Research Methods in Psychology Evaluating a World of Information 3rd Edition by Beth Morling – Test Bank

Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Posted Below

 

CHAPTER 5: Identifying Good Measurement

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learning Objective 5.1: Recognize the difference between a conceptual variable and its

operationalization.

Learning Objective 5.2: List three ways psychologists typically operationalize variables: self-

report, observational, and physiological.

Learning Objective 5.3: Classify measurement scales as categorical or quantitative; further

classify quantitative variables as ratio, interval, and ordinal.

Learning Objective 5.4: Describe the difference between the validity and the reliability of a

measure.

Learning Objective 5.5: Identify three types of reliability (test-retest, interrater, and internal),

and explain when each type is relevant.

Learning Objective 5.6: Review scatterplots, focusing on how scatterplots show the direction

and strength of a relationship.

Learning Objective 5.7: Apply the correlation coefficient, r, as a way to describe the direction

and strength of a relationship. (In this chapter, r is relevant as a common statistic to describe

reliability and validity.)

Learning Objective 5.8: Identify face and content validity.

Learning Objective 5.9: Identify criterion, convergent, and discriminant validity.

Learning Objective 5.10: Describe how scatterplots, r, and known groups can be used to

evaluate predictive, concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following is true of operational definitions?

a. b. There is only one operational definition that is possible for each conceptual definition.

The specification of operational definitions is one of the creative aspects of the

research process.

c. d. Conceptual definitions are created after operational definitions are determined.

Operational definitions and conceptual definitions are the same thing.

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: More About

Conceptual and Operational Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.1 MSC:2. 3. 4. 5. Remembering

For her research methods class, Serena plans to interview several teachers about their

attitude toward teaching children who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This is an example of what type of measurement?

a. Self-report measurement

b. Observational measurement

c. Physiological measurement

d. Archival measurement

ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common

Types of Measures: Self-Report Measures OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC: Applying

For his research methods class, Felipe plans to watch how students treat other children in

their classrooms who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He will evaluate

how positively or negatively the children are treated by their classmates. This is an

example of what type of measurement?

a. Self-report measurement

b. Observational measurement

c. Physiological measurement

d. Archival measurement

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common

Types of Measures: Physiological Measures OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC: Applying

Which of the following is NOT an example of physiological measurement?

a. Measurements of hormones in the bloodstream

b. Blood pressure measurements

c. d. Number of panic attacks a patient reports

A brain scan made using an fMRI

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common

Types of Measures: Physiological Measures OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC: Applying

Hosea is studying the relationship between caffeine consumption and problem-solving

ability. Which of the following is a categorical way to operationalize caffeine consumption?

a. b. c. d. The number of cups of coffee consumed in a day

The number of milligrams of caffeine consumed during the study

The frequency of buying energy drinks

Whether the participant drank a soda in the 24 hours prior to the study6. 7. 8. ANS: D Applying

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Categorical vs. Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:

Hosea is studying the relationship between caffeine consumption and problem-solving

ability. Which of the following is a quantitative way to operationalize problem-solving

ability?

a. b. c. d. The time spent solving a math problem

The type of puzzle solved (Sudoku puzzle or a crossword puzzle)

Whether participants used insight or trial-and-error techniques to solve the problem

The report of a teacher about whether a student is a good or bad problem solver

ANS: A Applying

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Categorical vs. Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:

How many subcategories of quantitative variables exist?

a. Two

b. Three

c. Four

d. Five

ANS: B Remembering

DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Three Types of Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:

Naomi is studying the effect of popularity on academic success for her research methods

project. To do this, she has elementary school students rate how popular each member of

their class is. She then uses this information to rank the students on popularity (e.g., John

is the most popular, Vanessa is the second-most popular). Which of the following best

describes this variable?

