Research Methods Chapter 5

A correlation-based statistic called __________ is commonly used to determine internal reliability.

Cronbach's alpha

Hosea is studying the relationship between caffeine consumption and problem-solving ability. Which of the following is a categorical way to operationalize caffeine consumption?

Whether or not the participant drank a soda in the 24 hours prior to the study (YES/NO)

Chronbach's alpha

a correlation based statistic that measures a scale's internal reliability

strength

a description of an association indicating how closely the data points in a scatterplot cluster along a line of best fit drawn through them

known-groups paradigm

a method for establishing criterion validity, in which a researcher tests two or more groups, who are known to differ on the variable of interest, to ensure that they score differently on a measure of that variable

physiological measure

a method of measuring a variable by recording biological data

observational measure

a method of measuring a variable by recording observable behaviors or physical traces of behaviors

self report measure

a method of measuring a variable in which people answer questions about themselves in a questionnaire or interview

ordinal scale

a quantitative measurement scale whose levels represent a ranked order, in which it is unclear whether the distances between levels are equal

ratio scale

a quantitative scale of measurement in which the numerals have equal intervals and the value of zero truly means "nothing"

correlation coefficient r

a single number from -1 to 1, that indicates the strength and direction of an association

categorical variable

a variable whose levels are categories (ex: male/female) aka nominal variable

quantitative variable

a variable whose values can be recorded as meaningful numbers

discriminant validity

an empirical test of the extent to which a measure does not associate strongly with measures of other, theoretically different constructs. aka divergent validity

convergent validity

an empirical test of the extent to which a measure is associated with other measures of a theoretically similar construct

Josiane has found an online test that claims to measure IQ. It consists of choosing the correct definitions for a series of words. She is concerned that it doesn't include any tests of other things that she believes are theoretically important aspects of IQ, such as problem solving or visual-spatial ability. Which type of validity is she questioning?

content validity

internal reliability

in a measure that contains several items, the consistency in a pattern of answers, no matter how a question is phrased

n a study of aggression in children, a researcher has his undergraduate research assistants watch a group of children on the playground and record the number of instances of physical or verbal attacks. Which category of measured variable is this researcher using?

observational measures

validity

the appropriateness of a conclusion or decision

test-retest reliability

the consistency in results every time a measure is used

reliability

the consistency of the results of a measure

interrater reliability

the degree to which two or more coders or observers give consistent ratings of a set of targets

content validity

the extent to which a measure captures all parts of a defined construct

face validity

the extent to which a measure is subjectively considered a plausible operationalization of the conceptual variable in question

Professor Morgan questions whether the ratings he receives from his students on "teaching effectiveness" indicate how much the students learn in his class or whether they are just a reflection of how much his students like him. What aspect of the ratings is he questioning?

the measurement validity of the ratings

interval scale

the quantitative measurement scale that has no true zero and in which the numerals represent equal intervals between levels (ex: temperatures in degrees)

slope direction

the upward downward or neutral slept of the cluster of data points in a scatterplot

criterion validity

your measure is correlated w/ a relevant outcome