Exam 2

Question 1

Validity

Answer 1

The degree to which an instrument measures and what it claims to measure.

Question 2

Face Validity

Answer 2

The measure “looks like it makes sense” on the surface.

Question 3

Concurrent Validity

Answer 3

A new measure correlates with a previous measure of the same construct.

Question 4

Construct Validity

Answer 4

The extent to which a measuring instrument accurately measures the theoretical construct or trait that it is designed to measure.

Question 5

Criterion-related Validity (Predictive)

Answer 5

The extent to which a measuring instrument accurately predicts current or future performance.

• The measure of “Does my study actually represent what is happening in the population?”
• Ex: Does aggressiveness correlate with the number of times a child hits his doll?

Question 6

Internal Validity

Answer 6

The extent to which a set of research findings provides information about causality.
-Laboratory experiments

Question 7

Eternal Validity (Generalizability)

Answer 7

The extent to which a set of research findings provides an accurate descriptions of what typically happens in the real world.
-Passive, observational studies

Question 8

Reliability

Answer 8

Consistency of a measure.

-Reliability=True Score/[True Score + Error Score]

Question 9

Measurement Error

Answer 9

An error of measurement due to transient states (mood, level of fatigue, etc.), stable characteristics (attitude), context/environment, characteristics of measure (ambiguous questions), coding errors.

Question 10

Internal Consistency/Interitem Reliability

Answer 10

The degree to which all of the specific items or observations in a multiple-item measure behave the same way (equivalency of items).

Question 11

Interrater Reliablity

Answer 11

The degree to which different judges independently agree upon an observations or judgment (agreement between raters).

Question 12

Average Inter-Item Correlations

Answer 12

1) Compute correlation between each pair of items

2) Compute average of all correlations

Question 13

Item-Total Correlation

Answer 13

-Each item on a scale should correlate with the sum of the other items (>.30)

Question 14

Test/Retest

Answer 14

The degree to which an item or a scale correlates positively with itself over time (>.70).
-Ex: SAT scores

Question 15

Parallel Forms

Answer 15

Using alternate forms of the testing instrument and correlating performance on the two different forms.

• *Recommend a two-week gap between tests.
• Make tests similar

Question 16

Descriptive Research Strategy

Answer 16

Intended to answer questions about the current state of individual variables for a specific group of individuals. The goal of the descriptive strategy is to obtain a snapshot of specific characteristics of a specific group of individuals.

Question 17

Observational Research Design

Answer 17

Descriptive research in which the researcher observes and systematically records the behavior of individuals to describe the behavior.

Question 18

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 18

A type of observation in which a researcher observes behavior in a natural setting as unobtrusively as possible. Also known as nonparticipant observation.

Question 19

Contrived Observation (Laboratory)

Answer 19

Observation in settings arranged specifically to facilitate the occurrence of specific behaviors. Also known as structured observation.

Question 20

Disguised vs Undisguised

Answer 20

-For the researcher to pose as someone they are not vs. displaying themselves as a researcher

Question 21

Quantifying Observations

Answer 21

1) Frequency Method-involves counting the instances of each specific behavior that occur during a fixed time observation period.
2) Duration Method-involves recording how much time an individual spends engaged in a specific behavior during a fixed-time observation period.
3) Interval Method-involves dividing the observation period into a series of intervals and then recording whether a specific behavior occurs during each interval.

Question 22

Sampling Observations

Answer 22

1) Time Sampling-involves observing for one interval, then pausing during the next interval to record all the observations.
2) Event Sampling-involves identifying one specific event or behavior to be observed and recorded during the first interval; then the observer shifts to a different event or behavior during the second interval, and so on, for the full series of intervals.
3) Individual Sampling-involves identifying one participant to be observed during the first interval, then shifting attention to a different individual for the second interval, and so on.

Question 23

Reactivity

Answer 23

People not acting naturally because they are being watched.

Question 24

Content Analysis

Answer 24

Involves using the techniques of behavioral observation to measure the occurrence of specific events in literature, movies, television programs, or similar media that present replicas of behaviors.

Question 25

Archival Research

Answer 25

Involves looking at historical records (archives) to measure behaviors or events that occurred in the past.

Question 26

Case Study

Answer 26

A thorough analysis of typically one person’s behavior or mental activity.

Question 27

Parametric Test

Answer 27

A hypothesis test that uses sample means ro sample correlations to evaluate a hypothesis about the corresponding population. Parametric tests rely on sample data consisting of numerical scores.

Question 28

Nonparametric Test

Answer 28

A hypothesis test that does not require numerical scores and does not involve a hypothesis about specific population parameters.

Question 29

Three Conditions for Chi-Square

Answer 29

1) Both variables are qualitative in nature.
2) The two variables have been measured on the same individuals.
3) Observations are independent (each observed frequency is generated by a different participant).

Question 30

Critical Chi-Square Value

Answer 30

• If left of the .05 value, then NOT SIGNIFICANT.

- If right of the .05 value, then SIGNIFICANT.

Question 31

Homogeneity

Answer 31

Researchers pick and choose participants.

Question 32

Independence

Answer 32

Researchers pick participants blindly.