Deck 4: Conceptualization and Measurement

Question 1

The procedures for identifying or indicating the value of cases on a variable are known as ______.

A)concepts
B)conceptualizations
C)operations
D)operationalizations

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Interobserver reliability occurs when ______.

A)different observers measure the same phenomena in the same way
B)different observers agree on a definition of measurement
C)different observers administer an instrument
D)different observers contribute to the conceptualization process

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The process by which a researcher defines specifically what he or she means when using a concept is known as ______.

A)conceptualization
B)operationalization
C)generalization
D)reliability

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Questions are often the basis of which type(s)of research?

A)surveys
B)experiments
C)qualitative research
D)all of these

Question 5

To establish concurrent validity,a researcher must include which of the following in a survey that includes a new index of depression?

A)a system for weighting responses
B)multiple forms of the same index
C)a previously validated measure of depression
D)single items and matrix questions

Question 6

When researchers measure an unchanging phenomenon at two different times,the degree to which the two measurements are related is called ______.

A)test-retest reliability
B)criterion validity
C)predictive validity
D)interitem reliability

Question 7

What kind of validity is achieved if scores on measures related to one concept are not strongly associated with measures of different concepts?

A)face validity
B)criterion validity
C)content validity
D)discriminant validity

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT true regarding closed-ended questions?

A)They are used by most surveys with large numbers of people.
B)They are easy to process with computers and analyze with statistics.
C)They make it easier for respondents to answer questions.
D)They lessen confusion about meaning of responses involving complex concepts.

Question 9

A characteristic that doesn't change across cases is known as a/an ______.

A)variable
B)constant
C)operation
D)scale

Question 10

Reliability refers to which of the following?

A)That a measurement captures what it intends to measure.
B)That a measurement includes all dimensions of a concept.
C)That a measurement is free of error.
D)That a measure yields consistent scores.

Question 11

Predictive validity occurs when ______.

A)a measure can predict scores on a criterion measured in the past.
B)a measure relates to other measures specified in a social theory.
C)a measure can predict scores on a criterion measured in the future.
D)a measure is associated with a criterion collected at the same time.

Question 12

Identify the ordinal measure.

A)nationality
B)blue
C)a little bit wrong
D)carrying a weapon

Question 13

According to Schutt,which is not a reason why youth gangs are hard to define?

A)Youth gangs are not particularly cohesive.
B)Individual gangs change their focus over time.
C)Youth culture is poorly understood by researchers.
D)Gangs may have diverse and unclear membership.

Question 14

Which of the following statistics is used commonly to measure interitem reliability?

A)Pearson's r
B)Cronbach's α
C)Guttman's scale
D) $\beta$ s

Question 15

Unobtrusive measures can provide a researcher with a wealth of content.Which of the following does NOT involve an unobtrusive measure?

A)preaching
B)legal opinions
C)media
D)e-mail messages

Question 16

For variables measured at the nominal level of measurement,______.

A)rankings are possible
B)addition and subtraction are possible
C)multiplication and division are possible
D)values measure in kind but not quantity

Question 17

Which of the following can NOT be performed on data collected at the ratio level of measurement?

A)addition/subtraction
B)greater than/less than
C)multiplication/division
D)all of these can be performed on ratio-level data.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an example of a concept?

A)poverty
B)domestic violence
C)youth gangs
D)binge drinking

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a problem with using available data?

A)Some measures may not be appropriate for the current research.
B)Not all available data are accurate.
C)Data may be collected inconsistently.
D)Government agencies and NGOs rarely make data public.

Question 20

Open-ended questions are preferable to closed-ended questions in which of the following situations?

A)Responses are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive.
B)The number of respondents is very large.
C)There is little time to review questions before data collection.
D)The range of responses cannot be anticipated.

Question 21

Using more than one measure of the same variable,such as using a survey and direct observation,is known as ______.

A)validation
B)reliability
C)conceptualization
D)triangulation

Question 22

When we conceptualize,we specify what we mean by a term.

Question 23

Face validity refers to ______.

A)the ability of subsets of items to predict one another
B)the strength of items to predict one another
C)the apparent appropriateness of how a concept is measured
D)the likelihood that multiple indicators measure the same phenomenon

Question 24

A concept that does not vary is known as a constant.

