| randomly assigned | placing participants into groups without method or conscious decision |
| baseline | a fixed point of reference used for comparison |
| post-training / post-exercise | to describe something that is done after a training/sport period e.g. measurements or analysis |
| follow-up | something e.g. measurements done to investigate something further |
| randomized controlled trial (RCT) | study in which participants are randomly placed in groups to test the effectiveness of new treatments |
| randomization | a method based on chance alone by which participants are assigned to a (treatment) group |
| random allocation | the assignment of participants into different groups in an unpredictable way |
| random selection | the choosing of subjects based on chance alone |
| pseudo-random sampling | generating pseudo-random numbers that are distributed along a probability distribution |
| two parallel arm | a study design that compares two treatments; group 1 only receives treatment A and group 2 only receives treatment B |
| cross-over | a longitudinal study in which participants receive a sequence of different treatments; group 1 receives treatment A and B and group 2 receives treatment A and B |
| counterbalancing | neutralizing or canceling out |
| enforcing allocation concealment | a technique that prevents researchers from influencing which participants are assigned to which group, it prevents selection bias in a RCT |
| enrolled | officially registered as a member of an institute or participant of a course |
| dropped out | not participating in a study or course anymore |
| lost to follow-up | participants that started in the study but were not present/participating during the follow-up of th study |
| exclusion criteria | any characteristic of a potential subject that would hinder them from participating in the study |
| complete-case analysis | a method of dealing with incomplete data; it means only using the completed cases/data, leaving out the incomplete data |
| intention to treat analysis (ITT) | a method of dealing with incomplete data; it estimates the missing follow-up values from dropped out participants so that these values can be used |
| studies did not include a comparison group | the comparison groups are the groups between which a statistical comparison has to be made |
| compliance | how well the participants were following the instructions of the experimenter |
| eligibility | the state of having the right to do something or obtain something e.g. someone over 18 is eligible to drive |
| setting | the place or surroundings (where a study takes place) |
| interventions | action taken to improve an medical condition/disorder (in an experimental study) |
| treatment | medical care given to a patient for an illness or injury |
| placebo | a substance that has no therapeutic effect on a patient (while the patient might think it does), used as a control in testing new drugs |
| outcome measures | determination and evaluation of the results of an activity, plan or process and their comparison with the intended results |
| blinding | when information about the test is masked as to not influence the one working with it, to reduce bias |
| masking | conceal from viewing |
| generalisability | to make generally applicable e.g. to use the results of a study on a general population |
| systematic error, random error and noisy data | systematic error -> a consistent, repeated error associated with faulty equipment
random error -> unpredictable and unavoidable errors/mistakes
noisy data -> data that is corrupt or distorted |
| systematic error and bias | any deviation from the truth in a collection of data which can cause false conclusions |
| confounding | cause surprise or confusion e.g. confounding variables -> other variables than that the researcher is studying |
| external and internal validity | external validity -> the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people
internal validity -> the extent to which a causal conclusion based on a study is justified, which is determined by the degree to which a study minimizes systematic errors |
| test and experimental validity | test validity -> the extent to which a test measures what it's supposed to measure
experimental validity -> refers to the manner in which variables influence both the results of the research and the generalisability to the population at large |
| face and construct validity | face validity -> the extent to which a test is subjectively viewed as covering the concept it claims to measure
construct validity -> the degree to which a test measures what it claims to be measuring |
| content and criterion validity | content validity -> refers to the extent to which a measure represents all facets of a given construct
criterion validity -> the extent to which a measure is related to an outcome. it can be divided into concurrent and predictive validity |
| concurrent and predictive validity | types of criterion validity
concurrent validity -> refers to a comparison between the measure in question and an outcome assessed at the same time
predictive validity -> compares the measure in question with an outcome assessed at a later time |
| reliability (instrument, interrater, intrarater) | The quality of being trustworthy or performing consistently well.
Instrument reliability -> the trustworthiness of equipment used.
Inter-rater reliability -> degree of agreement among raters/judges
Intra-rater reliability -> degree of agreement determined by repeated measurements done by a single rater. |
| (pre-)stratification | the division of the subjects and results by a factor other than the treatment factor e.g. weight or gender |
| effect modifier (homogeneity in prognostic factors) | a factor that alters the effect of a putative causal factor in a study e.g. age is a modifier for many conditions |
