MSMR Exam 2

Measurement

The assignment of numbers or other symbols to characteristics of objects according to certain pre-specified rules.

Scaling

The generation of a continuum upon which measured objects are located.

Descriptions

Labels or descriptors used to designate each value of the scale. All scales possess this.

Order

Sizes or positions of descriptors on a scale.

Distance

Differences between descriptors are known may be expressed in units.

Origin

Presence of a fixed origin or true zero points.

Nominal

Numbers serve only as labels or tags for identifying and classifying objects with a strict one-to-one correspondence between the numbers and the objects.

Ordinal

A ranking scale in which numbers are assigned to objects to indicate the relative extent to which some characteristic is possessed.

Interval

Numbers are used to rate objects such that numerically equal distances on the scale represent equal distances in the characteristic being measured.

Ratio

Allows the researcher to identify or classify objects, rank-order the objects, and compare intervals or differences.

Comparative Scales

Scaling technique in which there is direct comparison of stimulus objects with one another.

Noncomparative Scales

Scaling technique in which each stimulus object is scaled independently of the other objects in the stimulus set.

Paired Comparison

Respondent is presented with two objects at a time and asked to select one object in the pair according to some criterion.

Transitivity of Preference

An assumption made in order to convert paired comparison data to rank order data. It assumes that if brand A is preferred to brand B and brand B is preferred to brand C, then brand A is preferred to brand C.

Rank Order

Respondents are presented with several objects simultaneously and asked to order or rank them according to some criterion.

Constant Sum Scaling

Respondents allocate a constant sum of units, such as 100 points, to a list of items.

Continuous Rating Scale

Respondents rate the objects by placing a mark at the appropriate position on a line that runs from one extreme of the criterion variable to the other.

Itemized Rating Scale

A measurement scale having numbers and/or brief descriptions associated with each category.

Likert Scale

Measures the degree of agreement or disagreement with each of a series of statements about the stimulus objects.

Semantic Differential Scale

7-point rating scale with endpoints associated with bipolar labels that have semantic meaning.

Stapel Scale

Unipolar rating scale with 10 categories numbered from -5 to +5, without a neutral point.

Multi-Item Scale

A scale consisting of multiple items, where an item is a single question or statement to be evaluated.

Construct

A specific type of concept that exists at a higher level of abstraction than that of everyday concepts.

Measurement Error

The measurement or observed score being different from the true score of the characteristic being measured.

True Score Model

Provides a framework for understanding the accuracy of measurement.

Systematic Error

Affects the measurement in a constant way. It represents stable factors that affect the observed score in the same way each time the measurement is made.

Random Error

Arises from random changes or differences in respondents or measurement situations.

Reliability

Extent a scale produces consistent results.

Test-Retest Reliability

Respondents are administered identical sets of scale items at two different times under as nearly equivalent conditions as possible.

Alternative-Forms Reliability

Two equivalent forms of the scale are constructed. The same respondents are measured at two different times.

Internal Consistency

Used to assess the reliability of a summated scale where several items are summed to form a total score. Gauges how well a test or survey is actually measuring what you want it to measure.

Split-Half Reliability

A form of internal consistency reliability in which the items constituting the scale are divided into two halves and the resulting half scores are correlated.

Coefficient Alpha

A measure of internal consistency reliability that is the average of all possible split-half coefficients resulting from different splittings of the scale items.

Validity

Extent which differences in observed scale scores reflect true differences among objects on the characteristic being measured, rather than systematic or random error.

Content Validity (Face Validity)

Subjective evaluation of how well the content of a scale represents the measurement task at hand. Evaluates whether the scale covers all relevant parts of the construct.

Criterion Validity

Whether a scale performs as expected in relation to other variables selected as meaningful criteria. Evaluates how accurately a test measures the outcome it was designed to measure.

Construct Validity

Addresses the question of what characteristic the scale is measuring. The researcher attempts to answer theoretical questions about why the scale works and what deductions can be made concerning the underlying theory of the scale. | The extent to which your test or measure accurately assesses what it's supposed to.

Questionnaire

A structured technique for data collection that consists of a series of questions, written or verbal, that a respondent answers.

Double Barreled Question

A single question that attempts to cover two issues.

Filter Questions

Questions in a questionnaire that screen potential respondents to ensure they meet the requirements of the researcher.

Telescoping

Respondents remember events as occurring more recently than it actually occurred.

Unstructured Questions

Open-ended questions that respondents answer in their own words.

Structured Questions

Specify the set of response alternatives and the response format.

Order or Position Bias

Respondents' tendency to check an alternative merely because it occupies a certain position or is listed in a certain order.

Dichotomous Questions

Only two response alternatives.

Leading Questions

Clues the respondent to what answer is desired or leads the respondent to answer in a certain way.

Acquiescence Bias

Bias that is the result of some respondents' tendency to agree with the direction of a leading question.

Implicit Alternatives

An alternative that is not explicitly expressed in the options.

Classification information

Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics used to classify respondents.

Identification information

Includes name, address, email, and phone number.

Funnel Approach

General questions should precede specific questions.

