Single Subject Research Applications in Educational and Clinical Settings, 2nd Edition by Richards – Test Bank

Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Posted Below

 

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. 2. The observation that acts as a bridge between what we can measure and what we

cannot(constructs) is known as a(n)?

a. indicator

b. concept

c. direct observable

d. indirect observable

e. dependent variable

ANS: A PG: 133 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Which of the following sequences illustrates the progression of measurement steps in a

fully structured scientific study?

a. Conceptualization, nominal definition, operational definition, and measurements in

the real world

b. Nominal definition, conceptualization, operational definition, and measurements in

the real world

c. Operational definition, conceptualization, nominal definition, and measurements in

the real world

d. Nominal definition, operationalization, conceptualization, and real-world

measurements

e. Conceptualization, operationalization, nominal definition, and real-world

measurements

ANS: A PG: 138 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: PickupConceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

5. 3. Professor Smith gave an exam on Monday. On Wednesday Smith gave the same class the

same exam. Professor Smith was clearly interested in assessing the exam’s:

a. reliability

b. validity

c. face validity

d. conceptualization

e. precision

ANS: A PG: 152-154 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

4. Reliability involves:

a. whether a particular technique applied repeatedly to the same object would yield the

same results each time

b. ensuring accuracy

c. ensuring that your measure measures what you think it should measure

d. ensuring precision

e. ensuring both accuracy and precision

ANS: A PG: 152 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Modified

6. 7. The specification of concepts in scientific inquiry depends on:

a. nominal, operational, and real definitions

b. real definitions

c. nominal and operational definitions

d. nominal and real definitions

e. operational and real definitions

ANS: C PG: 136-137 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

Professor Spence decided to define socioeconomic status as a combination of income and

education. Spence then determined the questions to be asked in a survey and the categories

of responses. Spence was assigning socioeconomic status:

a. a nominal definition only

b. an operational and a real definition

c. a real definition only

d. a nominal and a real definition

e. a nominal and an operational definition

ANS: E PG: 136-137 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

Techniques used to create reliable measures include:

a. b. c. d. e. asking only about things respondents are likely to know the answer to

using measures that have proved their reliability in previous research

being clear about what you’re asking

asking about things relevant to respondents

all of these choices are used to create reliable measures

ANS: E PG: 152-154 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: PickupChapter 5

8. Conceptions are:

a. empirical measurements

b. variables

c. mental images

d. hypotheses

e. definitions

ANS: C PG: 130 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

9. Most social scientists would not accept the conceptualization of prejudice as foot size

because such a measurement lacks:

a. precision

b. reliability

c. accuracy

d. validity

e. all of these choices

ANS: D PG: 154-156 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

10. Hudson et al. developed a series of questions to examine sexual attitudes (SAS). The SAS

scores of religious fundamentalists, a group believed to be conservative regarding sexual

expression, were compared with the scores of social work graduate students, a group

believed to be liberal regarding sexual expression. The researchers were examining the

instrument’s:

a. split-half reliability

b. split-half validity

c. criterion validity

d. criterion reliability

e. construct validity

ANS: C PG: 155 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

11.Dr. Ross is looking to examine if the indicators that make up her measurement of romantic

attraction are truly related to one another and make for an accurate representation of the

variable she is researching. What sort of validity is she examining?

a. split-half validity

b. face validity

c. criterion-related validity

d. content validity

e. construct validity

ANS: E PG: 156 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: New

12. A measurement of personality that produces observable, correct results, but that are not

consistent would be considered

a. valid and reliable

b. valid, but not reliable

c. not valid, but reliable

d. neither valid nor reliableConceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

e. partially valid, fully reliable

ANS: B PG: 157-158 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: New

13. Professor Myth asked respondents whether or not they had ever been divorced. One year

later Professor Myth asked the same respondents the same question. Myth found that with

repeated applications of the measure different responses were obtained for the same

respondent. This means that the measuring instrument was:

a. unreliable

b. invalid

c. unreliable or the value on the variable had changed

d. lacking face validity

e. inaccurate

ANS: C PG: 152 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

14. A complete conceptualization involves:

a. specifying dimensions only

b. specifying indicators only

c. specifying dimensions and identifying the various indicators of each dimension

d. specifying indicators and identifying the various dimensions of each indicator

e. specifying variables and their attributes

ANS: C PG: 133-140 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

15. Because low marital satisfaction should lead to divorce, Professor Rogers checked his

measure of marital satisfaction by examining whether couples with low marital satisfaction

scores later obtained divorces and those with high levels of marital satisfaction remained

married. This illustrates the use of:

a. criterion-related validity

b. face validity

c. content validity

d. construct validity

e. test-retest validity

ANS: A PG: 155-156 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: PickupChapter 5

