Table 2.
Research Confidence
| FACTOR LOADINGS | |
| Factor 1 Defining Selected Methods (19%) | |
| Describe the purpose/use of a t-test. | .692 |
| Describe assumptions for use of a statistical test. | .686 |
| Describe the use of statistical regression analysis. | .686 |
| Define the purpose of the chi-square statistic. | .672 |
| Define a Type-I or Type-II error in a research study. | .671 |
| Interpret inferential statistics. | .660 |
| Interpret "p-values" for a given results. | .659 |
| Identify information needed for perform a power analysis and sample size estimation. | .640 |
| Clearly define an outcome measure. | .583 |
| Describe the meaning of mean and standard deviation. | .481 |
| Factor 2 Developing and Discussing Research (18%) | |
| Interpret descriptive statistics. | .694 |
| Critically evaluate a medical research article. | .673 |
| Apply the results of a study to aid in developing a differential diagnosis. | .576 |
| Present research findings in a poster. | .574 |
| Determine the sensitivity and specificity of a test. | .562 |
| Select an appropriate statistical method for a research questions.1 | .560 |
| Interpret odds ratios.1 | .551 |
| Discuss methodological cautions in interpreting research findings of a given study. | .538 |
| Correctly recognize different types of research designs. | .534 |
| Design your own research study. | .529 |
| Present a critical review of the strengths and limitations of a research study. | .521 |
| Correctly identify different types of variables. | .514 |
| Correctly identify major threats to internal and external validity for a given research design.2 | .483 |
| Factor 3 Developing Clinical Research Proposals (15%) | |
| Identify the essential elements of informed consent for research participation. | .794 |
| Discuss current ethical issues related to the use of placebos in clinical trials. | .752 |
| Explain the purpose of an Institutional Review Board proposal. | .735 |
| Discuss the reasons for human subjects protection regulations in research. | .635 |
| Correctly identify the essential parts of a research proposal. | .546 |
| Efficiently perform a topic-focused literature search.3 | .444 |
| Factor 4 Evaluating Research Integrity (11%) | |
| Provide a working definition of validity. | .742 |
| Provide a working definition of reliability. | .702 |
| Define the concept of variability (systematic and non-systematic). | .616 |
| TOTAL VARIANCE EXPLAINED | 63% |
1 These two items loaded approximately equally in factors 2 and 1
2 This item loaded approximately equally in factors 2 and 3
3 This item loaded approximately equally in factors 2, 3, and 4