Question 1

Explain the steps in index construction. How does a researcher validate the index once it's constructed?

Accepted Answer

Index construction involves several steps. First, the researcher must determine the scope and purpose of the index, as well as the specific variables or factors that will be included. Then, data collection and organization are necessary to gather the relevant information for each variable. This may involve using surveys, databases, or other sources of information.

Once the data is collected, the researcher must decide on the weighting and aggregation method for the index. This involves determining how much each variable will contribute to the overall index and how the individual variables will be combined to create a single score.

After the index is constructed, the researcher must validate it to ensure its reliability and validity. This can be done through several methods, including statistical analysis, expert review, and comparison with other similar indices. Statistical analysis can involve testing the internal consistency and reliability of the index, while expert review can provide feedback on the relevance and accuracy of the variables included. Comparing the index with other established indices can also help validate its construct validity.

Overall, the validation process is crucial to ensure that the index accurately measures the concept it is intended to represent and that it can be used effectively for research or decision-making purposes.

Question 2

Both scales and indexes are interval measures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

Professor Swanson developed an index of marital happiness. Several items in Swanson's questionnaire were not a part of the index (i.e., "How many serious quarrels or arguments have you had with your spouse in the past year?"). Swanson compared the index scores of marital happiness with these questions. Swanson was doing:

Accepted Answer

A) index construction. 
B) item analysis. 
C) external validation. 
D) analysis invalidation. 
E) Likert scaling. 
A) index construction. 
B) item analysis. 
C) external validation. 
D) analysis invalidation. 
E) Likert scaling. C

Question 4

A classification system derived from the observation of specific variables is known as a(n):

Accepted Answer

A) external validation. 
B) Thurstone scale. 
C) Likert scale. 
D) typology. 
E) index. 
A) external validation. 
B) Thurstone scale. 
C) Likert scale. 
D) typology. 
E) index.

Question 5

Compare and contrast how scales and indexes are used in social research. How do researchers decide which to use?

Accepted Answer

Scales and indexes are both used in soci

Question 6

Scales are sample dependent, indexes are not.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Robert notices that several respondents did not answer the question of whether they took out loans to fund their education. However, later in his survey, Robert finds that respondents told him about the source(s)and the amount(s)of their college loans. In handling the missing data on the question of whether or not they had a college loan, Robert's best approach is to:

Accepted Answer

A) randomly assign values to the missing data. 
B) delete the cases with missing data from the analysis. 
C) assign the middle value to the cases with the missing data. 
D) use the information about amount and source of loans to assign values. 
E) ask the respondents to complete the survey a second time to get accurate responses. 
A) randomly assign values to the missing data. 
B) delete the cases with missing data from the analysis. 
C) assign the middle value to the cases with the missing data. 
D) use the information about amount and source of loans to assign values. 
E) ask the respondents to complete the survey a second time to get accurate responses.

Question 8

Why might you choose a scale over an index?

Accepted Answer

A) You are using nominal variables. 
B) You are using ordinal variables. 
C) You find an intensity structure in your data. 
D) You are using more than one variable. 
E) You find you have missing data points. 
A) You are using nominal variables. 
B) You are using ordinal variables. 
C) You find an intensity structure in your data. 
D) You are using more than one variable. 
E) You find you have missing data points.

Question 9

Typologies can only be constructed on the basis of a single variable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an important consideration to take into account when building an index?

Accepted Answer

A) Face validity 
B) Balance between general and specific 
C) Perfectly correlated components 
D) Unidimensionality 
E) Variance 
A) Face validity 
B) Balance between general and specific 
C) Perfectly correlated components 
D) Unidimensionality 
E) Variance

Question 11

Given the following patterns for a Guttman scale on life satisfaction, the coefficient of reproducibility (is): ​ ​

Accepted Answer

A) 1.00 
B) .95 
C) .90 
D) .85 
E) cannot be computed from the information given 
A) 1.00 
B) .95 
C) .90 
D) .85 
E) cannot be computed from the information given

Question 12

Maria is constructing an index from a range of four responses to a question about job satisfaction. She asks your advice about how to weight the responses toward a score on job satisfaction. Which of the following would be the best advice?

