Deck 7: Selection of Variables, Operational Definitions, and Measurements Issues

Question 1

Which of the following is a type of measure for a dependent variable?

A)cognitive
B)perceptual
C)discrimination
D)consistency

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The variable in a study that researchers believe will produce a change is called the .

A)dependent variable.
B)extraneous variable.
C)controlled variable.
D)independent variable.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

There are several types of measures for dependent variables.Attitudinal measures .

A)assess a person's choices.
B)assess a person's attitudes.
C)assess a person's behaviors.
D)assess a person's knowledge or mental ability.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not a type of measure for a dependent variable covered in the textbook?

A)behavioral
B)perceptual
C)attitudinal
D)cognitive

Question 5

The number of conditions for a specific independent variable is called the .

A)levels of the independent variable.
B)series of the independent variable.
C)levels of manipulation.
D)measured conditions of the dependent variable.

Question 6

In the textbook, a study on monitor size was described.Specifically, the researchers wanted to know if monitor size 17, 19, & 21 inches) influenced participant's reaction time on a task.How many levels of the independent variable were there in this study?

A)17
B)3
C)2
D)21

Question 7

Alex is conducting a study on professors' attitudes toward text messaging in class.Specifically, he is measuring whether professors believe that text messaging is disruptive to class and whether text messaging is becoming a problem in higher education.Alex is collecting measures for his dependent variable.

A)behavioral
B)cognitive
C)attitudinal
D)physiological

Question 8

There are several types of measures for dependent variables.Cognitive measures .

A)measure a person's choices.
B)measure a person's attitudes.
C)measure a person's behaviors.
D)measure a person's knowledge or mental ability.

Question 9

In the Are You Equipped? section at the beginning of the chapter, a study was described looking at the relationship between birth weight and adolescent depression.In this study, what as the dependent variable?

A)birth weight
B)adolescent depression
C)the weight of mother
D)mother depression

Question 10

James is conducting a study on the type of leadership style i.e., democratic or autocratic) a person has and the influence that style has on employee satisfaction.He plans on measuring satisfaction using a 10 question survey where participants respond on a 5-point scale.How many levels of the independent variable were there in this study?

A)2
B)c.5
D)10

Question 11

A dependent variable is the variable in a study that is .

A)measured.
B)developed.
C)manipulated.
D)interesting.

Question 12

James is conducting a study on the type of leadership style i.e., democratic or autocratic) a person has and the influence that style has on employee satisfaction.What is the independent variable in this study?

A)employee satisfaction
B)democratic leadership
C)leadership style
D)autocratic leadership

Question 13

The variable in a study that researchers measure because it is believed to change is called the .

A)dependent variable.
B)extraneous variable.
C)controlled variable.
D)independent variable.

Question 14

One of the most common types of measures for a dependent variable is a behavioral measure.Behavioral measures .

A)investigate a person's attitudes.
B)investigate a person's choices.
C)investigates a person's behaviors.
D)investigates a person's knowledge or mental ability.

Question 15

Samantha is conducting a study on the decision making processes an individual goes through when buying items.Specifically, Samantha is measuring the attributes and mental connections made when making a purchase.Samantha is collecting measures for her dependent variable.

A)behavioral
B)cognitive
C)attitudinal
D)physiological

Question 16

In the Are You Equipped? section at the beginning of the chapter, a study was described looking at the relationship between birth weight and adolescent depression.In this study, what variable is being treated as the independent variable?

A)birth weight
B)adolescent depression
C)the weight of mother
D)mother depression

Question 17

In the Are You Equipped? section at the beginning of the chapter, a study was described looking at the relationship between birth weight and adolescent depression.The participants were divided into groups based on their birth weight, either low or normal birth weight.How many levels of the independent variable were there in this study?

A)b.2
C)3
D)4

Question 18

An independent variable is the variable in a study that is .

A)measured.
B)developed.
C)manipulated.
D)interesting.

Question 19

James is conducting a study on the type of leadership style i.e., democratic or autocratic) a person has and the influence that style has on employee satisfaction.He plans on measuring satisfaction using a 10 question survey where participants respond on a 5-point scale.What is the dependent variable in this study?