a. An ordinal scale of measurement

b. A self-report measurement

c. A categorical measurement

d. An interval scale of measurement

ANS: A ApplyingDIF: Difficult REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Three Types of Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:9. 10. 11. Todd is studying the effect of popularity on academic success for his research methods

project. He decides to measure popularity by asking each elementary school student to tell

him how many friends he or she has. He assumes that more friends means the student is

more popular. Which of the following best describes this variable?

a. A ratio scale of measurement

b. A qualitative variable

c. An other-report measure

d. A categorical variable

ANS: A Applying

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Three Types of Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:

What is the difference between a ratio scale of measurement and an interval scale of

measurement?

a. b. c. d. A ratio scale of measurement has a zero value that actually means “nothing” or “the

absence of something,” but an interval scale does not.

An interval scale of measurement is a type of measurement used for categorical

measurements, but a ratio scale is used for quantitative measurements.

An interval scale has equal intervals, but a ratio scale does not.

A ratio scale of measurement cannot be used to compare people’s scores, but interval

scales can (e.g., Phillip is twice as fast).

ANS: A Analyzing

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of

Measurement: Three Types of Quantitative Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.3 MSC:

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Dr. Rodriquez is concerned whether her measure will really measure narcissism or if it

will measure some other related concept. She is concerned about the scale’s .

a. operational definition

b. validity

c. reliability12. 13. d. convenience

ANS: B Consistent? DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Before using the measure in her study, Dr. Rodriquez gives the measure to a group of

participants on the first day of the semester and again on the last day of the semester. She

then compares the scores between the two time points. This is a test of which of the

following?

a. Interrater reliability

b. Internal reliability

c. Test-retest reliability

d. Construct reliability

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Introducing Three Types of Reliability: Test-Retest Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.5 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Before using the measure in her study, Dr. Rodriquez gives the measure to a group of

participants on the first day of the semester and again on the last day of the semester. Dr.

Rodriquez is examining the scatterplot of the data she collected on the first day of the

semester and the last day of the semester. On the scatterplot, she sees that the dots are

very close to forming a diagonal line. This indicates which of the following?

a. A strong relationship

b. A nonrelationship14. 15. c. A valid finding

d. A negative finding

ANS: A Applying

DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using a Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.6 MSC:

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Before using the measure in her study, Dr. Rodriquez analyzes the data she gets from

her students. She looks at the relationship between each of the individual questions. She

sees that participants who agree with Question 1 also agree with Question 3 and disagree

with Question 2. This is a test of which of the following?

a. Interrater reliability

b. Internal reliability

c. Test-retest reliability

d. Construct reliability

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Introducing Three Types of Reliability: Internal Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.5 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Dr. Rodriquez calculates a correlation coefficient (r) to examine the relationship between

Question 1 and Question 2 and between Question 1 and Question 3. She finds a correlation

coefficient of r = −0.73 between Questions 1 and 2 and a correlation coefficient of r = 0.74

between Questions 1 and 3. Which of the following is true of her findings?

a. There appears to be good internal reliability in the scale.16. 17. b. The correlation between Questions 1 and 2 and Questions 1 and 3 are in the same

direction.

c. The correlation between Questions 1 and 2 is much weaker than between Questions 1

and 3.

d. The negative correlation between Questions 1 and 2 is bad for Dr. Rodriquez.

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using the Correlation Coefficient r to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.7 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Dr. Rodriquez is concerned about the validity of the measure of narcissism

recommended by her colleague. She sends a copy of the measure to the faculty members

in her psychology department to look at, and they all tell her it looks like it will measure

narcissism. She now has evidence of which of the following?

a. Content validity

b. Face validity

c. Discriminant validity

d. Concurrent validity

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a

Good Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.8MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.1: Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether

narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic.

One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which

are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1

reads, “I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself.” Question 2

reads, “I do not have a high opinion of myself.” Question 3 reads, “I think other people

think I am really special.”

