Non-Experimental Designs I: Survey Methods Flashcards
_________ sampling is most likely to be used in survey research
probability
What is self-selection bias and where does it usually occur?
When the sample is composed only of those who voluntarily choose to response, thus the results are a bias sample.
Usually occurs in newspapers and magazines
A good use of open-ended questions in a survey is in a ________ study as a way of identifying alternatives for a subsequent survey to be composed of closed items.
pilot
Surveys with closed questions often use an interval scale for measuring responses. The most common interval scale used in surveys is…
the Likert scale
Response acquiescence
a tendency to agree with statements
How do surveys with a Likert scale avoid response acquiescence?
They will balance favourable and unfavourable statements, forcing respondents to read each item carefully.
Including too much in an item resulting in one that actually asks two responses at once is sometimes referred to as a _________-________ question
double-barreled
Advantages and disadvantages of in-person interviews
Advantages: comprehensive, highly detailed, reduction of unclear questions
Disadvantages: interview bias, cost, sampling issues (some people may not be included)
What is nonresponse bias and when can it occur?
Occurs when the people who do complete and return the survey differ in some important ways from those who did not return the survey
Can occur with mailed written surveys
Social desirability bias
When people respond to a survey question in a way that doesn’t reflect what they truly feel but how they think they should respond
How can researchers avoid social desirability bias?
By ensuring anonymity
______ surveys combine the efficiency of a mailed survey with the personal contact of an interview.
Phone
What is the main advantage of online surveys?
A large amount of data can be collected in a short amount of time and with minimal cost
A correlation exists when…
two variables are associated or related
Positive correlation
A high score on one variable is associated with a high score on the second variable; similarly a low score on one variable is associated with a low score on the second variable
Negative correlation
An inverse relationship. A high score on one variable is associated with a low score on the second variable and vice versa.
An indication of the strength of a relationship between two variables can be discerned by examining a ____________
scatterplot
The strength and direction of a correlation is indicated by the size of a statistic called the _________ __________
correlation coefficient
What is the most common correlation coefficient?
Pearson’s R
The correlation coefficient itself ranges from _____ for a perfect negative correlation, through ____ for no relationship, to ____ for a perfect positive correlation
-1.00; 0.00; +1.00
Psychologists often use Cohen’s conventions of ___ for a small effect size, ___ for a medium effect size, and ____ for a large effect size
.10; .30; .50
Coefficient of determination is also known as…
R squared
R squared is defined as…
the percent of variance in one variable that is explained by the other variable
Making predictions on the basis of correlations is referred to as doing a _________ analysis
regression
The regression line is also known as…
the line of best fit
A bivariate approach to data analysis investigates the relationship…
between any two variables
A multivariate approach examines the relationship…
among more than two variables
With non‐experimental research using correlations, the “all else held constant” feature is missing and this lack of control makes it impossible to conclude anything about…
cause and effect
Two specific ways in which interpretation problems can occur with correlations:
- Directionality problem
2. Third variable problem
Directionality problem
When a causal relation could occur in either direction (i.e., A causes B, or B causes A)
Third variable problem
When uncontrolled factors (third variables) influence a correlation
Two types of third variables:
- Mediating variable - explains how or why a relationship exists between two variables
- Moderating variable - explains the conditions under which a correlation can exist between two variables
