Exam 3: Defining and Measuring Variables

A disadvantage of using an operational definition is that

To determine how much difference there is between two individuals,you must use either an interval or a ratio scale of measurement.

A research study reports that participants who scored high on a new test measuring self-esteem made eye contact during an interview whereas participants who scored low on the test avoided eye contact.Assuming that more eye contact is associated with higher self-esteem,this study is a demonstration of ________ validity.

Describe one type of range effect and explain how a range effect can influence the results of a research study.

If a researcher measures two individuals on a nominal scale,it is impossible to determine which individual has the larger score.

You develop a new measure of honesty and you find that people who score high on your measure show more honest behavior than people who score low.You have demonstrated

Suppose a researcher wants to evaluate a self-esteem program by measuring students' self-esteem before and after a self-esteem program is administered.If all of the students score very high in self-esteem before the program begins,then the measurement procedure has a sensitivity problem known as

Whenever an operational definition is used for a hypothetical construct,the question of reliability is important to consider.

Establishing the reliability of a measurement procedure by using the procedure to measure the same individuals twice and comparing the two sets of scores is known as

Cues given to the participants about how they are expected to behave is the definition of

Determining a person's reaction time (in milliseconds)would involve measurement on a(n)_____ scale of measurement.

After measuring two individuals,a researcher can say that Tom's score is 4 points higher than Bill's.The measurements must come from a(n)_______ scale.

A strategy for reducing experimenter bias is to

Reliability of a measurement procedure is usually established with a correlation.

The textbook describes a study by McClelland (1958)in which the need-for-achievement test was administered to a group of children and then the children were observed while they played a ring-toss game.The purpose of this study was to establish _______ validity for the test.

Using shoe size as a measure of intelligence would produce measurements that have very high test-retest reliability.

A reliable measurement procedure produces similar scores when the same individuals are measured twice under similar conditions.

Artifacts

Using letter grades (A,B,C,D,and F)to classify student performance on an exam is an example of measurement on a(n)_______ scale of measurement.

A variable such as intelligence that cannot be seen or measured directly is know as a(n)