Exam 2

Question 1

Conceptual definition of variable

Answer 1

Variable that is a symbolic representation of an entity or quantity that can assume different values

Question 2

Operational definition of variable

Answer 2

Description of how a construct will be observed in a particular study

Question 3

Reliability (general)

Answer 3

The measure of consistency

Question 4

Validity (general)

Answer 4

The measure of accuracy

Question 5

Self-report measure

Answer 5

Record responses to a questionnaire or interview, parent/teacher reports if the child is young

Question 6

Observational measure

Answer 6

Record observable behaviors or traces of behaviors; aggressive behaviors, examining teeth for signs of stress grind, consulting public records of marriages/divorces

Question 7

Physiological measure

Answer 7

Record biological data; muscle movements when smiling/frowning, doing tasks while in an fMRI machine, skin conductance studies for stress

Question 8

Categorical (nominal) scale

Answer 8

Data that does not automatically have a number; favorite ice cream flavor, breed of dog, etc.

Question 9

Ordinal scale

Answer 9

Represents a ranked order or variable levels; top 100 _____

Question 10

Interval scale

Answer 10

Represents a ranked order of variable levels in which there are equal intervals between levels and no “true zero” exists; IQ scores

Question 11

Ratio scale

Answer 11

Represents a ranked order of variable levels in which they are equal; number of cookies a child eats in a time period

Question 12

Test-retest

Answer 12

Measures how consistent people’s scores remain overtime when a test is repeated at least once across a particular time interval

Question 13

Interrater

Answer 13

Measures how consistent ratings are between different observers or coders; most often used when evaluating observational data

Question 14

Bystander effect studies

Answer 14

We can train people to code “helping” behavior that they observe, such as stopping to ask if someone is okay, helping to change a flat tire, etc.

Question 15

When evaluating categorical data, which is better, kappa or Pearson correlation

Answer 15

Kappa because it measures the extent to white raters tended to place data points into the same category

Question 16

Internal/internal consistency

Answer 16

Measures how consistently multiple items on a test “hang together” or effectively assess the same construct; self-esteem questionnaires

Question 17

Two ways to measure internal/internal consistency

Answer 17

Average inter-item correlation (AIC) and Cronbach’s alpha (coefficient alpha)

Question 18

Construct validity

Answer 18

How well has the conceptual variable been operationalized? How well did the researchers measure the variable?

Question 19

External validity

Answer 19

How well the study’s results generalize to people or context beyond those used in the current study, how well does the participant sample represent the general population?

Question 20

Statistical validity

Answer 20

The extent to which a study’s statistical conclusions are precise, reasonable, and replicable, how well do the numbers support the claim?

Question 21

Internal validity

Answer 21

Can we eliminate alternative explanations for this perceived relationship?

Question 22

Face validity

Answer 22

Assesses the extent to which a measure is subjectively considered to be a plausible operationalization of the construct, do they seem to be about what I think they’re about?

Question 23

Content validity

Answer 23

Assesses the extent to which a measure adequately captures the major aspects of a construct

Question 24

Criterion validity

Answer 24

Assesses whether performance on the measure is associated with a concrete behavioral outcome that theoretically ties to the construct

Question 25

Convergent/Discriminant validity

Answer 25

Assesses the extent to which scores on the measure correlated with similar (convergent) or dissimilar (divergent) constructs

Question 26

What is the relationship between reliability and validity?

Answer 26

You can have good reliability without good validity (being reliably wrong) but you CAN NOT have good validity without good reliability.

Question 27

Purposive nonrandom sampling

Answer 27

Limiting your sample to only certain groups of people because this aligns with the purpose of your study.

Question 28

Snowball nonrandom sampling

Answer 28

Study participants are asked to recommend other people who might wish to participate in the study

Question 29

Quota nonrandom sampling

Answer 29

Researcher identifies subsets of the population of interest and sets a target number of participants from each group. The researcher samples from each group until the quota is reached.