Dr. Rodriquez decides to test the internal reliability of her measure. Which of the

following results would make her happy?18. 19. 20. 21. a.  = 0.10

b.  = −0.03

c.  = 0.95

d.  = −0.98

ANS: C Applying

DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Introducing Three Types of Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.5 MSC:

Which types of reliability can be analyzed with scatterplots?

a. All types of reliability

b. c. d. Internal reliability and test-retest reliability

Internal reliability and interrater reliability

Interrater reliability and test-retest reliability

ANS: D Analyzing

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using a Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.6 MSC:

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

a. Cronbach’s alpha

b. kappa

c. a scatterplot

d. Pearson’s r

ANS: A Remembering

DIF: Easy REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Introducing Three Types of Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.5 MSC:

Asking many similar questions when trying to measure a concept is done to:

a. ensure validity.

b. cancel out measurement error.

c. d. make sure participants are not lying.

allow participants to skip questions.

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Introducing Three Types of Reliability: Internal Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.5 MSC: Remembering

Which of the following is NOT possible?

a. A measure is neither reliable nor valid.22. 23. 24. 25. b. A measure is both valid and reliable.

c. A measure is reliable but not valid.

d. A measure is valid but not reliable.

ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It

Measure What It’s Supposed to Measure?: The Relationship Between Reliability and Validity

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Analyzing

Establishing construct validity is most important for which of the following?

a. A concrete construct

b. A behavior that is directly observable

c. Physical measurements (e.g., length)

d. An abstract concept

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It

Measure What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Measurement Validity of Abstract Concepts

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Remembering

Establishing construct validity would probably be most important for which of the

following?

a. A measure of heart rate

b. A measure of the number of times a person eats alone during a month

c. A measure of spirituality

d. A measure of income

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Measurement Validity of Abstract Concepts OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Applying

In which of the following ways are content and face validity similar?

a. Both involve subjective judgments.

b. c. d. Both involve asking participants for their opinions about the measurement.

Both are preferred by psychologists as ideal measures of validity.

Both are very difficult to establish.

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a

Good Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.8 MSC: Analyzing

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses26. 27. to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

If Dr. Sheffield’s measure does not actually measure pathological gambling, his measure

is said to lack which of the following?

a. Validity

b. Reliability

c. Conceptualization

d. Operationalization

ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

Dr. Sheffield gives his measure to his supervisor, who is also an expert in pathological

gambling. His supervisor says that his measure appears to test all the components of

pathological gambling, including feeling restless when attempting to stop gambling,

jeopardizing jobs in order to keep gambling, and using gambling to escape from problems

and a bad mood. Given this information, Dr. Sheffield’s measure has evidence of which of

the following?

a. Content validity

b. Predictive validity

c. Criterion validity

d. Discriminant validity

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a

Good Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.8MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of28. 29. pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

To test his measure, Dr. Sheffield gives his measure to a group of people in Gamblers

Anonymous (GA) and another group in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He finds that people in

the GA group have higher scores on his new measure than people in the AA group. Why did

Dr. Sheffield do this?

a. b. c. d. To obtain evidence for face validity

To obtain evidence for content validity

To obtain evidence for convergent validity

To obtain evidence for criterion validity

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

To test his measure, Dr. Sheffield gives his measure to a group of people in Gamblers

Anonymous (GA) and another group of people in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He finds that

people in the GA group have higher scores on his new measure than people in the AA

group. This procedure is known as a:

a. test-retest paradigm.

b. known-groups paradigm.

c. prediction paradigm.

d. group evaluation paradigm.

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to30. 31. complete.

To test his measure, Dr. Sheffield gives his measure to a group of his clients and at the

same time measures how many times they have been gambling in the past month. He

predicts that clients who score higher on his measure will also report gambling more times

in the past month. This procedure is meant to provide evidence for which of the following?

a. Face validity

b. Content validity

c. Criterion validity

d. Discriminant validity

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

Dr. Sheffield decides to test the criterion validity of his measure. Dr. Sheffield gives his

measure to a group of people that includes suspected problem gamblers and non-

gamblers. Which of the following options below could he also do to get evidence for

criterion validity?

a. Give the measure to a group of people attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings

b. Correlate the measure with a behavior, such as amount of money lost in a casino

during the past year

c. d. Ask the participants to give their opinion on whether the measure is valid

Give a measure of alcohol addiction to the same group of clients

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to32. complete.

