Applied Research Methods Flashcards

A sport scientist wants to determine whether a new recovery protocol reduces muscle soreness compared to cold water immersion. Which study design best establishes causality?

Answer: Randomized controlled trial

A randomized controlled trial with random group assignment and a control condition best establishes cause-and-effect relationships.

Which statistical concept describes the probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis?

Answer: Statistical power

Statistical power (1 − β) is the probability of detecting a true effect when it exists.

A researcher finds r = 0.08 between sprint speed and recovery heart rate. How should this be interpreted?

Answer: Negligible correlation

An r of 0.08 is near zero and indicates essentially no linear relationship between the two variables.

In a repeated-measures ANOVA, which assumption must be met that is unique compared to a between-subjects ANOVA?

Answer: Sphericity

Sphericity requires that variances of the differences between all pairs of repeated conditions are equal, which is unique to repeated-measures designs.

Which type of validity refers to the extent that a test measures what it claims to measure in the real-world context?

Answer: Ecological validity

Ecological validity assesses how well a test's findings generalize to real-world settings and populations.

A researcher reports a 95% confidence interval of [2.1, 8.4] kg for strength gains. What does this mean?

Answer: The interval was constructed by a method that captures the true parameter 95% of the time

A 95% CI means the procedure used will contain the true population parameter in 95% of repeated samples.

Which sampling method divides the population into subgroups and randomly samples from each to ensure representation?

Answer: Stratified random sampling

Stratified random sampling divides the population into strata (e.g., sex, sport) and randomly samples within each stratum to ensure proportional representation.