A)employee satisfaction
B)democratic leadership
C)leadership style
D)autocratic leadership

Question 20

Julia is conducting a study looking at individuals habits when preparing food.Specifically, she is measuring the number of times a person uses incorrect food preparation behaviors.To conduct this study, Julia is going to people's homes and watching them prepare meals.Julia is primarily collecting measures for her dependent variable.

A)attitudinal
B)cognitive
C)physiological
D)behavioral

Question 21

The sum of the number of times a person/group responds to a question represents which type of way to assess a measure?

A)reaction time
B)frequency of responses
C)degree of response
D)percent correct

Question 22

Dave has asked participants in his study to identify which ethnic category fits them best.Dave is using an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 23

There are three ways to assess each type of measure for dependent variables.Which of the following is one of those three ways?

A)reaction time
B)percent correct
C)Likert scale data
D)dichotomous variable

Question 24

When a researcher classifies data into one of two or more categories, the researcher is using an) scale.

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 25

Chris is studying what females consider attractive in male partners.Chris has defined attractive in terms of physical characteristics of males.Chris has just used an) .

A)nominal definition.
B)behavioral definition.
C)operational definition.
D)physiological measure.

Question 26

Lauren is conducting a study on stress management in newly hired employees at a large corporation.She is measuring the levels of stress through blood work and EKG monitoring of the new hires.Lauren is collecting measures for her dependent variable.

A)behavioral
B)cognitive
C)attitudinal
D)physiological

Question 27

Ted has developed a new test of mental ability.As he is giving it to participants, he begins to notice that nearly all of his participants are scoring on the lower end of his test.Ted realizes that he is experiencing a due to the difficulty of his test.

A)ceiling effect
B)Yerkes-Dotson Law
C)floor effect
D)degree of response effect

Question 28

In the text, an article was described about Saturday morning cartoons.Specifically, the article stated there was a positive relationship between childhood aggression and violent cartoons.However, no mention was made of how the term "violent cartoons" was defined.Thus, the researchers had failed to use an) when reporting their study.

A)operational definition
B)nominal definition
C)behavioral definition
D)attitudinal measure

Question 29

The average of correct responses to overall responses represents which type of way to assess a measure?

A)reaction time
B)frequency of responses
C)degree of response
D)percent correct

Question 30

What type of scale is a researcher using when they collect demographic information such as ethnicity, religion, sex, or school classification?

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 31

James' study was conducted on the influence of study habits on math performance.James tracks the average number of correct responses that participants have before and after being exposed to different study habits.James is assessing his cognitive measure with .

A)reaction time.
B)frequency of responses.
C)degree of response.
D)percent correct.

Question 32

Adam is conducting a study on cartoon violence in Saturday morning cartoons.He has defined cartoon violence as those acts that would result in serious bodily harm leading to a hospital visit.Adam's definition of cartoon violence is an example of an) .

A)operational definition.
B)nominal definition.
C)behavioral definition.
D)attitudinal measure.

Question 33

Lisa is conducting a study investigating the effects of ethnicity on humor.Specifically, she has different participants watch comedy routines from several comedians.For each participant, she records the number of times they laugh for each comedian.Which way is the dependent measure of humor being assessed?

A)reaction time
B)frequency of responses
C)degree of response
D)percent correct

Question 34

Robyn is conducting a study investigating the effects of ethnicity on humor.Specifically, she has different participants watch comedy routines from several comedians.For each participant, she records the intensity of their laughs for each comedian.Which way is the dependent measure of humor being assessed?

A)reaction time
B)frequency of responses
C)degree of response
D)percent correct

Question 35

The intensity of a response to a stimuli represents which type of way to assess a measure?

A)reaction time
B)frequency of responses
C)degree of response
D)percent correct

Question 36

Jill has been working on developing a new task to test the reaction time of athletes.As she begins to test athletes using her new task, she notices that all the athletes are scoring extremely high on her test.Jill's task has fallen prey to a .

A)ceiling effect.
B)Yerkes-Dotson Law.
C)floor effect.
D)degree of response.

Question 37

There are several types of measures for dependent variables.Physiological measures .

A)assess a person's biological state.
B)assess a person's attitudes.
C)assess a person's behaviors.
D)assess a person's knowledge or mental ability.

Question 38

While conducting a study, you notice that most of the scores fall at the upper range of the response option.This pattern of data is known as a .