Dr. Sheffield has now decided that he wants to test his measure on some university

students (who some estimates say have a 6% prevalence rate of compulsive gambling). He

has a group of 100 university students complete his measure. He also has them complete

two other measures (one that measures addictive behavior in general and one that

measures general attitudes toward gambling). He finds that his new measure is positively

associated with each of these other measures. This procedure has provided evidence for

the of Dr. Sheffield’s measure.

a. content validity

b. predictive validity

c. convergent validity

d. discriminant validity

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

Dr. Sheffield has decided to test the discriminant validity of his new measure. He has a

group of first-time Gamblers Anonymous (GA) attendants complete his measure and finds

that they score higher than a group of people who do not attend the group. Which of the

following results would provide evidence for discriminant validity?

a. He finds that the GA attendees score higher on his measure than the non-GA

attendees.

b. c. He finds that the measure of gambling is not correlated with a measure of life

satisfaction in the same two groups of people.

He finds that more recent GA joiners score higher than veteran GA attendees, who are

more recovered.

d. He finds that the measure he used is also associated with people’s past diagnoses of

pathological gambling.

ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying33. RESEARCH STUDY 5.2: Dr. Sheffield is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating

pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is defined as being unable to resist impulses

to gamble. Bothered by not having a good measure that he can give to clients to

determine whether they are suffering from this condition, he creates a new measure of

pathological gambling. The measure has 15 questions, and it takes 20 minutes to

complete.

Dr. Sheffield wants to establish the discriminant validity of his pathological gambling

measure. He gives his measure and three others to a group of 100 people. Which of the

following provides the best evidence for discriminant validity?

a. That his measure is not strongly correlated with a measure of impulsivity

b. That his measure is not strongly correlated with the number of friends people have

c. That his measure is strongly correlated with a measure of alcohol addiction

d. That his measure is strongly correlated with a measure of self-esteem

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

34. Another word for discriminant validity is validity.

a. convergent

b. asymmetrical

c. divergent

d. multiple

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Remembering

35. An educational psychologist is testing the discriminant validity of a new measure of

numerical learning difficulties. He gives his measure to a group of students along with

another measure of verbal learning difficulties, which he predicts should not be strongly

related to numerical learning difficulties. Which of the following correlations would the

psychologist hope to find in order to establish discriminant validity?

a. r = 1.0

b. r = −1.0

c. r = 0.83

d. r = −0.18

ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure36. 37. 38. 39. What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.10MSC: Applying

Why are convergent and discriminant validity often evaluated together?

a. b. Both terms mean the same thing.

Both involve collecting information from a lot of psychological measures of theoretical

interest.

c. d. Both require the use of scatterplots.

Both have to be determined by a panel of experts.

ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Analyzing

Your friend Dominic is complaining about having to take the Graduate Record Examination

(GRE), a test that is required to go to graduate school and is similar to the ACT and SAT. He

complains, “Tests like the GRE don’t really measure how well people actually do in

graduate school.” Dominic is questioning the of the test.

a. discriminant validity

b. content validity

c. convergent validity

d. criterion validity

ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Applying

According to its conceptual definition, a variable should be related to a particular behavior.

If a researcher is able to demonstrate that his measure of the variable is related to the

behavior, then he has established which of the following?

a. Discriminant validity

b. Content validity

c. Convergent validity

d. Criterion validity

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.9 MSC: Understanding

In interrogating the construct validity of a measure, which question should a researcher40. 41. 42. ask?

a. b. Is there enough evidence that this measure is valid?

