WEEK #6 - research methods Flashcards
what is measurement ?
is the assignment of a number of a number to a characteristic of an object
what does measurement allow ?
measurement allows the characteristic in question to be compared between objects
in addition to physical objects, what else foes measurement deal with ?
intangible characteristics
what are some examples of psychological construct variables that cannot be directly measured ?
intelligence, self-esteem, depression, pain, anxiety, etc.
what is the term used to describe variables that cant be directly measured ?
constructs
why cant constricts be observed directly ?
as they represent tendencies to think, feel or act in certain ways
what is the conceptual definition of a construct ?
describes the behaviours snd internal processes that make up that construct and how it relates to other variables
what does conceptually mean ?
having a clear and complete conceptual definition of a construct t is a prerequisite for good measurement. it allows you to make sound decisions about exactly how to measure the construct
what does operationally mean ?
defines how precisely a variable is to be measured and ensures that all researchers are measuring the construct using the same method
define operational ?
in order to be able to accurately measure a variable or construct an operational definition is required and clearly defining the operational definition is important as there may be multiple operational definitions for a variables and constructs
what is covering operations ?
when various operational definitions converge on the same construct and have scores closely related to each other it is evidence that the operational definitions are measuring the c obstruct effectively
what are the three types of measure ?
- self-report measures
- behavioural measures
- physiological measures
what is self-sport measures :
participants report their own thoughts, feelings, and actions
what are examples of self-sport measures ?
PHQ9, GAD7, SCAT 5 symptom evaluation
what is behavioural measures ?
participants behaviour is observed and recorded
what are examples of behavioural measures ?
allow children to play in a room and observe/record them
what is physiological measures ?
involve recording any of a wide variety of physiological processes
what are examples of physiological measures ?
HR, BP, SPO2
what are the types of data ?
continuous variables and discrete variables
what are continuous variables ?
- can assume any value
- example : distance, time, force
- accuracy of the data is dependent on the measuring device
what are discrete variables ?
- limited to certain numbers (typically whole numbers or integers)
are clinical variables continuous or discrete ?
clinical variables are discrete (when making a discrete diagnosis a person either has the condition or they do not)
how many categories can data be grouped into ?
4
what are the four categories that data can be grouped into ?
- nominal
- ordinal
- interval
- ratio
define nominal :
- mutually exclusive categories of subjects
- no qualitative differentiation between categories
- subjects are classified into one of the categories then counted
give an example of nominal :
students were classified as male or female then the number in each category was counted
define ordinal :
- also referred to as rank order scale
- quantitative ordering of the variables but does not indicate the magnitude of the relationship or difference between them
give an example of ordinal :
the top 3 finishers of a race are ranked first, second and third but there is no indication of how much faster first place was to second place and second place to third place
define interval :
- equal units of measurement with the same distance between each division of the scale
- there is no absolute zero point
give an example of interval :
fahrenheit scale, 60 degrees is hotter than 10 degrees but 100 degrees is not tie as hot as 50 degrees since 0 degrees doesn’t not represent a complete absence of heat
define ratio :
- equal units of measurement between each division of the scale
- zero represents an absence pf value
- since all units are proportional comparisons are appropriate
give and example of ratio :
all measurements of distance, force and time
what are the four levels of measurement ?
1) nominal
2) ordinal
3) interval
4) ratio
how many of the 4 levels of measurement are category labels ?
all 4
how many of the 4 levels of measurement are rank order ?
- 3 of the 4
- ordinal, interval, ratio
how many of the 4 levels of measurement are equal intervals ?
- 2/4
- interval and ratio
how many of the 4 levels of measurement are true zero ?
- 1/4
- ratio
define reliability ?
- refers to the consistency of a measure
- does the measure consistency reflect changes in what it purports to measure
with reliability, what are we looking that the measure is stable across ?
time and circumstance
how many types of reliability are there ?
3
what are the three types of reliability ?
1) test-retest reliability
2) internal consistency
3) inter-reader reliability