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Research Methods > Ch 5 The process of measurement > Flashcards

Ch 5 The process of measurement Flashcards

1
Q

measurement

A

refers to the process of describing abstract concepts in terms of specific indicators by assigning numbers or other symbols to these indicators in accordance with rules

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2
Q

measurement is the process of moving from ____ to the ____

A

abstract (theoretical level)

concrete

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3
Q

measurement is essentially the process of ____ concepts

A

operationalizing

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4
Q

Indicator

A

An observation that we assume is evidence of the attributes or properties of some phenomenon - ex, childs broken leg is an indicator that maybe there is child abuse

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5
Q

Item

A

Used to refer to a single indicator of a variable

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6
Q

Index or scale

A

a composite of multiple items

scales allow us to measure variables in a more precise and accurate fashion

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7
Q

3 techniques of measuring

A

verbal reports - most common. answering questions, interviews, etc

observation - watching people

archival records - using recorded information already done

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8
Q

logic of measurement equation

A

positivist view of science

X = T + E

x = observation/measurement
t = true phenomenon
e = error

we strive for measurement with no error so that x = t

ex. reading on a weight scale = your actual weight + clothing you are wearing; heavy things in pocket

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9
Q

non positivist view argue what 2 things?

A

argue that we haven’t examined a huge assumption which is that T exists objectively in the world and our measurement device is merely discovering it and its properties

argue that many social science concepts do not have such clear and objective referents in the world

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10
Q

level of measurement

A

the rules that define permissible mathematical operations that can be performed on a set of numbers produced by a measure

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11
Q

4 types (levels) of measurement

A

nominal

ordinal

interval

ratio

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12
Q

nominal measures (1st type)

A

classify observations into mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories

they are discrete variables

ex - variables like sex, ethnicity, religion, political preference

if we use religion and categorize them into one religion, they don’t go in the other religious groups, therefore are mutually exclusive.

exhaustive categories mean there is a category for every case, meaning you have other as an option AND no religion as an option too

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13
Q

ordinal measures (2nd type)

A

are of a higher level than nominal measures because in addition to having mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories, the categories have a fixed order, but not always equal spacing

they are discrete variables

ex. socioeconomic status - ranking the statuses

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14
Q

interval measures (3rd type)

A

share the characteristics of ordinal scales - mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories and an inherent order - but have equal spacing between categories

variables are often continuous

ex. Difference of 70 degrees and 80 degrees is the same as 30 degrees and 40 degrees difference

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15
Q

ratio measures (4th type)

A

has all the characteristics of interval measures, but the 0 point is absolute and meaningful rather than arbitrary

variables are often continuous

ex - no income at all is 0$

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16
Q

discrete variables

A

have a specific number of distinct and separate values

ex- sex, household size, number of days absent, number of arrests

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17
Q

continuous variables

A

can take on an infinite number of values

ex - age because we can measure by years, months, weeks, days, minutes, seconds

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18
Q

a variable is either ____ or ____

A

discrete or continuous

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19
Q

validity

A

refers to the accuracy of a measure

20
Q

face validity

A

involves assessing whether a logical relationship exists between the variable and the proposed measure

it is subjective in nature

its the weakest demonstration of validity therefore should only be used as a starting point

21
Q

content validity or sampling validity

A

has to do with whether a measuring device covers the full range of meanings or forms that are included in a variable to measure

somewhat subjective

contains a detailed analysis of the breadth of the measured concept and its relationship to the measuring device

  1. determine full range or domain of the content of a variable
  2. determine whether all those remains are represented among the items that constitute the measuring device
22
Q

jury opinion

A

gather opinions of other investigators regarding whether particular operational definitions are logical measures of the variable

23
Q

criterion validity

A

establishes validity by showing a correlation between a measurement device and some other criterion or standard that we know or believe accurately measures the variable under consideration

provides more objective evidence

24
Q

concurrent validity

A

a type of criterion validity

compares the instrument under evaluation to some already existing criterion, such as the results of another measuring device

a weakness is the validity of the existing measure that is used for comparison

25
Q

predictive validity

A

a form of criterion validity

An instrument predicts some future state of affairs

26
Q

construct validity

A

The most complex types of validity

Involves relating an instrument to an overall theoretical framework to determine whether the instrument is correlated with all the concepts and propositions that comprise the theory

27
Q

multitrait-multimethod approach

A

One form of construct validity

  1. Two instruments that are valid measures of the same concept should correlate rather highly with each other even though they are different instruments
  2. Two instruments, even if similar to each other, should not correlate highly if they measure different concepts
28
Q

reliability

A

refers to a measure’s ability to yield consistent results each time it is applied

reliable measures only fluctuate because of variations in the variable being measured

29
Q

test-retest

A

the first and most generally applicable assessment of reliability

this technique involves applying a measure to a sample of people and then, somewhat later, applying the same measure to the same people again

divide test group randomly into experimental group and test twice, and a control group and test once

30
Q

a correlation coefficient of _____ or better normally is necessary for a measure to be considered reliable

A

0.80

31
Q

a correlation of ___ means highly reliable

A

0.98

32
Q

advantage of test-retest

A

we can use it with many measures

33
Q

disadvantage of test-retest

A

slow and cumbersome to use with two required testing sessions and the desirability of a control group

outcome may not be clear

cannot use it on measures of variables whose value might have changed during the intervals between tests

34
Q

multiple forms

A

type of reliability

create 2 separate but equivalent versions made up of different items, like different questions. Administer the two forms to the same people during a single testing session. If the correlation is sufficiently high, we can assume that each scale is reliable

35
Q

advantages to multiple forms

A

requiring only one testing session or a control group is impractical

don’t need to worry about variables changing over time

36
Q

disadvantages to multiple forms

A

the items on both forms will be quite similar, that people may realize they are responding to the same items twice

the difficulty of developing two measures with different items that really are equivalent

37
Q

internal consistency approaches (split half approach)

A

type of reliability

use a single scale that is administered to one group of people to develop an estimate of reliability

spearman-brown formula
r = 2ri/1+ri
ri = uncorrected correlation coefficient
r = corrected correlation coefficient (reliability coefficient)

38
Q

advantages to internal consistency approach

A

require only one testing session and no control group

give the clearest indication of reliability

39
Q

disadvantage to internal consistency approach

A

we cannot always use them

40
Q

it is important to refine measuring instruments to assure they are valid and reliable measuring among ___

A

minorities

41
Q

there is no such thing as ____ measurement

A

exact

42
Q

random errors are essentially ____ errors that in the long run, tend to cancel themselves out

A

chance

43
Q

____ error is consistent and patterned. errors do not cancel out

A

systematic

44
Q

6 ways to improve validity and reliability

A

develop concepts more extensively

improve training of those who will be applying the measuring devices

interview subjects of research about measurement devices

use higher level of measurement

use more indicators of a variable

conduct an item by item analysis

45
Q

5 ways to choosing a measurement device

A

consider theoretical relevance to research

emphasize proven reliability and validity

opt for higher level of measurement

minimize systematic and random error

consider feasibility issues

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