Do I know that this measure is valid?

c. d. Does this measure have the right kind of validity?

Has an expert said that this measure is valid?

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does

It Measure What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Measurement Validity of Abstract Concepts

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Analyzing

What does it mean that “reliability is necessary but not sufficient for validity”?

a. b. c. d. If a measure is reliable, it is also valid.

If a measure is valid, it is also reliable.

Reliability and validity are unrelated concepts.

Reliability and validity are the same concept.

ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: The Relationship Between Reliability and Validity

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Analyzing

Two researchers tell you they study the same thing. However, when you look at their

research papers, they do not use similar methodologies or measurements. How is this

possible?

a. b. c. d. The researchers have the same conceptual definitions.

The researchers have the same operational definitions.

The researchers have the same conceptual definitions and operational definitions.

The researchers do not have the same conceptual definitions nor the same operational

definitions.

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: More About

Conceptual and Operational Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.1 MSC:

Understanding

What is the term for a researcher’s definition of the variable in question at a theoretical

level?

a. Measurement validity

b. Construct validity

c. Conceptual definition

d. Operational definition43. 44. 45. 46. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: More About

Conceptual and Operational Variables OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC:

Remembering

In looking at a scatterplot of interrater reliability, why would a researcher want to see all

the dots close to the line of agreement?

a. b. Because it indicates a positive relationship

Because it indicates that the researcher’s two research assistants/raters are making

similar measurements

c. Because it indicates that the researcher’s measurement is valid

d. Because it indicates that the researcher’s measurement will also have high test-retest

reliability

ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement:

Are the Scores Consistent?: Using a Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.6 MSC: Analyzing

A helpful tool for visualizing test-retest reliability and interrater reliability is a:

a. bar graph.

b. Cronbach’s alpha.

c. correlation coefficient.

d. scatterplot.

ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using a Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.6 MSC:

Remembering

A correlation coefficient and a scatterplot both provide which of the following pieces of

information?

a. b. c. d. The strength and direction of the relationship between two measurements

The path and significance of the relationship between two measurements

The validity and reliability of two measurements

The outliers present in the two measurements

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using a Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability | 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are

the Scores Consistent?: Using the Correlation Coefficient r to Quantify Reliability OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.6 | Learning Objective 5.7 MSC: Analyzing

When using correlation coefficients to evaluate reliability, which of the following is47. 48. 49. undesirable?

a. A correlation coefficient close to 1

b. A negative correlation coefficient

c. A strong correlation coefficient

d. It depends on the type of reliability being evaluated.

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores

Consistent?: Using the Correlation Coefficient r to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.7 MSC: Understanding

If a measurement looks like it is a plausible operationalization of a conceptual variable,

then it has:

a. interrater reliability.

b. subjectivity.

c. face validity.

d. credibility.

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a

Good Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.8 MSC: Remembering

Asking an expert or experts to evaluate a measure is used to establish validity.

a. content

b. criterion

c. divergent

d. face

ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a

Good Measure? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.8MSC: Remembering

In order to use the known groups paradigm to establish criterion validity, which of the

following is necessary?

a. b. c. d. At least three groups must be used.

After testing, the groups should have significantly different scores on the measure.

Prior to testing, similarity between the groups must be demonstrated.

The groups must be composed of experts in the field of psychology.

ANS: B DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors?50. OBJ: Learning Objective 5.10 MSC: Understanding

Your friend Alanna says that when examining validity, you always want to see positive

correlations. Why is she wrong?

a. b. c. d. Both the strength and the direction of a correlation matter when examining validity.

The strength of a correlation matters, but the direction of a correlation does not matter.

Negative correlations are desirable when examining validity.

Correlations are not used to examine validity.

ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure

What It’s Supposed to Measure?: Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity: Does the

Pattern Make Sense? OBJ: Learning Objective 5.10MSC: Analyzing

SHORT ANSWER

1. 2. Explain why the textbook argues, “In fact, operationalizations are one place where

creativity comes into the research process.”

