Measurement

Question 1

measurement

Answer 1

systematic assigning of values to represent attributes of organisms, events, etc

Question 2

conceptual variable

Answer 2

researchers definition of their variable at an abstract level
- an idea they want to measure

Question 3

operational variable

Answer 3

specific decision about how to measure your conceptual variable in a given piece of research

Question 4

three types of measures

Answer 4

1. self-report
2. observational measures
3. physiological measures

Question 5

self report

Answer 5

operationalizing variables by asking people stuff and assigning values of some sort to their answers

Question 6

what can self report measures be

Answer 6

surveys, polls, questionnaires, interviews

Question 7

how do you get self report measures from children

Answer 7

teacher reports or parent reports

Question 8

observational measures

Answer 8

operationalize variables by recording observable behaviours and physical traces of behaviour

Question 9

example of observable behaviours

Answer 9

happiness: looking at facial expressions

Question 10

physical traces

Answer 10

what’s left after the person has engaged in the physical behaviour
ex. manmade paths on campus

Question 11

physiological measures example

Answer 11

using electrodes to see what muscles are being activated when the person is happy

Question 12

two types of scales

Answer 12

categorical

quantitative

Question 13

nominal scales

Answer 13

qualitative differences between things, you are placing things into categories

Question 14

three types of quantitative scales

Answer 14

1. ordinal
2. interval
3. ratio

Question 15

ordinal

Answer 15

• put things in order
• provide information on relative position in a rank order list
• we don’t know the distance between two levels

Question 16

interval

Answer 16

two criteria:

1. no true zero
2. numbers represent equal intervals between levels

Question 17

ratio

Answer 17

two criteria:

1. numbers represent equal intervals between levels
2. the value of zero truly means nothing

Question 18

reliability

Answer 18

the extent to which you can rely on the scores of the measure, the consistency of your measure

Question 19

3 types of reliability

Answer 19

1. test-retest
2. inter-rater
3. internal

Question 20

test retest reliability

Answer 20

give a survey and give the same survey at a later point to the same people
- they should answer the same as the first time

Question 21

inter-rater reliability

Answer 21

two or more independent observers collecting your data agree on the data you’ve collected

Question 22

internal reliability

Answer 22

the extent to which all of our items in our scale are tapping into the same construct

Question 23

why do you use so many items

Answer 23

measurement error

Question 24

what is measurement error

Answer 24

some items will overestimate where someone stands on a specific construct and some will underestimate