measurements and surveys

Question 1

measurement error

Answer 1

chance deviation of a measurement from the true value
ex) height

Question 2

natural variation

Answer 2

differences in the true value being measured
- across time: due to underlying changes in the individual (ex, your weight)

• across individuals: due to different inherent characteristics, or conditions experienced
  (ex, the classroom’s height)

Question 3

issues when defining measurement

Answer 3

every measurement requires a definition
- there may be more than one possible definition

• meaning of complex variables may be determined by the chosen measurement
  (ex, daily stress levels, intelligence many ways to measure)

Question 4

what are properties of good measurements

Answer 4

measured value = true value + measurement error + measurement bias

• validity: actually measures the characteristic of interest
• accuracy (unbiasness): measurement approaches the true value, on average (opposite: bias)
• reliability: produces the same value when measured repeatedly on the same individual (assuming no underlying change) (ex, IQ test is consistent 130 - 140)

Question 5

validity

Answer 5

actually measures the characteristic of interest

Question 6

unbiasness

Answer 6

measurement approaches the true value, on average (opposite: bias)

Question 7

reliability

Answer 7

produces the same value when measured repeatedly on the same individual (assuming no underlying change) (ex, IQ test is consistent 130 - 140)

Question 8

survey design: deliberate (intentional) bias

Answer 8

• leading questions direct respondents to particular options
• one-sided questions increase likelihood of respondent agreement

Question 9

survey design: misunderstanding

Answer 9

• the vocabulary and language used in a question may cause unpredicted responses
• emotion inducing words may cause stronger responses
• words with multiple meanings may cause misterpretations
• complex sentence structure may result in contradictory interpretation
  ex) if you don’t have no experience, you can’t be trusted with this job

on occasion, I am unable to express how interested in politics I am

Question 10

survey design: survey structure

Answer 10

• question type, structure, and order can cause issues
• multiple issues may result in incomplete responses
• open vs closed questions
  ex) (open) which faculty are you in? ______
  (closed) which faculty are you in?
  a) Health Sciences b) Science c) Music (not enough options)
• order of questions can influence nature of responses

Question 11

surveys: participant behaviour

Answer 11

people don’t always tell the truth

• respondents may guess if they are not informed or do not understand
• socially sensitive topics/questions may result in the “desire to please”
• lack of confidentiality (secret) or anonymity (unknown) may influence honesty
  ex) turner et al. surveyed adolescent males under two methods; paper or computer audio survey

more people answered truthfully on the computer audio survey than in paper survey