Branching Questions

Used to guide respondents through a survey by directing them to different spots on the questionnaire depending on the answers given.

Pretesting

Testing a questionnaire on a small sample of respondents to identify and eliminate potential problems.

Population

The aggregate of all the elements that share some common set of characteristics and that comprise the universe for the purposes of the marketing research problem.

Sample

A subset of the elements of the population selected for participation in a study.

Sampling Frame Error

The degree to which the sample frame fails to account for all of the population.

Census

Involves a complete enumeration of the elements of a population.

Target Population

The collection of elements or objects that possess the information sought by the researcher.

Element

The individual or group within the population from which the information is desired.

Sampling Unit

Element, or a unit containing the element, that is available for selection at some stage of the sampling process.

Sampling Frame

A representation of the elements of the target population. It consists of a list of directions for identifying your target population.

Bayesian Approach

Elements are selected sequentially. Incorporates prior information about population parameters as well as the costs and probabilities associated with making wrong decisions. | Updates beliefs about a hypothesis or parameter using new evidence.

Sampling With Replacement

A selected element is placed back into the sampling frame.

Sampling Without Replacement

Selected elements are removed from the sampling frame.

Nonprobability Sampling

Relies on convenience or the personal judgment of the researcher rather than chance to select sample elements.

Convenience Sampling

Attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of sampling units is left primarily to the interviewer.

Judgmental Sampling

A form of convenience sampling in which the population elements are purposely selected based on the judgment of the researcher.

Quota Sampling

A two-stage restricted judgmental sampling. The first stage consists of developing control categories of population elements. In the second stage, sample elements are selected based on convenience or judgement.

Snowball Sampling

An initial group of respondents is selected randomly. Subsequent respondents are selected based on the referrals or information provided by the initial respondents.

Probability Sampling

Sampling procedure in which each element of the population has a fixed probabilistic chance of being selected for the sample.

Simple Random Sampling (SRS)

Each element in the population has a known and equal probability of selection. Every element is selected independently of every other element, and the sample is drawn by a random procedure from a sampling frame.

Systematic Sampling

Sample chosen by selecting a random starting point and then picking every ith element in succession from the sampling frame.

Stratified Sampling

A two-step process in which the population is partitioned into subpopulations. Elements are selected from each stratum by a random procedure.

Cluster Sampling

The target population is first divided into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive subpopulations or from which a random sample is selected. For each selected cluster, either all the elements are included in the sample or a sample of elements is drawn probabilistically.

Area Sampling

A common form of cluster sampling in which the clusters consist of geographic areas such as counties, housing tracts, blocks, or other area descriptions.

Probability Proportionate to Size Sampling

A selection method in which the clusters are selected with probability proportional to size and the probability of selecting a sampling unit in a selected cluster varies inversely with the size of the cluster.

Sequential Sampling

The population elements are sampled sequentially, data collection and analysis are done at each stage, and a decision is made as to whether additional population elements should be sampled.

Double Sampling

Certain population elements are sampled twice.

Which of the following are comparative scales?

A.

Paired

Rank Order

Constant Sum

B.

Continuous

Likert

Semantic Differential

Stapel

Paired, Rank Order, Constant Sum

Which of the following are noncomparative scales?

A.

Paired

Rank Order

Constant Sum

B.

Continuous

Likert

Semantic Differential

Stapel

Continuous, Likert, Semantic Differential, Stapel

Which of the following isn’t an itemized rating scale?

Stapel

Continuous Rating

Likert

Semantic Differential

Continuous Rating

Unbalanced Scale

Has mainly degrees of positive positions

Which of the following isn’t an itemized rating scale decision?

1. The number of scale categories to use

2. Balanced versus unbalanced scale

3. Odd or even number of categories

4. Forced versus nonforced choice

5. The nature and degree of the verbal description

6. The physical form of the scale

7. Type of analysis

Type of analysis

Parameter

A summary description of a fixed characteristic or measure of the target population denoting the true value that would be obtained if a census rather than a sample were undertaken.

Statistic

A summary description of a characteristic or measure of the sample. Used as an estimate of the population parameter.

Precision Level

Maximum permissible difference between the sample statistic and the population parameter.

Finite Population Correction (FPC)

A correction for overestimation of the variance of a population parameter, for example, a mean or proportion when the sample size is 10 percent or more of the population size.

Sampling Distribution

Distribution of the values of a sample statistic computed for each possible sample that could be drawn from the target population under a specified sampling plan.

Statistical Inference

The process of generalizing the sample results to the population results.

Standard Error

The standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the mean or proportion.

Z Value

The number of standard errors a point is away from the mean.

Incidence Rate

The rate of occurrence of persons eligible to participate in the study expressed as a percentage.

Substitution

A procedure that substitutes for nonrespondents other elements from the sampling frame that are expected to respond.

Trend Analysis

A researcher tries to discern a trend between early and late respondents. This trend is projected to nonrespondents to estimate their characteristic of interest.

Weighting

Assigning differential weights to the data depending on response rates.

Imputation

Assigning the characteristic of interest to the nonrespondents based on the similarity of the variables available for both nonrespondents and respondents.