Deck 3: Defining and Measuring Variables

Question 1

A research study reports that participants who scored high on a new test measuring relationship satisfaction had more physical contact with their romantic partners during an interview whereas participants who scored low on the test avoided physical contact with their romantic partners. Assuming that more physical contact is associated with higher relationship satisfaction, this study is a demonstration of ____ validity.

A) face
B) concurrent
C) predictive
D) convergent

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A measurement procedure is valid if it ____.

A) produces measurements that are stable and consistent
B) measures what you intend it to measure
C) produces measurements that make sense
D) produces measurements that are obvious

Answer 2

B

Question 3

If people score high on one measure and also score high on another measure, there is ____.

A) a positive relationship between the two measures
B) a negative relationship between the two measures
C) no relationship between the two measures
D) a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which relationship described below illustrates a negative relationship?

A) The higher a married person's reported happiness level, the more likely that person is to stay married for life.
B) The more exercise children get from age 2 to 7, the lower their chance of having cancer by age 65.
C) The less time a person spends watching TV, the less likely they are to score high on measures of materialism.
D) The fewer electronic devices a person has, the less likely they are to be addicted to the internet.

Question 5

When using operational definitions, it is important to keep in mind that the operational definition ____.

A) must provide a direct measure of the construct
B) must provide a valid method of measurement but need not be reliable
C) should include extra components that are not part of the construct
D) is not the same as the construct itself

Question 6

A researcher develops a 20-question test to measure anxiety and administers it to a group of participants. To evaluate the reliability of the test, the researcher computes a score for the first 10 questions and a score for the last 10 questions for each participant and then computes the correlation between the two scores. What is the researcher measuring?

A) split-half reliability
B) internal reliability
C) test-retest reliability
D) inter-rater reliability

Question 7

Using the number of yawns in a one-hour period as a definition and a measurement of sleepiness is an example of ____ sleepiness.

A) validating
B) operationalizing
C) desynchronizing
D) sensitizing

Question 8

The purpose of an operational definition is to ____.

A) describe the relationship between a construct and theory
B) provide a method for analyzing data related to a hypothetical construct
C) provide a definition and a method for measuring a hypothetical construct
D) provide a method for integrating a construct into a theory

Question 9

Which type of validity requires multiple research studies, usually conducted over a long period of time?

A) face
B) concurrent
C) predictive
D) construct

Question 10

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

A) concurrent validity
B) divergent validity
C) predictive validity
D) reliability

Question 11

If people score low on one measure and score low on another measure, there is ____

A) a positive relationship between the two measures
B) a negative relationship between the two measures
C) no relationship between the two measures
D) a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures

Question 12

Establishing the reliability of a measurement procedure by using the procedure to measure the same individuals on two separate occasions and comparing the two sets of scores is known as ____ reliability.

A) split-half
B) internal
C) test-retest
D) inter-rater

Question 13

Which type of validity involves demonstrating that we are measuring one specific construct and not combining two different constructs in the same measurement process?

A) face validity
B) concurrent validity
C) divergent validity
D) convergent validity

Question 14

If people score high on one measure and score low on another measure, there is ____

A) a positive relationship between the two measures
B) a negative relationship between the two measures
C) no relationship between the two measures
D) a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures

Question 15

A researcher developed a new intelligence test for elementary school children. However, the researcher fears that the scores from the test may actually be measuring the children's reading ability. To show that the test is really measuring intelligence and not reading ability, the researcher must demonstrate ____validity.

A) face
B) concurrent
C) convergent
D) divergent

Question 16

A student's score on a measurement of impulse control allows researchers to form an accurate expectation for how well the student will control his or her impulses in class. This test illustrates ____ validity.

A) face
B) concurrent
C) predictive
D) convergent

Question 17

What kind of validity requires that a researcher create two different measures of the same variable?

A) face
B) predictive
C) concurrent
D) convergent

Question 18

Research results indicate that the more servings of red meat eat from age 15 to 25, the higher their cholesterol scores will be at age 60. This is an example of a ____ relationship between variables.

A) cause-and-effect
B) coincidental
C) positive
D) negative

Question 19

You develop a new measure of self-efficacy and you find that people who score high on your measure also score high on a standardized measure of self-efficacy. You have demonstrated ____.

A) concurrent validity
B) divergent validity
C) predictive validity
D) reliability

Question 20

What term refers to a variable that cannot be observed or measured directly but is useful for describing and explaining behavior?

A) construct
B) operational variable
C) theoretical variable
D) hypothetical variable

Question 21

Participants taking on the negativistic subject role ____.

A) are concerned that their performance in the study will be used to evaluate them
B) try to act in a manner such that their data are in contrast to the hypothesis
C) try to act in a manner such that their data are consistent with the hypothesis
D) try to avoid acting on the basis of their suspicions

Question 22

Two observers record similar observations on a behavioral rating scale for a group of children they are watching. The researchers have established what kind of reliability?

A) split-half reliability
B) internal reliability
C) test-retest reliability
D) inter-rater reliability

Question 23

How will participants change their normal behavior if they respond to demand characteristics by adopting "the good subject role?"

A) They will attempt to produce the data that they think you want.
B) They will attempt to make themselves appear better than they really are.
C) They will attempt to work against what they think is the research hypothesis.
D) They will follow instructions without acting on their suspicions about the study.

Question 24

After measuring a group of individuals, a researcher finds that Jared's score is three times greater than Jasmin's score. These measurements must come from a(n) ____ scale.

