Midterm Quiz Flashcards
What type of research obtains data about opinions, attitudes, preferences, and behaviors using questionnaires or interviews?
a) Experimental research
b) Survey research
c) Observational research
d) Case study research
Survey research
What approach allows researchers to study private experiences that cannot be directly observed?
a) Experimental approach
b) Survey approach
c) Observational approach
d) Case study approach
Survey approach
What advantage does an anonymous survey offer when collecting data on sensitive topics?
a) Increased response rate
b) Decreased response rate
c) Increased likelihood of biased responses
d) Decreased likelihood of biased responses
Decreased likelihood of biased responses
What is a major limitation of the survey approach in testing hypotheses about causal relationships?
a) Inability to collect large amounts of data
b) Inability to draw inferences about causes of behavior
c) Inability to engage subjects effectively
d) Inability to analyze survey data
Inability to draw inferences about causes of behavior
What is the first step in constructing surveys?
a) Analyzing survey data
b) Identifying specific research objectives
c) Deciding on the degree of imposition of unit
d) Deciding how to analyze the survey
Identifying specific research objectives
Describe closed-ended questions and provide an example.
a) Questions that require a detailed response; e.g., “What is your opinion on climate change?”
b) Questions that can be answered using a limited number of alternatives; e.g., “Yes” or “No”
c) Questions that are ambiguous; e.g., “What do you think about it?”
d) Questions that are unrelated to the survey topic
Questions that can be answered using a limited number of alternatives; e.g., “Yes” or “No”
Explain open-ended questions and give an example.
a) Questions that can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”; e.g., “Do you like ice cream?”
b) Questions that require a detailed response; e.g., “What is your opinion on climate change?”
c) Questions that are unrelated to the survey topic
d) Questions that are ambiguous; e.g., “What do you think about it?”
Questions that require a detailed response; e.g., “What is your opinion on climate change?”
How do researchers typically analyze data from closed-ended questions?
a) Using content analysis
b) Reporting the number or percent of responses
c) Assigning responses to categories
d) Ignoring responses
Reporting the number or percent of responses
What method can be used to analyze responses from open-ended questions?
a) Content analysis
b) Reporting the number or percent of responses
c) Assigning responses to categories
d) Ignoring responses
Content analysis
What are three concerns to consider when constructing survey questions?
a) Clarity, relevance, and complexity
b) Complexity, length, and ambiguity
c) Simplicity, ambiguity, and relevance
d) Simplicity, ambiguity, and double-barreled questions
Clarity, relevance, and complexity
Define nominal scale and provide an example.
a) Measures magnitude using ranks; e.g., marathon rankings
b) Assigns items to distinct categories without measuring magnitude; e.g., sorting professors into categories
c) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values; e.g., Fahrenheit temperatures
d) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values with an absolute zero; e.g., distance in meters
Assigns items to distinct categories without measuring magnitude; e.g., sorting professors into categories
Define ordinal scale and give an example.
a) Assigns items to distinct categories without measuring magnitude; e.g., sorting professors into categories
b) Measures magnitude using ranks; e.g., marathon rankings
c) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values; e.g., Fahrenheit temperatures
d) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values with an absolute zero; e.g., distance in meters
Measures magnitude using ranks; e.g., marathon rankings
What is an interval scale and provide an example?
a) Assigns items to distinct categories without measuring magnitude; e.g., sorting professors into categories
b) Measures magnitude using ranks; e.g., marathon rankings
c) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values; e.g., Fahrenheit temperatures
d) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values with an absolute zero; e.g., distance in meters
Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values; e.g., Fahrenheit temperatures
Describe a ratio scale and give an example.
a) Assigns items to distinct categories without measuring magnitude; e.g., sorting professors into categories
b) Measures magnitude using ranks; e.g., marathon rankings
c) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values; e.g., Fahrenheit temperatures
d) Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values with an absolute zero; e.g., distance in meters
Measures magnitude using equal intervals between values with an absolute zero; e.g., distance in meters
Why do psychologists often choose higher scales when working with variables like sociability?
a) Because higher scales are easier to use
b) Because higher scales provide less information
c) Because higher scales provide more information and allow analysis using more powerful statistics
d) Because higher scales are more expensive
Because higher scales provide more information and allow analysis using more powerful statistics
Why is it important to engage subjects from the start of a survey?
a) To discourage them from participating
b) To make them feel uncomfortable
c) To encourage them to refuse to answer
d) To ask interesting questions they will not mind answering
To ask interesting questions they will not mind answering
What are five considerations for the first question in a survey?
