1 - Measurements

Question 1

define measurement

Answer 1

assigning of scores to represent a characteristic

Question 2

measurement quantification allows researchers to?

Answer 2

ask if there is a mathematical relationship present

Question 3

Psychological measurement is known as

Answer 3

psychometrics

Question 3

are three categories of measures.
what are they?

Answer 3

• Self-report measures e.g. Likert scales
• Behavioural measures e.g. naturalistic observations
• Physiological measures e.g. heart rate

Question 4

There are four scales of measurement with increasing amounts of information in each level.
what are they?

Answer 4

• Identity or qualitative difference
• Magnitude or rank order
• Equal intervals
• True or absolute zero

Question 4

what are constructs

Answer 4

variables that cannot as easily be assessed/measured

Question 5

Conceptual definitions describe ?

Answer 5

the behaviours and internal processes that make up the construct

Question 6

give 2 characteristics of the interval scale

Answer 6

• Adds equal intervals (necessary for most statistical analyses)
• Arbitrary zero point -the value of zero has no real meaning- (e.g., z scores - a statistical measurement of a score’s relationship to the mean in a group of scores)

Question 7

give 5 characteristics of the nominal scale

Answer 7

• Simplest scale with only qualitative difference or identity
• Mutually exclusive ‘name’ categories
• Words as labels (e.g., male/female)
• Numbers used as labels (e.g., sports jerseys)
• Not ordered.

Question 8

give 4 characteristics of the ordinal scale

Answer 8

Adds rank order or magnitude (e.g., rank class by height)
MORE information than nominal
But we do NOT know what the difference is between the ranks (e.g., differences between 1 and 2 versus between 2 and 3 like height, time taken to finish a race)

Question 9

give 3 qualities of the ratio scale

Answer 9

• Adds absolute zero
• Absence of the quality (e.g., money in my bank account)
• Allows for legitimate ratios (e.g., twice as heavy)

Question 10

NOIR: nominal (1)

Answer 10

category labels

Question 11

NOIR: ordinal (2)

Answer 11

category labels
rank order

Question 12

NOIR: interval

Answer 12

category labels
rank order
equal intervals

Question 13

NOIR: ratio

Answer 13

category labels
rank order
equal intervals
true zero

Question 14

define reliability

Answer 14

reliability is consistency (getting (roughly) the same score when repeatedly measured)

Question 15

define validity

Answer 15

Validity: ‘actually’ measuring what you intended to measure.

Question 15

data can be reliable and not valid but cannot be

Answer 15

valid and not reliable

Question 15

what is internal consistency?

Answer 15

reliability can also be assessed at one point in time

Question 16

If observations are consistent, then you have?

Answer 16

inter-rater reliability

Question 17

define face validity

Answer 17

the content of the measure appears to reflect the construct being measured
(Appears to be measuring what it claims to measure)

Question 17

define content validity

Answer 17

the content of the measure is linked to the universe of content that defines the construct.
(Does it tap into all the important aspects of the constructs)

Question 18

define predictive validity

Answer 18

scores on the measure predict behaviour on a criterion measured at a time in the future
(Does the measure actually predict behaviour)

Question 19

define concurrent validity

Answer 19

scores on the measure are related to a criterion measured at the same time
(Relationship between a measure and a behaviour occurring at the same time OR whether two or more groups behave in expected ways )

Question 20

define convergent validity

Answer 20

scores on the measure are related to other measures of the same construct
(Occurs when a measure correlates strongly with an established measure)

Question 21

define discriminant validity

Answer 21

scores on the measure are not related to other measures that are theoretically different.
(When variables are NOT related to variables they should not be related to)

Question 22

which variable is systematically manipulated?

Answer 22

independent variable

Question 23

which variable is measured/observed?

Answer 23

dependent variable

Question 24

define participant variable

Answer 24

characteristics of participants that can be used as predictors but can NOT be manipulated (e.g., race, age, etc.)

Question 25

define confounding variable

Answer 25

any factor that obscures the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Question 26

define maturation + when is it a concern?

Answer 26

the effect of the passage of time.
This is a concern in longitudinal studies – especially with children

Question 27

define history + when is it a concern?

Answer 27

the effect of external events on study outcomes = events that may impact the dependent variable.

The longer the time between pre and post-test measures, the greater the threat to validity

Question 28

define repeated testing/practice + when is it a concern?

Answer 28

getting better with practice
This is a concern for repeated measures designs

Question 29

define regression towards the mean

Answer 29

tendency for extreme scores to be followed by more moderate scores.

Question 30

define selection

Answer 30

experimenting with non-equivalent groups – people sign up to take part (bias).

Question 31

define mortality

Answer 31

biased results based on who leaves the study

Question 32

define diffusion of treatment

Answer 32

participants talk to one another

Question 33

define sequencing (order effects)

Answer 33

concern in within-subject designs – outcomes change depending on which condition you take part in first.

Question 34

define fatigue effect

Answer 34

get tired after repeated measurement