Research Methods I Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes on Factor Analysis and related concepts.

Factor Analysis

A variable reduction technique used to assess how many factors/unobserved constructs cause interrelated item scores.

Scree Plot

A plot used in factor analysis to determine the number of factors to retain.

Reliability

The extent to which a test measures consistently.

Validity

The extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure.

TIPI (Ten Item Personality Measure)

Big Five Questionnaire, short version

Discrimination index

Indicator of how well the item separates the high performers on the test from the low performers on the test.

Difficulty index

Percentage of test takers who answer the item correctly.

Item Response Theory

The probability of an affirmative / correct response depends on the person’s ability and the item parameters (difficulty/discriminative quality).