Accepted Answer

A) Maria should weight the answers with the most responses the most heavily. 
B) Maria should weight the extreme cases higher than those in the middle. 
C) Maria should weight the cases in the middle higher than those on the extremes. 
D) Maria should weight each answer equally unless there's a compelling reason not to. 
E) There is no general rule of thumb to give Maria. 
A) Maria should weight the answers with the most responses the most heavily. 
B) Maria should weight the extreme cases higher than those in the middle. 
C) Maria should weight the cases in the middle higher than those on the extremes. 
D) Maria should weight each answer equally unless there's a compelling reason not to. 
E) There is no general rule of thumb to give Maria.

Question 13

Which of the following do indexes and scales NOT have in common?

Accepted Answer

A) They are ordinal measures of variables. 
B) They are based on patterns of responses. 
C) They rank-order the units of analysis. 
D) They are composite measures. 
E) They are based on measurement of more than one variable. 
A) They are ordinal measures of variables. 
B) They are based on patterns of responses. 
C) They rank-order the units of analysis. 
D) They are composite measures. 
E) They are based on measurement of more than one variable.

Question 14

Jeremy includes items that measure sexism in his index of gender roles. He does this because he believes the two variables are empirically related. As a methodology student, you should tell Jeremy that:

Accepted Answer

A) it's a great idea, and he should do it. 
B) if he includes both the variables in his index he is violating concerns about the general or specific dimensions of an index. 
C) if he includes both the variables in his index he needs to examine the bivariate correlations between them to be sure they are empirically correlated. 
D) if he includes both the variables in his index he is violating the criteria specifying the need for unidimensionality in index construction. 
E) it's a great idea as long as the bivariate correlations among the variables exceed 0.9. 
A) it's a great idea, and he should do it. 
B) if he includes both the variables in his index he is violating concerns about the general or specific dimensions of an index. 
C) if he includes both the variables in his index he needs to examine the bivariate correlations between them to be sure they are empirically correlated. 
D) if he includes both the variables in his index he is violating the criteria specifying the need for unidimensionality in index construction. 
E) it's a great idea as long as the bivariate correlations among the variables exceed 0.9.

Question 15

Using Likert-type scale items, Professor Wong developed an index to assess job morale. Wong administered the index to 2,000 workers and found that 1 to 4 responses were missing on each of the items. Which of the following should Wong NOT do to correct this situation?

Accepted Answer

A) Exclude the cases that contained the missing data from the analysis. 
B) Assign the middle value to cases with missing data. 
C) Analyze the cases that had missing data to interpret their meaning. 
D) Assign values at random. 
E) Readminister the study. 
A) Exclude the cases that contained the missing data from the analysis. 
B) Assign the middle value to cases with missing data. 
C) Analyze the cases that had missing data to interpret their meaning. 
D) Assign values at random. 
E) Readminister the study.

Question 16

A Thurstone scale was constructed to measure creativity. The scale scores ranged from 1 to 13. If the scale was properly constructed we could conclude that:

Accepted Answer

A) a person with a score of 6 was three times as creative as a person with a score of 2. 
B) a person with a score of 6 was more creative than a person with a score of 5. 
C) a person with a score of 5 was half as creative as someone with a score of 10. 
D) you cannot make any conclusions with a Thurstone scale. 
E) a person with a score of 6 was half as creative as someone with a score of 10. 
A) a person with a score of 6 was three times as creative as a person with a score of 2. 
B) a person with a score of 6 was more creative than a person with a score of 5. 
C) a person with a score of 5 was half as creative as someone with a score of 10. 
D) you cannot make any conclusions with a Thurstone scale. 
E) a person with a score of 6 was half as creative as someone with a score of 10.

Question 17

Describe at least three different scales that are used in social research. How are they similar and different?

Accepted Answer

There are several different scales that

Question 18

The coefficient of reproducibility refers to the ability of a Guttman scale to reproduce the pattern of individual responses.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Item analysis allows you to examine the extent to which the composite index is related to other items in the questionnaire that are not part of the index.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Tammy is creating a composite measure to examine life satisfaction and she is trying to decide whether to include the categories of very very dissatisfied and very very satisfied or to simply leave the extreme categories as very dissatisfied and very satisfied. She turns to you for help. Which of the following statements would not help her because it is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A) This is a variance issue. 
B) Typically, as the possible extremes of an index are extended, fewer cases are to be found in each extreme. 
C) The range of measurement in an index is an advantage of an index and therefore she should include the most extreme categories to take advantage of the full range. 
D) She needs to think about both the range of her index and whether there will be an adequate number of cases at each point in the index. 
E) She needs to consider whether it adds important information to her study to know about the most extreme categories. 
A) This is a variance issue. 
B) Typically, as the possible extremes of an index are extended, fewer cases are to be found in each extreme. 
C) The range of measurement in an index is an advantage of an index and therefore she should include the most extreme categories to take advantage of the full range. 
D) She needs to think about both the range of her index and whether there will be an adequate number of cases at each point in the index. 
E) She needs to consider whether it adds important information to her study to know about the most extreme categories.

