RM Ch 3: Defining and Measuring Variables

Roy developed a new measure of self-efficiency and he found that people who scored high on his measure also scored high on a standardized measure of self-efficiency. Ro has demonstrated __________. a. divergent validity b. concurrent validity c. predictive validity d. reliability

Concurrent validity

What kind of validity requires that a researcher create two different measures of the same variable? a. convergent b. predictive c. concurrent d. face

Convergent

Cues given to the participants about how they are expected to behave defined situation's __________. a. experimenter bias b. volunteer bias c. demand characteristics d. reactivity

Demand characteristics

Jenelle developed a new intelligence test for elementary school children. However, Jenelle fears that the scores from the test may actually be measuring the children's reading ability. To show that the test is really measuring intelligence and not reading ability, Jenelle must demonstrate __________ validity. a. divergent b. concurrent c. convergent d. face

Divergent

Which type of validity involves demonstrating that we are measuring one specific construct and not combining two different constructs in the same measurement process? a. convergent validity b. concurrent validity c. divergent validity d. face validity

Face validity

A research study reports that participants who scored high on a new test measuring relationship satisfaction had more physical contact with their romantic partners during the interview whereas participants who scored low on the test avoided physical contact is associated with higher relationship satisfaction, this study is a demonstration of _________ validity. a. predictive b. concurrent c. face d. convergent

Predictive

Participants who know that they are being observed may modify their behavior. This problem is known as __________. a. novelty b. reactivity c. experimenter bias d. volunterrism

Reactivity

Using an anonymous questionnaire to determine how many times students send or receive text messages during class is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. behavioral b. survey c. self-report d. physiological

Self-report

Why is the range effect known as a "ceiling effect" a problem for researchers? a. The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement. b. The scores are already so low that there is no chance of measuring decrease c. There is so much room for improvement that the measurements are almost certain to increase d. There is so much room for lower performance that the measurements are almost certain to decrease

The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement.

How will participants change their normal behavior if they respond to demand characteristics by adopting "the good subject role?" a. They will attempt to produce the data that that they think you want. b. They will attempt to make themselves appear better than they really are c. They will attempt to work against what they think is the research hypothesis. d. They will follow instructions without acting on their suspicions about the study.

They will attempt to produce the data that that they think you want.

If people score high on one measure and also score high on another measure, there is ______. a. a positive relationship between the two measures b. a negative relationship between the two measures c. no relationship between the two measures d. a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures

a positive relationship between the two measures

What term is used for an external factor that may influence or distort the measurements in a research study? a. aberration b. artifact c. demand characteristic d. bias factor

artifact

Isabella counts the number of times a third-grade student leaves his seat without permission during a 30-minute observation period. This is an example of using what modality of measurement.

behavioral

What term refers to a variable that cannot be observed or measured directly but is useful for describing and explaining behavior? a. operational variable b. construct c. theoretical variable d. hypothetical variable

construct

Which type of validity requires multiple research studies, usually conducted over a long period of time? a. face b. construct c. predictive d. concurrent

construct

Two observers record similar observations on a behavioral rating scale for a group of children they are watching. The researchers have established what kind of reliability? a. split-half reliability b. inter-rater reliability c. test-retest reliability d. internal reliability

inter-rater reliability

A measurement procedure is valid if it ________. a. produces measurements that are stable and consistent b. measures what you intend it to measure c. produces measurements that make sense d. produces measurements that are obvious

measures what you intend it to measure

Skylar separates the students in her class into high, medium, and low math skill groups. What scale of measurement is being used to create the groups? a. nominal b. ratio c. interval d. ordinal

ordinal

Using a PET scan to measure brain activity while participants solve mathematics problems is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. self-report b. physiological c. behavioral d. survey

physiological

The purpose of an operational definition is to ___________. a. describe the relationship between a construct and theory b. provide a method for analyzing data related to a hypothetical construct c. provide a definition and a method for measuring a hypothetical construct d. provide a method for integrating a construct into a theory

provide a definition and a method for measuring a hypothetical construct

After measuring a group of individuals, a researcher finds that Jonathan's score is three times greater than Marissa's score. These measurements must come from a(n) ________ scale. a. ratio b. ordinal c. interval d. nominal

ratio

Measurement that includes a large error component will have low _______. a. reliability b. concurrent validity c. face validity d. construct validity

reliability

Ryan develops a 20-question test to measure anxiety and administers it to a group of participants. To evaluate the reliability if the test, Ryan computes a score for the first 10 questions and a score for the last 10 questions for each participant and then computes a correlation between the two scores. What is the researcher measuring? a. internal reliability b. split-half reliability c. test-retest reliability d. inter-rater reliability

split-half reliability

A strategy for reducing experimenter bias is to ________. a. let whoever designed the experiment conduct it b. increase the sample size c. standardize the experiment d. ensure the experimenter understands the risk of bias

standardize the experiment

What is demonstrated by showing that the test scores measured today for a group of individuals are nearly identical to the scores obtained with the same measurement procedure last week? a. predictive reliability b. construct reliability c. inter-rater reliability d. test-retest reliability

test-retest validity