a) Relevant to the survey’s central topic, easy to answer, interesting, answerable by most respondents, closed format
b) Relevant to the survey’s central topic, complex, ambiguous, lengthy, open format
c) Unrelated to the survey topic, difficult to answer, irrelevant, open format, lengthy
d) Relevant to the survey’s central topic, irrelevant, difficult to answer, ambiguous, open format
Relevant to the survey’s central topic, easy to answer, interesting, answerable by most respondents, closed format
Why should researchers use commonly used response options in surveys?
a) To confuse respondents
b) To make the survey more difficult
c) To increase the likelihood of biased responses
d) To make it easier for respondents to answer accurately
To make it easier for respondents to answer accurately
What are response styles, and how do they influence survey responses?
a) Tendencies to respond to questions or test items without regard to their actual wording; they do not influence responses
b) Tendencies to respond to questions or test items without regard to their actual wording; they influence responses by making them biased
c) Tendencies to respond accurately to questions or test items; they do not influence responses
d) Tendencies to refuse to answer questions; they influence responses by making them inaccurate
Tendencies to respond to questions or test items without regard to their actual wording; they influence responses by making them biased
Define manifest content in the context of survey items.
a) The underlying meaning of the words printed on the page
b) The tendency to respond to questions or test items without regard to their actual wording
c) The plain meaning of the words printed on the page
d) The likelihood of biased responses in surveys
The plain meaning of the words printed on the page
What is yea-saying and nay-saying in survey responses?
a) Agreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content; disagreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content
b) Disagreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content; agreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content
c) Agreeing with an item based on its manifest content; disagreeing with an item based on its manifest content
d) Disagreeing with an item based on its manifest content; agreeing with an item based on its manifest content
Agreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content; disagreeing with an item regardless of its manifest content
Explain context effects in survey questions.
a) Changes in question interpretation due to their position within a survey
b) Changes in question interpretation due to their wording
c) Changes in question interpretation due to their length
d) Changes in question interpretation due to their complexity
Changes in question interpretation due to their position within a survey
Define the social desirability response set in survey data collection.
a) Representing ourselves in a socially appropriate fashion when responding to a question’s underlying meaning
b) Representing ourselves in a socially appropriate fashion when responding to a question’s manifest content
c) Representing ourselves in a socially inappropriate fashion when responding to a question’s manifest content
d) Representing ourselves in a socially inappropriate fashion when responding to a question’s underlying meaning
Representing ourselves in a socially appropriate fashion when responding to a question’s underlying meaning
Compare structured interviews with unstructured interviews in terms of data collection.
a) Structured interviews provide more usable, quantifiable data; unstructured interviews provide more usable, quantifiable data
b) Structured interviews allow exploration of interesting topics; unstructured interviews allow exploration of interesting topics
c) Structured interviews ask the same questions each time; unstructured interviews ask the same questions each time
d) Structured interviews provide more usable, quantifiable data; unstructured interviews may not provide usable data for content analysis
Structured interviews provide more usable, quantifiable data; unstructured interviews may not provide usable data for content analysis
What is a population in the context of sampling?
a) A subset of the sample
b) All people, animals, or objects that share at least one characteristic
c) A subset of the population of interest
d) A subset of the population
All people, animals, or objects that share at least one characteristic
Define probability sampling and provide two advantages.
a) Sampling method that does not involve random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
b) Sampling method that involves random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
c) Sampling method that involves random selection; provides less representative samples and unknown sampling error
d) Sampling method that does not involve random selection; provides less representative samples and unknown sampling error
Sampling method that involves random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
List the four main probability sampling methods.
a) Quota sampling, convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling
b) Simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling
c) Systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling, quota sampling
d) Simple random sampling, convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling
Simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling
Define nonprobability sampling and provide an example.
a) Sampling method that involves random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
b) Sampling method that does not involve random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
c) Sampling method that involves random selection; provides less representative samples and unknown sampling error
d) Sampling method that does not involve random selection; provides less representative samples and unknown sampling error
Sampling method that involves random selection; provides more representative samples and known sampling error
List the four main nonprobability sampling methods.
a) Simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling
b) Quota sampling, convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling
c) Systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling, cluster sampling, quota sampling
d) Simple random sampling, convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling
Quota sampling, convenience sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling
Which type of sampling is more likely to represent the population accurately: probability or nonprobability sampling?
a) Probability sampling
b) Nonprobability sampling
c) Both probability and nonprobability sampling
d) Neither probability nor nonprobability sampling
Probability sampling
