Week 2

Question 1

well-being is a ___ construct. to measure well-being, we need the process of _____. what we actually measure are called ____.

Answer 1

latent
operationalization
indicators

Question 2

what is the criteria for measurement formula and what do the variables represent?

Answer 2

X = T ± E
X represents your score
T represents your true happiness
E represents measurement error

Question 3

name and define the two types of measurement error

Answer 3

random measurement error: random fluctuations in score that influence score in unpredictable ways. unrelated to construct of interest.

systematic measurement error: non-random fluctuations in score that influence score in predictable ways. related to construct of interest (ex. social desirability bias).

Question 4

define reliability

Answer 4

• are we consistently measuring some construct?
• how much random measurement error there is in an individual’s score.

Question 5

describe the following:
1) split-half reliability
2) test-retest reliability
3) inter-rater reliability
4) internal consistency

Answer 5

1) split-half: randomly create 2 subsets from a single measure and correlate average score of subset 1 with average score of subset 2.
2) administer measure at different time points and find correlations between time points (ex. average at time 1 and average at time 2).
3) different people make simultaneous ratings of the same target(s) and find agreement across raters (instead of correlations it’s kappa).
4) using multiple items in the measure, look at how items correlate with each other (averaging ALL correlations, cronbach’s alpha).

Question 6

define validity

Answer 6

• are we measuring what we’re supposed to?
• how much an individual’s score reflects their true score and systematic measurement error.

Question 7

describe the following:
1) content validity
2) construct validity
3) criterion validity
4) internal validity
5) external validity

Answer 7

1) content: aka ‘face validity.’ ex. look at questions themselves and decide if they’re measuring happiness.
2) construct: does operationalization match the theory?
3) criterion: encompasses convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.
4) internal: is it my independent variable(s) causing the changes in my dependent variable(s)?
5) external: are my results generalizable?

Question 8

what are the pros (1) and cons (2) of closed-ended responses in terms of self reports?

Answer 8

pros:
- time and cost-efficient.
cons:
- do not capture underlying dynamics.
- # of responses, order, and labels influence reliability and validity.

Question 9

what are the pros (1) and cons (2) of open-ended responses in terms of questionnaires?

Answer 9

pros:
- captures underlying dynamics.
cons:
- interpretations may be subject to bias.
- analysis is labour intensive, time consuming and expensive.

partial solution? use computer-analysis software.

Question 10

define satisficing + why do we do it?

Answer 10

satisficing: tendency to look for cues in the question/response options that point to a reasonable answer.

why? want to conserve cognitive effort/do not have sufficient cognitive resources or skills to think about an accurate answer.

Question 11

define acquiescence + why do we do it?

Answer 11

acquiescence: tendency to agree with an assertion made in a question/statement regardless of the content.

why? to be polite/avoid confrontation/deference to higher social status individuals/satisficing.

Question 12

define social desirability bias + why do we do it?

Answer 12

social desirability bias: tendency to choose responses that allow one to present oneself in a positive manner to others.

why? to maximize pleasure and minimize pain/other-deception + self-deception/protects self-esteem.

Question 13

what’s an example of order effects in terms of questionnaires?

Answer 13

• evaluations of later questions/statements are influenced by evaluations of earlier questions/statements.
• ex. “how often are you dating?” followed by “how happy are you?”
• self-perception theory: you construct your present attitudes based on past behaviour and then make inferences about yourself.

Question 14

what are the three components of subjective well-being (SWB)?

Answer 14

1) people’s long-term levels of positive affect (PA),
2) lack of negative affect (NA) and,
3) life satisfaction.

Question 15

describe bradburn’s affect balance scale and its limitations (2)

Answer 15

• answer yes/no to two sets of questions (one PA-oriented, the other NA-oriented).
• affect balance = TOTAL - TOTAL.

limitations:
- too few items.
- too narrow items.

Question 15

describe fordyce’s affect measure and its limitations (1)

Answer 15

• answer questions via scale of 1-11 and find average.

limitations:
- response options are difficult to translate (ex. what does 7 vs 8 mean?)

Question 16

describe the affectometer 2 and its limitations (1)

Answer 16

• 40-item scale to measure affective well-being and life satisfaction with 10 underlying factors.
• measures balance of pleasant and unpleasant feelings in recent experiences.

limitations:
- discriminant validity: may reflect other individual differences (ex. self-esteem, optimism, which are NOT parts of SWB).

Question 17

describe the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) and its limitations (2)

Answer 17

• measures PA and NA using 5-point rating scale (very slightly to very much).
• can use different time frames (ex. “today,” “past few days”, “past few weeks”) which captures valence and intensity.

limitations:
- recall biases and inaccuracies.
- may use mood to judge emotions and vice versa.

Question 18

which is the most widely used measure of affect?

Answer 18

PANAS

Question 19

describe cantrill’s life satisfaction ladder

Answer 19

• ladder scale from 0-10, participants asked to point where on the ladder they stand.

Question 20

describe the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and its limitations (1)

Answer 20

• answer questions from strongly disagree - strongly agree.

limitations:
- every item is positively worded (acquiescence hazard).

Question 21

describe the average domain satisfaction measure and its limitations (1)

Answer 21

• rate satisfaction in a list of specific life domains.

limitations:
-which domains are relevant to everyone?
people may weigh domains differently.

Question 22

in conclusion, which measures are “better” (affect measures or life satisfaction measures)? provide evidence.

Answer 22

• life satisfaction measures!!!
• internal consistency (cronbach’s α = .8+)
• consistency across short time intervals and situations (ex. r = .8+) and reliability lower over long-term, single-item measures (able to measure true changes)
• about 74% reliable variance
• good convergent/discriminant/criterion/ predictive validity too

Question 23

what are the six dimensions of psychological well-being?

Answer 23

1) self-acceptance
2) positive relations with others
3) environmental mastery
4) purpose in life
5) personal growth
6) autonomy

Question 24

name four alternate approaches to measuring well-being.

Answer 24

1) informant reports
2) biographies/narratives
3) implicit measures (ex. IAT)
4) indirect measures (ex. FMRI, EEG)