incorrect D: The risk assessments did not have to be done by both evaluators at the same time.

Quiz 12: Data-Collection Methods