PCB Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client's values and preferences conflict with the best available research evidence. According to evidence-based practice principles, what should a practitioner do?
- Always follow the research evidence regardless of client preferences
- Integrate client values with research evidence and clinical expertise to guide decisions (Correct answer)
- Defer entirely to client preference without consulting evidence
- Consult only clinical expertise and disregard both research and client input
Correct answer: Integrate client values with research evidence and clinical expertise to guide decisions
Evidence-based practice integrates three components: best available research, clinical expertise, and client values and preferences.
Question 2: What distinguishes a cohort study from a case-control study?
- Cohort studies follow exposed and unexposed groups forward to observe outcomes; case-control studies start with outcomes and look backward at exposures (Correct answer)
- Case-control studies are prospective; cohort studies are retrospective
- Cohort studies use experimental manipulation; case-control studies do not
- Case-control studies have larger sample sizes than cohort studies by definition
Correct answer: Cohort studies follow exposed and unexposed groups forward to observe outcomes; case-control studies start with outcomes and look backward at exposures
Cohort studies are typically prospective (or retrospective) tracking from exposure to outcome, while case-control studies start with outcome groups and identify prior exposures.
Question 3: Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme outliers in a dataset?
- Mode
- Median
- Mean (Correct answer)
- Range midpoint
Correct answer: Mean
The mean incorporates every data value in its calculation, so extreme scores disproportionately pull it toward the outlier.
Question 4: In research ethics, informed consent requires that participants understand which of the following MINIMUM elements?
- The funding source of the study only
- The purpose, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw without penalty (Correct answer)
- The identities of all other research participants
- The statistical analysis plan before data collection begins
Correct answer: The purpose, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw without penalty
Valid informed consent includes disclosure of study purpose, foreseeable risks and benefits, confidentiality protections, and the voluntary nature of participation.
Question 5: Which term describes the consistency of results when the same measure is used by two different raters scoring the same behavior or artifact?
- Test-retest reliability
- Internal consistency
- Inter-rater reliability (Correct answer)
- Construct validity
Correct answer: Inter-rater reliability
Inter-rater reliability quantifies the level of agreement between two or more independent observers scoring the same target, ensuring measurement consistency.
Question 6: A practice guideline recommends an intervention with a Grade B evidence rating. This most likely indicates:
- The intervention is considered harmful and contraindicated
- There is fair evidence to support the recommendation, though it is not as strong as Grade A (Correct answer)
- Evidence is based solely on expert consensus
- The intervention has not yet been studied in clinical populations
Correct answer: There is fair evidence to support the recommendation, though it is not as strong as Grade A
Grade B typically signals fair or moderate evidence from well-designed but not definitive studies, supporting the recommendation with some limitations.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of peer review in the publication of research?
- To ensure the article is formatted in APA style
- To provide independent expert evaluation of the quality and validity of the research (Correct answer)
- To guarantee that findings will be replicated in future studies
- To determine the journal's subscription pricing model
Correct answer: To provide independent expert evaluation of the quality and validity of the research
Peer review subjects manuscripts to scrutiny by field experts who evaluate methodology, results interpretation, and conclusions before publication.
PCB Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4
A client's values and preferences conflict with the best available research evidence.
According to evidence-based practice principles, what should a practitioner do?