ANS:

This statement stems from the fact that there is no one way to operationalize a concept in

psychology. The choice of how to operationalize an abstract concept allows the researchers

to think outside the box and think of ways to observe something that is not necessarily

easily observed.

In addition, students may also state that researchers strive to improve existing

operationalizations or create new ones even though an operationalization already exists,

thus adding to the continuing creativity of the research field. Students may also say that

this adds to the creativity of the research process because different researchers may

generate different operationalizations, ensuring that the field has great variety.

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common Types of Measures

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.1 MSC: Understanding

Imagine that you are trying to measure people’s stress. Provide an example of measuring

stress using a self-report measure, a physiological measure, and a behavioral measure.

ANS:

Answers may vary, but in each response, students must provide an actual measure of

measuring behavior and not simply provide a conceptual definition.

A self-report measure must involve asking a person how stressed they are in some way

(the person must report on themselves). A physiological measure must involve collecting3. some biological information (e.g., heart rate, cortisol levels). A behavioral measure must

involve collecting data that can be directly observed (e.g., number of times a person looks

at the clock during an exam, how long a student waits to speak to a professor).

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common Types of Measures

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC: Applying

Imagine that you are trying to measure people’s stress. Provide three quantitative

definitions of stress: one that is ordinal, one that is interval, and one that is ratio.

4. ANS:

Students should create definitions that are quantitative (numerical), not categorical. They

should make an ordinal definition that involves ranking people (e.g., the most stressed

people in the class). Their interval definition should be something that has a nonsignificant

0 (e.g., the rating of stress on a 1–10 scale). Their ratio definition should be something that

involves a meaningful 0 (e.g., number of stressful days experienced in the past week).

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of Measurement OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.3 MSC: Applying

Explain why many people feel that physiological measurements are the best way to

operationalize a variable but why they may not, in fact, be the best.

ANS:

Many people may feel that physiological measurements are best because they tend to be

very accurate and based on biological components. Although physiological measurements

are good and accurate, just like the other measures they must be validated with other

measures.

5. DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: More About Conceptual and

Operational Variables: Operationalizing Other Conceptual Variables OBJ: Learning

Objective 5.2 MSC: Understanding

RESEARCH STUDY 5.3: Lauren, Sarah, and Jennifer are students in Dr. Shaffer’s Research

Methods class. For a class assignment, they are asked to devise an operational definition

for romantic attachment, or love. Lauren decides to ask a group of married couples to

report if they are in love with their spouse (1 indicates “Yes, I am in love” and 2 indicates

“No, I am not in love”). Sarah decides to watch couples sitting on campus and measure

how close they sit together, assuming that people who sit closer together are more in love.

Jennifer decides to recruit a group of newlyweds and measure the change in heart rate that6. 7. occurs between the start of the study (when the person is alone) and the moment they see

their spouse walk into the room.

For each student described above, indicate whether the operational definition of her

variable is categorical or quantitative. If a student’s operational variable is categorical,

explain whether it could or could not be made quantitative and how you would do that.

ANS:

Lauren’s operational definition is categorical. To make this quantitative, Lauren could ask

participants to rate how in love they are rather than just saying they are in love or are not

in love. Sarah’s operational definition is quantitative. Jennifer’s operational definition is

quantitative.

DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of Measurement OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.3 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.3: Lauren, Sarah, and Jennifer are students in Dr. Shaffer’s Research

Methods class. For a class assignment, they are asked to devise an operational definition

for romantic attachment, or love. Lauren decides to ask a group of married couples to

report if they are in love with their spouse (1 indicates “Yes, I am in love” and 2 indicates

“No, I am not in love”). Sarah decides to watch couples sitting on campus and measure

how close they sit together, assuming that people who sit closer together are more in love.

Jennifer decides to recruit a group of newlyweds and measure the change in heart rate that

occurs between the start of the study (when the person is alone) and the moment they see

their spouse walk into the room.

