Chapter 5 - Measures

Question 1

Operationalization and Suffrage

Answer 1

Should it be understood nominally? As in you have it, or you don’t? Or perhaps ordinally, like a continuum?

Question 2

Measurement Invalidity

Answer 2

A conceptual definition that does not match the operationalized definition.

Question 3

Concept

Answer 3

Abstraction Representation

Question 4

Variables

Answer 4

Concrete manifestations (of abstractions)

Question 5

Indicators

Answer 5

Operational measure of a variable.

Question 6

3 Main Ways to Measure Variables

Answer 6

Nominal
Ordinal
Interval

Question 7

Nominal Measurements

Answer 7

Categorical 
Cannot be ranked
Anything with yes or no answer
Forced choice
Least precise
Ex.: religious affiliation, gender

Question 8

Ordinal Measurement

Answer 8

Order
Relative to each other, but don’t know difference between categories
Ex.: Low, mid, high education; disagree, neutral, agree
Sorta precise

Question 9

Interval Measurement

Answer 9

Rankings have precise (known) distances between categories
‘Hard numbers’
Most precise
Ex.: Age cohort: 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, etc.

Question 10

Vagueness and Operationalization

Answer 10

An expression is vague when there is no precise boundary between the cases to which it correctly applies and the cases to which it does not.
Miniscule differences may not seem to matter.

Question 11

Two Types of Measurement Error

Answer 11

Random Error: Inaccuracies caused by factors that are not systematic and/or intential; found in all samples because the full range of possible respondents cannot be included; amount of random errors can be estimated in a probability sample
Non-random (systematic) error: Systematic error that, for example, occurs because people lie; voter turnout is often affected by this error, as many people say they voted even though they didn’t.

Question 12

3 Ways to Critically Assess Measures

Answer 12

Reliability
Validity
Cultural Sensitivity

Question 13

Reliable Measuring

Answer 13

How do I know that the test, scale, instrument I use works every time I use it?

Question 14

3 Ways to Ensure Reliable Design

Answer 14

Increase Precision
Use multiple measures (indexes)
Use careful design
- Measure on thing at a time
- Exhaustive categories
- Mutually exclusive categories

Question 15

Two Types of Validity

Answer 15

Face Validity (do the items seem to measure the concept)
Construct Validity (assess if instrument really measures the construct and not another)

Question 16

3 Ways to Design Valid Measures

Answer 16

1. Ensure clear conceptual definition
2. Increase number of measures
3. Increase abstraction

Question 17

3 Considerations for Culturally Sensitivity

Answer 17

1. Linguistic Equivalence
2. Conceptual evidence
3. Metric equivalence

Question 18

Values

Answer 18

Categories that capture the variance between observable characteristics of phenomena; for effective coding to be effective, values should be collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive

Question 19

Complex multiple indicators

Answer 19

A combination of variables such as the aspects of a person’s political participation; into an index or scale; used to provide a more complete description or measurement of a concept

Question 20

Indicator

Answer 20

A variable that used to represent the presence of a quality

Question 21

Index

Answer 21

A complex measure that combines responses from more than one question in the creation of a new measure

Question 22

Closed v Open Questions

Answer 22

Open = can provide own answer
Closed = pick from a selection

Question 23

Response Sets

Answer 23

The group of response categories that comprise all responses to a particular question.
To be avoided cause yay/nay-sayers

Question 24

Exhaustive

Answer 24

Inclusion of all possible causal factors in an explanatory model; also inclusion of all possible response options in a measure

Question 25

7 Characteristics of Good Question Design

Answer 25

1. Use neutral language.
2. Be clear.
3. Avoid response sets.
4. Keep response categories mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
5. Select the highest reliable level of measurement.
6. Pay close attention to question order.
7. Minimize defensive reactions.

Question 26

Operationalization

Answer 26

The process of moving from a conceptual definition (abstraction) to a measure or a set of measures (concrete) that enables a researcher to empirically observe the construct in one’s particular research project

Question 27

Simple v Complex Concepts

Answer 27

Simply will require less measures (age - years of life - years born) compared to complex concepts (Social status - education, income, occupation - highest level of education obtained, etc.)

Question 28

5 Ways to Assess Measurements (I think 3 are like… idk more important or something)

Answer 28

1. Vagueness
2. Measurement Error
3. Reliability
4. Validity
5. Cultural Sensitivity

Question 29

Vagueness / Precise Thresholds

Answer 29

An expression is vague when there is no precise boundary between the cases to which it correctly applies and the cases to which it does not