Ch. 7- Survey Flashcards
Correlational Study:
Research approach that focuses on how variables relate to one another
Open Ended Question:
A question participants answer using their own words
Closed-Ended Questions:
Question participants answer using a pre-determined set of response options:
Scale:
Measurement strategy for assigning a number to represent the degree to which a person possesses or exhibits the target variable
Summated Ratings Sale/Likert Scale:
• 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
Response Set:
- 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
Acquiescent Response Set
• 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
Reverse Coding:
• 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
Internal Consistency Reliability:
• Degree to which the individual items in a scale are interrelated
Participants should have similar responses to related questions
Forced Choice Scale:
Scale where a person must choose between only 2 response alternatives for each item
Error of Central Tendency:
Response bias where a participant tends to avoid using the extreme response alternatives on a scale
Test-Retest Reliability:
• Temporal stability of a measure
Get same measurement after administering the scale to the same participant at 2 different times
Correlation:
• Measure of the linear relationship between 2 variables
• Ranges from -1.0 to +1.0
Represented by the symbol r
Alternative Form Reliability:
- 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
Face Validity:
Degree to which a scale appears to measure the intended variable
Content Validity:
Degree to which the items on a scale reflect the range of material that should be included in the measurement
Construct Validity:
• 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
Convergent Validity:
• 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
Discriminant Validity:
Degree to which scores does not correspond to measures of unrelated variables
Criterion Validity:
• Extent to which a measurement relates to a particular outcome or behaviour
Established by evaluating the concurrent and predictive validity of the measurement
Concurrent Validity:
• Extent to which a measurement corresponds with an existing outcome or behaviour
Predictive Validity:
Extent to which a measurement corresponds with a particular outcome or behaviour that occurs in the future
Non-directional Hypothesis:
• 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)
Directional Hypothesis:
Hypothesis that makes a specific prediction to the exact nature of the relationship between 2 variables
Evaluation Apprehension:
Anxiety or concern participants may experience about how their answers or behaviours may appear to the researcher
Distractor Items:
Items included in a scale to mislead participants as to the real purpose of the scale
Area Probability Sampling:
• 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
Cronbach’s Alpha:
• 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)
Variability:
Degree to which individual measurements of a variable differ from one another
Standard Deviation:
Statistic used to indicate how much, on average, an individual score differs from the mean of the scores
Statistical Hypothesis Testing (p):
Procedure for evaluating the probability of obtaining one’s results given the researcher’s prediction
Statistically Significant:
Conclusion a researcher makes when the probability is that one’s hypothesis is unlikely to be incorrect given the data collected