For each student described above, indicate whether the operational definition of her

variable is self-reported, observational, or physiological.

ANS:

Lauren’s operational definition is self-reported. Sarah’s operational definition is

observational. Jennifer’s operational definition is physiological.

DIF: Easy REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Three Common Types of Measures

OBJ: Learning Objective 5.2 MSC: Applying

Dr. Sarolli is planning on measuring literacy (defined as the ability to read and write written

text in one’s native language). He decides he wants to create a quantitative operational

definition. Create an ordinal, interval, and ratio way to measure literacy.

ANS:

Students should create definitions that are quantitative (numerical), not categorical. They8. 9. 10. should make an ordinal definition that involves ranking people, so that people with the

highest literacy skills are rated highest and people with the lowest literacy skills are rated

lowest, for example. Their interval definition should be something that has a nonsignificant

0, such as a 10-point scale on which people’s levels of literacy are rated by themselves or

by another observer. Their ratio definition should be something that involves a meaningful

0, such as the number of words a person can read in a given amount of time.

DIF: Medium REF: 5.1 Ways to Measure Variables: Scales of Measurement OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.3 MSC: Applying

Explain the difference between validity and reliability. Explain whether they are related or

independent concepts.

ANS:

In each response, students should first explain the difference between validity and

reliability: Reliability is the consistency of a measure, or the ability of a researcher to trust

a measure. By contrast, the validity of a measure is belief that a measure is actually a

measure of what it is purported to measure.

Then, students should explain their relation/independence. They may say they are fairly

independent concepts, meaning that a measure can be reliable but not valid or neither

valid nor reliable. They may also say that reliability is necessary but not sufficient for

validity, or say that if a measure is valid, it is also reliable.

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure What It’s Supposed to

Measure?: The Relationship Between Reliability and Validity OBJ: Learning Objective 5.4

MSC: Analyzing

Name the three types of internal reliability and the four types of validity.

ANS:

The three types of reliability are (in no particular order): test-retest reliability, interrater

reliability, and internal reliability, and the four types of validity are (in no particular order):

external validity, statistical validity, internal validity, and construct validity.

DIF: Easy REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores Consistent? | 5.3

Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure What It’s Supposed to Measure? OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.4 MSC: Understanding

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”11. He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Name two types of reliability that apply to Dr. Li’s measure and how each one could be

established, given the above scenario.

ANS:

The two types of reliability that apply to Dr. Li’s measure are test-retest reliability and

internal reliability. Interrater reliability is not one of the types of reliability, as it is unlikely

that it is necessary given this measurement. The first reliability is test-retest reliability and

is established by giving the measure to a group of people at one time and then again after

some time has elapsed. The second type of reliability is internal reliability and is

established by looking at the relationship between each of the 10 items. In their responses,

students may also simply say that it can be established by calculating Cronbach’s alpha.

They may not simply say that it can be calculated with a scatterplot or a correlation

coefficient because those can be used for all types of reliability.

DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores Consistent?:

Introducing Three Types of Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.5 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”

He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Dr. Li gives his new measure to a group of 100 adults in order to test the internal validity of

his measure. Draw two scatterplots: one that demonstrates the likely relationship between

Statements 1 and 2 and one that demonstrates the likely relationship between Statements

1 and 3. Explain why you have drawn each scatterplot as you have.12. 13. ANS:

The first scatterplot (S1 and S2) should depict a positive slope/relationship, and the second

scatterplot (S1 and S3) should depict a negative slope/relationship. The scatterplots may

depict moderate or strong relationships but not weak relationships or nonrelationships. A

person who says “yes” to S1 will probably say “yes” to S2 (positive relationship), and a

person who says “yes” to S1 will probably say “no” to S3 (negative relationship).