16. A nominal definition:

a. b. c. d. is a statement of the essential nature of some entity

is a statement detailing what will be involved in measuring some entity

is a statement that allows us to observe some entity

is a statement that assigns a definition to a concept

e. none of these choices

ANS: D PG: 136 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

17. 18. 19. 20. A survey question asking voters which political party they are affiliated with (Democrat,

Republican, Independent) would be considered:

a. mutually exclusive

b. exhaustive

c. interchangeable

d. ratio scale

e. ordinal scale

ANS: A PG: 144 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: New

Which of the following is a nominal variable?

a. education

b. age

c. employment status

d. occupational prestige

e. need to know the attributes to determine the level of measurement

ANS: E PG: 144 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

A measure of religiosity that is extremely consistent, but is actually targeting the

respondent’s political affiliation could be considered:

a. partially reliable, completely valid

b. valid and reliable

c. not valid, but reliable

d. neither valid nor reliable

e. valid, but not reliable

ANS: C PG: 157 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

Measuring how people feel about proposed income tax hikes when you really want to

know how well informed they are on the proposal is a problem of operationalization

concerning:

a. b. c. d. e. the use of single or multiple indicators

how observations are going to be made

the specific dimensions of the variable to be studied

the relevant range of variations

the degree of precision needed between extremes

ANS: C PG: 142-144 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: PickupConceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Professor Miller argues that there are three dimensions to the quality of a relationship

(belonging/affirmation, interdependence, and intimacy). Miller designed an instrument

to measure quality of a relationship. She notices that no items in the instrument tap the

intimacy dimension. Her measure lacks:

a. reliability

b. content validity

c. predictive validity

d. construct validity

e. internal consistency

ANS: B PG: 156 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

Professor Tyler wrote a proposal to study the impact of authoritarianism on child rearing

practices. She began her research by reviewing the meaning of authoritarianism. Based

on this review, she formulated her own definition of authoritarianism. This process

illustrates:

a. operationalization

b. the interchangeability of indicators

c. conceptualization

d. validity assessment

e. reliability assessment

ANS: C PG: 133 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

Shipley developed a NEW test to measure IQ. Using his test, someone with an IQ of 180

would be considered twice as intelligent as someone with an IQ of 90 and someone with

an IQ of 90 was three times as intelligent as someone with an IQ of 30. Shipley’s test

treats IQ as a(n):

a. nominal variable

b. interval variable

c. ratio variable

d. ordinal variable

e. none of these choices

ANS: C PG: 145-146 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Dr. Jones is developing a research study in which he plans to use the length of a

participant’s ring finger to determine mathematical prowess. At the most basic level, his

indicator fails which test for validity?

a. face validity

b. content validity

c. predictive validity

d. criterion-related validity

e. construct validity

ANS: A PG: 155 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: New

Classifying someone as employed or not employed treats employment as:

a. a ratio variable

b. an interval variable26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Chapter 5

c. an ordinal variable

d. a nominal variable

e. a dependent variable

ANS: D PG: 144 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

Professor Tilton measured the variable “feelings toward drafting women” with the

categories strongly agree, agree, indifferent, disagree, and strongly disagree. Professor

Tilton was using the level of measurement.

a. nominal

b. interval

c. ratio

d. ordinal

e. not enough information to decide

ANS: D PG: 144-145 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

The variable educational level was measured as last year in school completed (i.e., none,

1st, 2nd, 3rd, grades, etc.). It is, therefore, measured at the level.

a. nominal

b. interval

c. ratio

d. ordinal

e. not enough information to decide

ANS: C PG: 145-146 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: Pickup

What is the lowest level of measurement in which there is an exact difference between

attribute values?

a. Nominal

b. Interval

c. Ratio

d. Ordinal

e. All of these choices

ANS: B PG: 145 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

When we fall into the trap of believing that terms have real meanings we are guilty of:

a. reification

b. measurements that lack reliability

c. measurements that lack validity

d. confusing reliability with validity

e. confusing validity with reliability

ANS: A PG: 133 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

Professor Salton created the categories of less than 20 hours, 20 hours to 40 hours, 40

hours to 60 hours, and 60 hours or more for the variable “number of hours employed

outside the home.” Salton’s scheme is:

a. a nominal variableConceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

31. 32. 33. 34. 35. b. mutually exclusive

c. exhaustive

d. an ordinal variable

e. mutually exclusive and exhaustive

ANS: C PG: 144 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Verifying the validity of a measurement using an outside source of information, such as

SAT scores or GPA when examining a measure of academic performance is using:

a. face validity

b. construct validity

c. criterion-related validity

d. content validity

e. correlational validity

ANS: C PG: 155 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: New

Which of the following is NOT a means of assessing the reliability of measuring

devices?

