Ch 4: Moving from notions to numbers

Question 1

What is pilot testing?

Answer 1

Pilot testing is used most frequently to refer to the use of practice studies that are designed to help researchers refine the measures or manipulations they wish to use in the full-blown version of a real study.

Question 2

What happens during the judgment phase?

Answer 2

During the judgement phase of answering a self-report question, participants determine what question is being asked, and they form some initial response to the question

Question 3

What kinds of self-report methods can there be?

Answer 3

1. Paper and pencil
2. Face to face interview
3. Telephone interview or internet
4. Experience sampling (diary method)

Question 4

What is a focus group?

Answer 4

1. In a focus group a small but representative sample of participants from the group a researcher wishes to understand meet together to discuss their experiences
2. These semi-structured discussions are usually led by the researcher, whose goal is to keep the focus group on track

Question 5

What is an open-ended question?

Answer 5

An open-ended question is one where the participants are asked to fill out an answer in their own words

Question 6

What is a double-barreled question?

Answer 6

A double-barreled question is a question that asks you to evaluate two different things using a single response

_{<u>Example:</u> I am a lovable <em>and</em> capable person. If the participant feels lovable but not capable, or vice versa, how are they supposed to respond to this question?}

Question 7

What is a forced-choice question?

Answer 7

A forced choice question is a question that asks participants to select one of two or more options

_{<u>Example:</u> Do you prefer apples <em>or </em>oranges? Would you rather get a cat <em>or </em>a dog? Although these questions do allow people to indicate preference, they do not yield the kind of information researchers usually like to have about people.}

Question 8

What is the floor effect? Ceiling effect?

Answer 8

1. Floor effects occur when almost everyone in a sample responds at the same low level on a question or dependent measure.
2. Ceiling effects are the exact opposite. They occur when almost everyone in a sample responds at the same high level on a question or dependent measure.

Question 9

What is restriction of range?

Answer 9

1. Restriction of range occurs anytime people’s scores on a measure have little or no variance
2. When there is restriction of range it is difficult, if not impossible, to find anything that will predict people’s score on that measure

Question 10

What are anchors?

Answer 10

Anchors are simply adjectives that lend meaning to the numbers on a scale

Question 11

What is the difference between unipolar and bipolar rating scales?

Answer 11

1. Unipolar scales ask respondents to make ratings on dimensions that begin at some very low value.
2. Bipolar scales ask respondents to rate a quantity that deviates in both directions from a zero point.

Question 12

What is memory telescoping?

Answer 12

Memory telescoping is the tendency to recall events as more recent than their actual dates

Question 13

What are loaded questions?

Answer 13

Loaded questions are ones that indicate which response the researcher considers most desirable

_{<u>Example:</u> To what extent do you trust the police who protect and serve our city’s residents? The phrase “who protect and serve our city’s residents” strongly suggests that people should place trust in the police.}

Question 14

What are collateral reports?

Answer 14

Collateral reports are third party responses to a questionnaire or interview

Question 15

What are psysiological measures?

Answer 15

Physiological measures are internal processes that are not directly observable

Question 16

What is the response translation phase?

Answer 16

The response translation phase is when the participant must convert their internal psychological state into a value on a respons scale

Question 17

What is the semantic differential questionnaire?

Answer 17

The semantic differential questionnaire is a self-report technique for attitude measurement in which participants are asked to check which cell between a set of bipolar adjectives or phrases best describes their feeling toward the object

Question 18

What is the Thurstone scale?

Answer 18

1. The Thurston scale is a way of measuring people’s attitudes along a single dimension by asking them to indicate that they agree or disagree with each of a large set of statements that are about that attitude
2. The statements are designed to be parallel in construction, but some toward one end of the scale and some toward the other end, and each trying to indicate the attitude in a slightly different way