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores Consistent?: Using a

Scatterplot to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.6 | Learning Objective 5.10

MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”

He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Dr. Li gives his new measure to a group of 100 adults in order to test the internal validity of

his measure. What type of correlation coefficients (r) would Dr. Li expect to find between

Statements 1 and 2 and between Statements 1 and 3? What would these correlation

coefficients tell Dr. Li about the internal reliability of his measure?

ANS:

The first correlation coefficient (S1 and S2) should be a positive r. The second correlation

coefficient (S1 and S3) should be a negative r. Students may describe moderate or strong

relationships (r values of at least 0.5 or higher) but not weak relationships or

nonrelationships. A person who says “yes” to S1 will probably say “yes” to S2 (positive

relationship), and a person who says “yes” to S1 will probably say “no” to S3 (negative

relationship).

DIF: Medium REF: 5.2 Reliability of Measurement: Are the Scores Consistent?: Using

the Correlation Coefficient r to Quantify Reliability OBJ: Learning Objective 5.7 |

Learning Objective 5.10 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”14. He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Provide a suggestion for how Dr. Li could establish the face validity of his measure and a

suggestion for how he could establish the content validity of his measure.

ANS:

The face validity could be established by giving his measure to experts (students can state

several examples of experts) and having them look at whether the items make sense (look

like they measure religiosity). The content validity could be established by giving his

measure to experts (again, students can state several examples of experts) and have them

look at whether the statements measure the components of religiosity (which, from the

definition, may include devotion and piety, although the students’ responses to this

question do not have to be this specific).

DIF: Easy REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure What It’s Supposed to

Measure?: Face Validity and Content Validity: Does It Look Like a Good Measure? OBJ:

Learning Objective 5.8 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”

He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Provide a suggestion for how Dr. Li could establish the criterion validity of his measure.

ANS:

Criterion validity could be established by asking people to take his measure and collecting

data at the same time about something that would be related to religiosity (examples

could include frequency of church attendance, amount donated to religious causes, self-15. reports of whether they believe in a higher power, etc.). The criterion validity could also be

established using the known-groups paradigm, which would involve giving the measure to

a group of people known to be religious (perhaps church attendees) and those known not

to be religious (maybe a group of known atheists) and determining whether the two groups

score differently. Students may also state that criterion validity could be established by

asking people to take his measure now and collecting data after some time has elapsed.

The data collected in the future can be the same type of data collected concurrently.

DIF: Medium REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure What It’s Supposed to

Measure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors? OBJ: Learning Objective

5.9 MSC: Applying

RESEARCH STUDY 5.4: Dr. Li is interested in creating a measurement of religiosity.

According to the dictionary, religiosity is “the quality of being religious; piety; devoutness.”

He creates a measure comprising 10 statements. People respond to each statement using

the following scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 5 = strongly

agree). Some of the statements are below.

Statement 1: “I believe in a religion.”

Statement 2: “Part of who I am stems from my religious beliefs.”

Statement 3: “I believe that religion is unnecessary.”

Given the situation above, explain the difference between criterion validity, convergent

validity, and discriminant validity. Why is each one important?

ANS:

Criterion validity is a measure’s ability to forecast an outcome that is related to the

measure. For example, if the measure has criterion validity, it would be correlated with

future behaviors (church attendance, amount donated to the church in the next month).

Convergent validity is whether a measure is related to similar measures, such as

spirituality. Discriminant validity is whether a measure is unrelated to concepts it should be

unrelated to, such as health. All three types are important. Criterion validity is important

because it indicates the measure’s ability to predict things that Dr. Li cares about.

Convergent validity is important because Dr. Li needs to make sure that his measure is

related to similar concepts. Divergent validity is important because Dr. Li wants to make

sure that the measure is related not to everything but only to those things that make

sense.

DIF: Difficult REF: 5.3 Validity of Measurement: Does It Measure What It’s Supposed toMeasure?: Criterion Validity: Does It Correlate with Key Behaviors? OBJ: Learning Objecti