a. test-retest

b. split-half

c. construct-correlation

d. using established measures

e. using reliable research workers

ANS: C PG: 152-154 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

Jeremy can’t decide whether he should ask people whether they “very strongly agree,”

“agree,” “disagree, “very strongly disagree” or whether they simply “agree” or

“disagree” with statements about the war in Iraq. Jeremy is dealing with the problem of:

a. whether to use single or multiple indicators of a concept

b. the range of variation

c. whether to use a ratio or ordinal measurement

d. whether to use a ratio or interval measurement

e. whether to use single or multiple dimensions

ANS: B PG: 142 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

A researcher entering gender data collected from a mailed survey is working with

a. constructs

b. direct observables

c. indirect observables

d. reification

e. a conceptualization

ANS: C PG: 132 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Sarah has compiled a list of 40 indicators of prejudice and its dimensions. She finds that

women are more prejudiced than men on some of the indicators but not on others. Sarah

should:

a. check to see if the two sent of indicators represent different dimensions of prejudiceChapter 5

b. c. d. conclude the women are more prejudiced than men

throw out the 40 indicators and start over

conclude that there was an error in her analysis

e. get a new sample

ANS: A PG: 133-136 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

TRUE-FALSE QUESTIONS

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. If a measure is reliable, it must also be valid.

ANS: F PG: 157-158 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Conceptualization is the development of research procedures that will result in empirical

observations representing those concepts in the real world.

ANS: F PG: 133 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

Validity refers to the link between the operational and conceptual definitions.

ANS: T PG: 154-155 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

Precision and accuracy are synonyms.

ANS: F PG: 151 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

Even if a pre-existing measure of a construct of interest exists, it is a better idea to create

your own so you understand it better.

ANS: F PG: 154 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

A split-half reliability test taps the idea of the general stability of the instrument over

time.

ANS: F PG: 154 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Predictive validity is often used as another term for criterion-related validity.

ANS: T PG: 155-156 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

It is impossible to have several indicators of only one concept.

ANS: F PG: 133-137 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Changing definitions almost inevitably results in different descriptive conclusions.

ANS: T PG: 141 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Precise measurement is more important than accurate measurement.

ANS: F PG: 151-152 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Number of arrests would be an example of a interval measurement

ANS: F PG: 145-146 TYPE: Applied SOURCE: NewConceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. A nominal measure can have only two categories.

ANS: F PG: 144 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

Definitions are more problematic for descriptive research than for explanatory research.

ANS: T PG: 140 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: Pickup

The split-half technique for assessing reliability is closely linked to concept of the

interchangeability of indicators

ANS: T PG: 154 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

If unsure as a researcher how specific a measurement needs to be, it is best to be more

general to simplify data collection.

ANS: F PG: 142 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: New

Numbers assigned to ranks on an ordinal scale can legitimately be added, multiplied,

subtracted, and divided.

ANS: F PG: 145 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: Pickup

One only need a nominal definition of a concept before beginning the process of data

collection

ANS: F PG: 138 TYPE: Factual SOURCE: New

The test retest method assumes that the phenomena under study does not change.

ANS: T PG: 153 TYPE: Conceptual SOURCE: PickupChapter 5

SHORT ANSWERS/ESSAYS

1. Please conceptualize child abuse (or another abstract concept of your choice). What

indicators would you use to measure the concept? Are there dimensions to the concept?

Answers will vary. One possible answer is that child abuse refers to the mistreatment of a minor

by his/her parent or guardian. Dimensions of child abuse might include physical abuse,

emotional abuse, and psychological abuse. Indicators might include: 1) Have you ever been

slapped by a parent? (Yes, No), 2) Have you ever been beaten by a parent with a whip or belt?

(Yes, No), 3) Have you ever been told that you were stupid by your mother/father? (Yes, No),

and so on.

PG: Entire chapter SOURCE: Pickup

2. As an extension of the previous question, then ask the students to evaluate their

measurement in terms of validity. What do they think might be some potential

shortcomings, or how does their measurement meet the requirements for validity?

Answers will vary, but should focus on issues of face validity (which hopefully their answers

will have!), construct validity, content validity, as well as possible items of use to establish

criterion-related validity.

PG: 154-156 SOURCE: New

3. How would you measure family size at the nominal, ordinal, and ratio levels?

Ratio level: How many people (excluding yourself) are in your immediate (nuclear,

family of orientation)? (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, …….)

Ordinal level: Use the same question with attributes of (less than 3) (3 – 6) (more than 6)

or small, medium, and large.

Nominal level: Are there other people (besides you) in your immediate family? (Yes, No)

or Do you have any brothers? (Yes, No)

NOTE: Students sometimes claim the ordinal classification of (0-3) (3-5) (6 or more) is ratio

because they “see” the 0 in the first category (0-3).

PG: 144-146 SOURCE: Pickup