MOD 8: Measuring and Reliability

Qualitative data

are generated from open-ended questions

Self-report data may come from

questionnaires or interviews

The following question would provide what type of data?

ndicate the importance of each aspect to consider when deciding where to apply for an internship:

        1 = not very important    10 = very important

Company reputation    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10

Compensation               1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10

quantitative data

Why might a researcher choose to use closed-ended questions?

They generate quantitative data

The question “How do you feel when you begin a research methods exam?” is an example of a(n) [BLANK] question. 

open-ended

Identify the type of question: 

Place the following options in order of most to least important when choosing a vacation destination: 

proximity to water, proximity to mountains, distance from home, cost of hotel/lodging.

Ranking scale question

Identify the type of question: 

Playing with kittens causes me to feel X (mark X on the continuums of love-hate, calm-tense, and excited-bored).

Semantic differential scale question

Identify the type of question:

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the level of pain you are currently experiencing? 

Rating scale question

Identify the type of question: 

How much do you agree or disagree (on a scale including the options Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) with the statement “I am enjoying this course.” 

Likert scale question

Select the type of closed-ended question that is most appropriate when a researcher wishes to understand a participant’s preference among different options.

Ranking scale questions

“If a helpless toddler falls down and cries out in pain, how likely are you to help?” What is problematic about this question?

Its a loaded question

Select the double-barreled question from the following list.

Are you in favor of shorter class sessions and shorter semesters?

Which of the following questions would be problematic due to containing information that participants may not know?

Rate your average feelings of sympathy the past 10 times someone shared their bad news with you.

When gathering self-report data, why is it problematic to include a redirecting phrase, such as “If No, go to Question 6,” as an answer choice?

It contributes to a confusing survey format.

“When providing a polite response, how often do you say, Thank you?” What is problematic about this question?

It is a leading question.

A researcher administered a survey and is concerned that some participants may have hurried to answer the questions, answering them all negatively without taking the time to consider the appropriate response for each one. To deal with this concern when designing future surveys, the researcher should

add reverse-worded questions

Consider the following question: “If you witness classmates cheating on an assignment, would you report the behavior?” If a participant answers Yes to this question because it is considered morally wrong to cheat, instead of honestly considering whether she would report cheating, this indicates the potential of what type of response set?

Social desireability

When reviewing a participant’s responses, you are concerned that the participant may not have been reading the questions carefully because the participant answered all questions as True. This would be considered what type of response set.

Yea-saying

If an individual exaggerates their symptoms on a self-report measure to try to meet the criteria for a disorder that would provide access to medication, this type of response set is known as 

faking bad

A researcher included reverse-worded items in a self-report measure. How would she use reverse coding?

She would need to flip the coding scale so the same type of responses were coded the same way.

If a construct is expected to be stable over time, it is important to measure [blank] reliability to ensure participants’ consistency in responding. 

test-retest

Split-half reliability would be an important check for

long self-report measures

A researcher is planning to administer a short survey that deals with several aspects of self-esteem. Which form of reliability would be important to ensure that there is consistent responding to each aspect of the construct?

Internal

Reliability is

a measure of consistency

A strong correlation between a participant’s scores using the same measure at two points in time would indicate that the measure has 

high test-retest validity.

Which of the following describes self-observation?

Researchers ask participants to record their own actions as they occur in real time. 

A researcher asks participants to record in a journal how often they feel angry each day for a week. What is a possible problem with this method of data collection?

Participants might minimize their feelings of anger in order to report a smaller number for each day.

Why might a researcher use the participant-observation method to gather data?

To observe behavior that participants may not report accurately

A researcher asks participants to list how they felt when they boarded the airplane during each of the last five times they flew. This is an example of 

self-report

The polygraph is considered a(n)

physiological measure with low face validity.

A researcher is planning to obtain data from online polls through social media sites over the past 2 years and use that data to estimate participants’ attitudes. What type of data will the researcher be using?

Archival data

The biggest concern for the construct validity of archival data is

face validity

Physiological methods of data collection can be advantageous because they 

can provide direct measurements

Why might a researcher choose to use archival data?

Archival data typically have fewer issues with construct validity.