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

Question 25

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

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

Question 26

Cues given to the participants about how they are expected to behave define a situation's ____.

A) experimenter bias
B) volunteer bias
C) reactivity
D) demand characteristics

Question 27

Measurement that includes a large error component will have very low ____.

A) face validity
B) concurrent validity
C) reliability
D) construct validity

Question 28

What additional information is obtained by measuring on an interval scale as compared to an ordinal scale?

A) whether the measurements are the same or different
B) the direction of the differences
C) the size of the differences
D) which measure is the most accurate

Question 29

Using an anonymous questionnaire to determine how many times students send or receive text messages during class is an example of using what modality of measurement?

A) self-report
B) survey
C) behavioral
D) physiological

Question 30

A strategy for reducing experimenter bias is to ____.

A) let whoever designed the experiment conduct it
B) increase the sample size
C) standardize the experiment
D) ensure the experimenter understands the risk of bias

Question 31

A researcher plans to evaluate a new reading program by measuring students' reading skill before and after the program begins. If all the students have high reading skills scores before the program begins, then the measurement procedure has a sensitivity problem known as a ____.

A) floor effect
B) ceiling effect
C) hypersensitive effect
D) hyposensitive effect

Question 32

A teacher separates the students in his class into high, medium, and low reading skill groups. What scale of measurement is being used to create the groups?

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

Question 33

Using a PET scan to measure brain activity while participants solve mathematics problems is an example of using what modality of measurement?

A) self-report
B) survey
C) behavioral
D) physiological

Question 34

Counting the number of times a third-grade student leaves his seat without permission during a 30-minute observation period is an example of using what modality of measurement?

A) self-report
B) survey
C) behavioral
D) physiological

Question 35

Participants who know that they are being observed may modify their behavior. This problem is known as ____.

A) reactivity
B) novelty
C) experimenter bias
D) volunteerism

Question 36

What is demonstrated by showing that the test scores measured today for a group of individuals are nearly identical to the scores obtained with the same measurement procedure last week?

A) predictive validity
B) test-retest reliability
C) inter-rater reliability
D) construct validity

Question 37

What term is used for an external factor that may influence or distort the measurements in a research study?

A) artifact
B) aberration
C) demand characteristic
D) bias factor

Question 38

Why is the range effect known as a "ceiling effect" a problem for researchers?

A) The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement.
B) The scores are already so low that there is no chance of measuring a decrease.
C) There is so much room for improvement that the measurements are almost certain to increase.
D) There is so much room for lower performance that the measurements are almost certain to decrease.

Question 39

Which type of subject role is most desirable for a research study?

A) good subject role
B) apprehensive subject role
C) negativistic subject role
D) faithful subject role

Question 40

An artifact such as experimenter bias is a threat to the validity of measurement because the ____.

A) outcome measurements may be distorted by the artifact
B) artifact is an external factor, unrelated to the experiment
C) artifact will allow participants to identify the experimental manipulation
D) artifact will reduce reliability which will, in turn, reduce validity

Question 41

Operational definitions are necessary to convert hypothetical constructs into observable variables.

Question 42

Validity of a measurement procedure is often established with a correlation.

Question 43

Using the amount of class participation as a definition of self-confidence is an example of an operational definition.

Question 44

Using a survey to measure students' food preferences is an example of the behavioral modality of measurement.

Question 45

A measurement procedure can be reliable without being valid.

Question 46

A researcher records the number of mathematics problems answered correctly during a 15-minute period. This is an example of measurement on a ratio scale.

Question 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

Men's shirt sizes are classified as small, medium, large, and extra-large. This is an example of measurement on a nominal scale.

Question 50

To establish split-half reliability, you must administer the same measurement to the same group of people at two different times.

Question 51

Individuals who score low on one variable also tend to score low on another variable. This is an example of a negative relationship between variables.

Question 52

Demonstrating the grade point averages for a group of college students are positively related to their SAT scores is a demonstration of predictive validity for the SAT.

Question 53

An artifact such as demand characteristics can threaten both the internal and the external validity of a research study.

Question 54

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

Question 55

A valid measure is one that yields highly similar results across different experimental conditions.

Question 56

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

Question 57

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

Question 58

Demonstrating that scores from a new measurement procedure are related to scores from an established measure of the same construct is called convergent validity.

Question 59

Demand characteristics are cues within a research study that suggest how the participants are expected to behave or respond.

Question 60

A floor effect means that a measurement procedure is not likely to detect a decrease in scores.

Question 61

Describe one of the modalities of measurement (behavioral, self-report, or physiological), and discuss both the advantages and the limitations of this modality.

Question 62

Define the ceiling effect and floor effect and describe how they can influence the results of a research study.

Question 63

Describe the problems with relying on face validity when designing a measurement procedure.

Question 64

Describe what each of the four scales of measurement can tell researchers about the phenomenon being measured.

Question 65

What is meant by the reliability of measurement and describe three methods for measuring reliability.

Question 66

Define a construct and explain why psychologists often need to use an operational definition to measure constructs.

Question 67

Describe one potential artifact (experimenter bias or reactivity) and how it threatens both the internal and external validity of a study.

Question 68

One researcher is comparing two different varieties of genetically engineered tomatoes to determine whether one produces more food (by weight) than the other. A second researcher is comparing two different workplace training programs to determine whether one program produces a higher level of workplace motivation than the other. Explain why the first researcher is probably not concerned about reliability and validity of measurement, whereas the second researcher is likely concerned with these measurements.