Explain the steps in index construction. How does a researcher validate the index once it's constructed?

Both scales and indexes are interval measures.

A classification system derived from the observation of specific variables is known as a(n):

Compare and contrast how scales and indexes are used in social research. How do researchers decide which to use?

Scales are sample dependent, indexes are not.

Why might you choose a scale over an index?

Typologies can only be constructed on the basis of a single variable.

Which of the following is NOT an important consideration to take into account when building an index?

Given the following patterns for a Guttman scale on life satisfaction, the coefficient of reproducibility (is):

Maria is constructing an index from a range of four responses to a question about job satisfaction. She asks your advice about how to weight the responses toward a score on job satisfaction. Which of the following would be the best advice?

Which of the following do indexes and scales NOT have in common?

Jeremy includes items that measure sexism in his index of gender roles. He does this because he believes the two variables are empirically related. As a methodology student, you should tell Jeremy that:

Using Likert-type scale items, Professor Wong developed an index to assess job morale. Wong administered the index to 2,000 workers and found that 1 to 4 responses were missing on each of the items. Which of the following should Wong NOT do to correct this situation?

A Thurstone scale was constructed to measure creativity. The scale scores ranged from 1 to 13. If the scale was properly constructed we could conclude that:

Describe at least three different scales that are used in social research. How are they similar and different?

The coefficient of reproducibility refers to the ability of a Guttman scale to reproduce the pattern of individual responses.

Item analysis allows you to examine the extent to which the composite index is related to other items in the questionnaire that are not part of the index.

Human Inquiry and Science

Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research

The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

Research Design

Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

The Logic of Sampling

Experiments

Survey Research

Qualitative Field Research

Unobtrusive Research

Evaluation Research

Qualitative Data Analysis

Quantitative Data Analysis

The Logic of Multivariate Analysis

Statistical Analyses

Reading and Writing Social Research

Filters

Exam 6: Indexes, Scales, and Typologies

Explain the steps in index construction. How does a researcher validate the index once it's constructed?

Both scales and indexes are interval measures.

A classification system derived from the observation of specific variables is known as a(n):

Compare and contrast how scales and indexes are used in social research. How do researchers decide which to use?

Scales are sample dependent, indexes are not.

Why might you choose a scale over an index?

Typologies can only be constructed on the basis of a single variable.

Which of the following is NOT an important consideration to take into account when building an index?

Given the following patterns for a Guttman scale on life satisfaction, the coefficient of reproducibility (is): ​ ​

Maria is constructing an index from a range of four responses to a question about job satisfaction. She asks your advice about how to weight the responses toward a score on job satisfaction. Which of the following would be the best advice?

Which of the following do indexes and scales NOT have in common?

Jeremy includes items that measure sexism in his index of gender roles. He does this because he believes the two variables are empirically related. As a methodology student, you should tell Jeremy that:

Using Likert-type scale items, Professor Wong developed an index to assess job morale. Wong administered the index to 2,000 workers and found that 1 to 4 responses were missing on each of the items. Which of the following should Wong NOT do to correct this situation?

A Thurstone scale was constructed to measure creativity. The scale scores ranged from 1 to 13. If the scale was properly constructed we could conclude that:

Describe at least three different scales that are used in social research. How are they similar and different?

The coefficient of reproducibility refers to the ability of a Guttman scale to reproduce the pattern of individual responses.

Item analysis allows you to examine the extent to which the composite index is related to other items in the questionnaire that are not part of the index.

Human Inquiry and Science

Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research

The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

Research Design

Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

The Logic of Sampling

Experiments

Survey Research

Qualitative Field Research

Unobtrusive Research

Evaluation Research

Qualitative Data Analysis

Quantitative Data Analysis

The Logic of Multivariate Analysis

Statistical Analyses

Reading and Writing Social Research

Filters

Given the following patterns for a Guttman scale on life satisfaction, the coefficient of reproducibility (is):