A)ceiling effect.
B)Yerkes-Dotson Law.
C)floor effect.
D)degree of response.

Question 39

When conducting a study, you notice that most of the scores fall primarily at the lower range of the response option.This pattern of data is known as the .

A)ceiling effect.
B)Yerkes-Dotson Law.
C)floor effect.
D)degree of response.

Question 40

When conducting research, it is important to properly define how a concept or idea will be measured.This is known as an) .

A)ceiling effect.
B)operational definition.
C)degree of response.
D)floor effect.

Question 41

In the study on the influence of birth weight on adolescent depression, the subject variable treated like the independent variable was birth weight.

Question 42

Matt is conducting research on consumer preference for different products.Matt has participants provide a rank order of the products they prefer.By asking for a ranking of their preferences, Matt is using an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 43

When a researcher classifies data on a scale that assumes equal distance between numbers, the researcher is using an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 44

Attitudinal measures are used to measure one's mental ability or knowledge of a topic.

Question 45

Of all the types of scales, only an) scale has a

Question 46

Callie is studying the likelihood that college students will take 8am classes.To look at this likelihood, Callie has students respond on a 7-point scale, where 1 is "not at all likely" and 7 is "very likely." Callie is using an) scale to look at the likelihood of college students taking 8am classes.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 47

The number of levels or conditions of an independent variable are limited to two per study.

Question 48

In the study on the influence of birth weight on adolescent depression, the dependent variable was birth weight.

Question 49

Behavioral measures are used to measure a person's behaviors.

Question 50

An independent variable can have as many conditions as is necessary for the particular study that is being conducted.

Question 51

When a researcher classifies data on a scale that assumes equal distance and has a

Question 52

All independent variables will have at least three levels or conditions.

Question 53

When a researcher classifies data into an order or rank of magnitude, the researcher is using an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 54

The variable that is measured in a study to look for a change is called the dependent variable.

Question 55

Student rankings in a class is an example of an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 56

In the Are You Equipped Now? Section at the end of the chapter, a study on the Olympics was discussed.What kind of scale was used to determine where participants watched the Olympics?

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval
True/False Questions

Question 57

A large majority of psychological research uses scales because they lend themselves to more advanced statistical procedures as compared to the rest.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 58

The independent variable is the variable manipulated in a study.

Question 59

Brooke is investigating exercise habits among college students.Brooke has asked students to indicate the number of times they workout each week.To investigate exercise, Brooke is using an) scale.

A)ordinal
B)nominal
C)ratio
D)interval

Question 60

The independent variable is the variable that is measured in a study.

Question 61

An operational definition defines a concept or idea.

Question 62

Attitudinal, behavioral, physiological, and psychological are all different measures of dependent variables.

Question 63

Researchers only collect one dependent variable at a time when conducting a study.

Question 64

Ordinal scales classify data into a rank or order of magnitude.

Question 65

Examples of ordinal scales include: ethnicity, sex, religion, or school classification.

Question 66

In a study on humor and comedian ethnicity, a researcher tracks the participants' number of laughs.The tracking of laughs represents the degree of response.

Question 67

When assessing a variable, it is not important to define how the concept or idea will be measured.

Question 68

A nominal scale classifies data into one of two or more categories.

Question 69

The use of multiple dependent variables in a study increases the amount of information collected.

Question 70

Degree of response is the sum of the number of times a person/group responds to a question.

Question 71

Attitudinal, behavioral, physiological, and cognitive measures are all different measures of dependent variables.

Question 72

Your class ranking is an example of a nominal scale.

Question 73

A ceiling effect occurs when scores fall primarily at the lower end of a response range.

Question 74

When your professor keeps track of your daily attendance in class, it is a type of physiological measure.

Question 75

A researcher asking participants about their ethnicity is using an ordinal scale.

Question 76

Each type of dependent variable measure can be assessed by using percent correct, frequency of response, or degree of response.

Question 77

Percent correct is the average of correct responses to overall responses represented as a percentage.

Question 78

An operational definition defines how a concept or idea will be measured.

Question 79

Cognitive measures assess a person's attitude to a topic.

Question 80

When scores fall primarily at the lower end of a response option, a study is exhibiting a floor effect.