Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

Which of the following BEST describes 'confirmatory bias' and its danger in avalanche decision-making?

Answer: The tendency to seek information that confirms a pre-existing belief that conditions are safe, ignoring contrary evidence

Confirmatory bias leads practitioners to discount warning signs because they conflict with an already-formed plan or desire, a well-documented cause of avalanche accidents.

In snow science, an 'extended column test' (ECT) is valued in research because it:

Answer: Provides a repeatable, field-portable test of snowpack fracture propagation that can be compared across sites and studies

ECT results are scored on a consistent scale and can be reported and compared across locations, making the test useful for both field decisions and scientific data collection.

Research on airbag deployment in avalanches shows survival benefit is MOST strongly associated with:

Answer: Burial depth reduction when the bag deploys before deep burial

Evidence indicates airbags improve survival primarily by keeping the victim near the surface, reducing burial depth — the main predictor of asphyxiation mortality.

Which statistical concept helps researchers determine if an observed difference in accident rates between two groups is meaningful rather than random?

Answer: Confidence intervals

Confidence intervals show the range within which the true population value likely falls, helping distinguish meaningful differences from those attributable to chance.

According to US avalanche accident data, which activity group has seen the largest proportional increase in fatalities over the past two decades?

Answer: Snowmobilers

Research shows snowmobilers have experienced a significant proportional increase in fatalities, driven by high-marking and side-hilling in steep avalanche terrain on increasingly powerful machines.

What is the research-supported 'critical burial time' threshold after which avalanche victim survival rates drop sharply?

Answer: 15 minutes

Studies consistently show survival rates begin dropping sharply after approximately 15 minutes of burial, underscoring the need for immediate companion rescue.

When a researcher conducts a 'blind' evaluation of snow stability tests, what potential error are they attempting to eliminate?

Answer: Observer bias, where knowing expected results influences interpretation

Blinding prevents the evaluator's expectations from unconsciously influencing how they interpret ambiguous test results.