Ch 13 Scaling

Question 1

scale

Answer 1

a number of items that combine to form a composite score on a variable

use when a single-item measuring instrument is inadequate

Question 2

four advantages of scales

Answer 2

improved validity

improved reliability

increased level of measurement

increased efficiency in data handling

Question 3

5 steps to developing a scale

Answer 3

develop or locate many potential scale items, far more than will appear in the final scale

eliminate items that are redundant, ambiguous, or, for some other reason, inappropriate for the scale

pretest the remaining items for validity, reliability, or other measurement

eliminate items that don’t pass

repeat steps 3 and 4 to reduce the scale to items required

Question 4

three sources of scale items

Answer 4

researcher’s imagination

group of people (judges) who are knowledgeable in topic

the people who are the focus of the research project

Question 5

good scale items have several characteristics which are…

Answer 5

validity

range of variation

unidimensionality - measures one variable

Question 6

5 different scaling formats

Answer 6

likert scales

thurstone scales

semantic differential scales

guttman scales

multidimensional scales

Question 7

likert scale

Answer 7

consists of a series of statements, with each statement followed by a number of ordered response alternatives

ex responses with strongly agree to strongly disagree

it’s an example of a summated rating scale where a person’s score is determined by summing the number of questions answered in a certain way

Question 8

nondiscrimination items

Answer 8

those that are responded to in a similar fashion by both people who score high and those who score low

Question 9

discriminatory power score (DP score) can be used to identify ___

Answer 9

nondiscriminating items

Compute total score for each respondent

Determine quartiles

For each item, classify upper and lower quartiles by response value

Compute weighted totals

Compute weighted means

Subtract lower quartile weighted mean from upper quartile weighted mean

Question 10

advantages to likert scale

Answer 10

offers respondents a range of choices

data considered to be ordinal which lets us use more powerful statistical procedures

fairly straightforward to construct

Question 11

disadvantages to likert scale

Answer 11

be careful in interpreting a single score because its a summary of a lot of info

when we summarize data we lose some info

the summary score might hide info abut patterns of variation in responses or about possible multidimensionality of the scale

Question 12

thurstone scales

Answer 12

constructed so they use equal-appearing intervals, that it is assumed that the distance between any two adjacent points on the scale is the same

Items range from 1 (most unfavorable) to 11, (most favorable). Respondents select the item(s) with which they most agree

Question 13

Pro to Thurstone scale

Answer 13

Provides interval-level data

People can respond to the items more quickly

Question 14

Con to Thurstone scale

Answer 14

They are costly and difficult to construct

Question 15

Semantic differential scales

Answer 15

presents the respondent with a stimulus, such as a person or event, to be rated on a scale between a series of polar opposite adjectives

Question 16

pros to semantic differential scales

Answer 16

requires only 4 to 8 adjective pairs for each dimension to reach reliabilities of .80 or better

much easier and less time-consuming to construct

adjective pairs are more adaptable

Question 17

cons to semantic differential scales

Answer 17

generate ordinal data

Question 18

Guttman scales

Answer 18

items have an inherently progressive nature relating to the intensity of the variable being measured.

There is only one pattern of responses that will yield any given score on the scale.

uses reproducibility

Question 19

reproducibility

Answer 19

the ability of each individual’s composite score to predict exactly the items agreed and disagreed with

R = 1 - # of errors / (# of items) x (# of subjects)

Question 20

multidimensional scales

Answer 20

measure variables composed of more than a single dimension.

Locates responses in two, three or N-dimensional space

Question 21

research for intimate partner violence

Answer 21

scale based on equality, fairness and care

Question 22

Response bias

Answer 22

is the tendency for people’s answers to questions to be influenced by things other than their true feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.

sources are:
response set

response pattern anxiety

social desirability effect

Question 23

response set

Answer 23

some people tend to be either yes or no, tending to agree or disagree with statements regardless of their content

Question 24

response pattern anxiety

Answer 24

some people become anxious if they have to repeat the same response all the time, and they change their response to avoid doing so

Question 25

social desirability effect

Answer 25

people’s tendency to give socially acceptable, popular answers to present themselves in a good light

Question 26

5 ways to reduce response bias

Answer 26

designing statements so positive statements are not always an expression of the same attitude

present sensitive issues in a neutral and non-judgmental context

ordering of questions - can be asked in a hierarchical order, beginning with the less sensitive to more sensitive

use an interspersed pattern for the items, where socially acceptable items are interspersed with less acceptable items

funneling - for ex asking questions about their city, then community, then neighbors, then family

Question 27

scaling is the best example of a strong linkage between practice and research. true or false?

Answer 27

true

Question 28

human service practitioners use scales to assess specific problems for intervention. true or false?

Answer 28

true

Question 29

practitioner uses scales to document the progress of intervention. true or false?

Answer 29

true

Question 30

human service organizations rely on scaling as part of their overall program quality and effectiveness-monitoring process. true or false?

Answer 30

true

Question 31

rapid assessment instruments (RAI)

Answer 31

Short, easy to administer, easy to complete

Simple, fast scoring procedure

RAIs such as the MAST found superior in assessing severity and nature of problems

Improved reliability of assessment