Ch. 7- Survey

Question 1

Correlational Study:

Answer 1

Research approach that focuses on how variables relate to one another

Question 2

Open Ended Question:

Answer 2

A question participants answer using their own words

Question 3

Closed-Ended Questions:

Answer 3

Question participants answer using a pre-determined set of response options:

Question 4

Scale:

Answer 4

Measurement strategy for assigning a number to represent the degree to which a person possesses or exhibits the target variable

Question 5

Summated Ratings Sale/Likert Scale:

Answer 5

• Scale where a participant evaluates a series of statements using a set of predetermines response options
Responses are summed to represent the overall measurement for the variable

Question 6

Response Set:

Answer 6

• Response bias where a participant tends to give the same answer to most, if not all of the items on a scale, regardless of what they are asking
  
  • Can occur if phrasing of questions are similar, leading participants to “catch on” what the scale is asking, and answers all of the items the same way without really reading the question

Question 7

Acquiescent Response Set

Answer 7

• Response bias where a participant tends to agree with most, if not all, of the items on a scale, regardless of what they are asking
• Not sure if high scores on scale are actually a result of a participant’s positive attitude or because of a acquiescent response set
Best way to avoid is to have some reverse coded items

Question 8

Reverse Coding:

Answer 8

• Scoring strategy where more negative response alternatives are assigned higher numerical values (more positive) and vice versa
Used to minimize the potential for an acquiescent response set

Question 9

Internal Consistency Reliability:

Answer 9

• Degree to which the individual items in a scale are interrelated
Participants should have similar responses to related questions

Question 10

Forced Choice Scale:

Answer 10

Scale where a person must choose between only 2 response alternatives for each item

Question 11

Error of Central Tendency:

Answer 11

Response bias where a participant tends to avoid using the extreme response alternatives on a scale

Question 12

Test-Retest Reliability:

Answer 12

• Temporal stability of a measure

Get same measurement after administering the scale to the same participant at 2 different times

Question 13

Correlation:

Answer 13

• Measure of the linear relationship between 2 variables
• Ranges from -1.0 to +1.0
Represented by the symbol r

Question 14

Alternative Form Reliability:

Answer 14

• Form of reliability that evaluates how well a measure correlates with a similar, but different, measure of the same variable
  
  • Ask participants to compete 2 different versions of the scale
  • If both scales measure the same thing, then the scores on the 2 scales should be highly correlated
  • Used to avoid test-retest reliability issues

Question 15

Face Validity:

Answer 15

Degree to which a scale appears to measure the intended variable

Question 16

Content Validity:

Answer 16

Degree to which the items on a scale reflect the range of material that should be included in the measurement

Question 17

Construct Validity:

Answer 17

• Extent to which a scale actually measures the desired construct
• Established by evaluating the convergent and discriminant validity of the measurement
Want scale to converge with measures of similar variables and diverge from measures of dissimilar variables

Question 18

Convergent Validity:

Answer 18

• Degree to which scores on a measurement correspond to measures of other theoretically related variables
• Used to help establish the construct validity of a measurement
i.e. Attitudes toward joining a fraternity/sorority should correlate with attitudes of being involved on campus

Question 19

Discriminant Validity:

Answer 19

Degree to which scores does not correspond to measures of unrelated variables

Question 20

Criterion Validity:

Answer 20

• Extent to which a measurement relates to a particular outcome or behaviour
Established by evaluating the concurrent and predictive validity of the measurement

Question 21

Concurrent Validity:

Answer 21

• Extent to which a measurement corresponds with an existing outcome or behaviour

Question 22

Predictive Validity:

Answer 22

Extent to which a measurement corresponds with a particular outcome or behaviour that occurs in the future

Question 23

Non-directional Hypothesis:

Answer 23

• Hypothesis that does not make a specific prediction as to how 2 variables are related
i.e. Hypothesize that 2 variables are associated, but not stating in what way (positive or negative correlation..etc)

Question 24

Directional Hypothesis:

Answer 24

Hypothesis that makes a specific prediction to the exact nature of the relationship between 2 variables

Question 25

Evaluation Apprehension:

Answer 25

Anxiety or concern participants may experience about how their answers or behaviours may appear to the researcher

Question 26

Distractor Items:

Answer 26

Items included in a scale to mislead participants as to the real purpose of the scale

Question 27

Area Probability Sampling:

Answer 27

• Sampling strategy where the researcher first divides the population into subgroups based on geographic area, and then randomly selects participants from each geographical subgroup
Form of stratified random sampling

Question 28

Cronbach’s Alpha:

Answer 28

• Statistic used to evaluate the internal consistency reliability of a scale
• Range fro 0-10
• 0=items measuring different things= no internal consistency
• 1=all items measure the same thing= high redundancy
• Typically wants value of at least 0.7
Not used for behavioural measures (not scale items)

Question 29

Variability:

Answer 29

Degree to which individual measurements of a variable differ from one another

Question 30

Standard Deviation:

Answer 30

Statistic used to indicate how much, on average, an individual score differs from the mean of the scores

Question 31

Statistical Hypothesis Testing (p):

Answer 31

Procedure for evaluating the probability of obtaining one’s results given the researcher’s prediction

Question 32

Statistically Significant:

Answer 32

Conclusion a researcher makes when the probability is that one’s hypothesis is unlikely to be incorrect given the data collected