Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

Dose-response relationships in alcohol research demonstrate that:

Answer: As BAC increases, the risk of impairment and harm generally increases proportionally

Dose-response evidence shows that impairment and crash risk increase progressively with rising BAC, even below the legal limit.

Which of the following best illustrates 'publication bias' in alcohol server training research?

Answer: Studies with positive results are more likely to be published than null or negative findings

Publication bias occurs when positive or significant findings are more likely to be published, skewing the apparent evidence base.

A server wants to apply evidence-based techniques to recognize early signs of intoxication. The most reliable approach is to consult:

Answer: Research-validated behavioral checklists and standardized observational criteria

Research-validated behavioral indicators (e.g., slurred speech, coordination loss, mood changes) provide reliable, consistent criteria for assessment.

Community-level interventions (e.g., server training combined with police enforcement) are found to be more effective than server training alone because they:

Answer: Address multiple determinants of alcohol harm simultaneously

Multi-component community interventions reduce alcohol harm by targeting several risk factors at once, creating reinforcing effects.

If a researcher finds that mandatory RSA training laws are associated with lower DUI rates across multiple states, the primary alternative explanation (confounder) to investigate is:

Answer: Whether states with stricter RSA laws also had other simultaneous alcohol control policies

Co-occurring policies (e.g., stricter DUI enforcement) in the same states could explain reduced DUI rates independent of the training law.

In alcohol harm research, 'prevalence' refers to:

Answer: The total proportion of a population with a condition at a given point in time

Prevalence measures the existing burden of a condition in a population at a specific time, unlike incidence which counts new cases.

When an RSA training organization updates its curriculum, evidence-based practice requires that the update be driven primarily by:

Answer: New peer-reviewed research findings and outcome data from prior curriculum versions

Curriculum updates should integrate emerging research evidence and evaluation data from past training outcomes to ensure continuing effectiveness.