Question 25

Which level of measurement has a value that signifies absolutely no amount of whatever variable it indicates?

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

Question 26

Which of the following type of closed-ended question does not have to have mutually exclusive response categories?

A)qualitative
B)check all that apply
C)race/ethnicity
D)demographic

Question 27

The term variable may be used interchangeably with the term indicator.

Question 28

The process of specifying the operations that will indicate the value of cases on a variable is known as ______.

A)conceptualization
B)criterion validity
C)construct validity
D)operationalization

Question 29

Using 24 questions to represent multiple dimensions of the problems associated with alcohol abuse attempts to establish what type of validity?

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

Question 30

Which level of measurement is the most mathematically precise?

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

Question 31

If responses are affected by factors that are not what the instrument is intended to measure,then what is the source of measurement error?

A)idiosyncratic errors
B)generic individual error
C)generic factor error
D)systematic errors

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of a variable measured at the ordinal level of measurement?

A)military rank
B)birth order of siblings
C)age measured as child,teen,adult,and elderly
D)All of these are measured at the ordinal level.

Question 33

If a respondent misreads a survey question and answers incorrectly,what is the source of measurement error?

A)idiosyncratic individual error
B)generic individual error
C)generic factor error
D)method factor error

Question 34

Repeated changes in questions about race in the decennial U.S.Census reflect occurred due to ______.

A)political pressure
B)social pressure
C)economic pressure
D)Both A and B

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of a variable measured at the nominal level of measurement?

A)location in which respondent was born
B)religiosity measured as not religious,somewhat religious,and very religious
C)time in seconds in which a subject completes a given task
D)number of respondents' first cousins

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of a variable measured at the interval level of measurement?

A)age in years
B)income in dollars
C)temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
D)acres of land planted in food crops

Question 37

The nominal level of measurement is synonymous with which of the following level of measurement.

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

Question 38

When a respondent is asked to choose among explicit response categories,he or she has been asked what type of question?

A)qualitative
B)closed-ended
C)hermeneutic
D)reliable

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a type of unobtrusive measure?

A)archives
B)contrived observation
C)indexes
D)physical trace evidence

Question 40

An operation is the process of linking abstract concepts to empirical indicants.

Question 41

Explain the difference between reliability and validity.Why is it important for a measurement instrument to have both?

Question 42

Government statistics generated by a central agency usually have higher quality than official data collected by local levels of government and compiled into a single report.

Question 43

Discuss the difference between conceptualization and operationalization.

Question 44

A survey asks married people whether their marriage is very happy,somewhat happy,or not very happy.This is an example of a closed-ended question.

Question 45

At the ratio level of measurement,addition and subtraction are possible.

Question 46

Direct observation is a method of choice for measuring behavior in natural settings.

Question 47

Gender is a good example of a ratio level of measurement.

Question 48

The U.S.Census always included a question in order to categorize the respondent by race.

Question 49

Qualitative research usually takes an inductive approach to the process of conceptualization.

Question 50

The primary problem with using available data for new research questions is that there is very little social data available.

Question 51

Triangulation weakens measurement considerably because we can achieve similar results with different measures of the same variable.

Question 52

Open-ended questions are most frequently used for large surveys.

Question 53

Explain what it means for a question to be mutually exclusive and exhaustive.Why is this important for data collection?

Question 54

Contrived observation is considered unethical and unreliable and should not be used in social scientific research.

Question 55

Reliability is a prerequisite for measurement validity.

Question 56

When we operationalize,we identify specific observations that we will take to indicate a concept in empirical reality.

Question 57

Unlike other levels of measurement,nominal levels of measurement need not be exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

Question 58

Only open-ended questions need to be exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

Question 59

There can only be one correct definition of a concept.

Question 60

Explain why a lot of surveys use closed-ended questions.

Question 61

What are unobtrusive measures? What are the four types of measures identified by Eugene Webb and colleagues (2000)?

Question 62

List the four methods of evaluating validity in research.Be sure to define and give an example of each.

Question 63

Describe the differences between direct observations and controlled observations.Be sure to give at least one example of each.

Question 64

List four methods of evaluating the validity of measures,such as discriminant validity.Be sure to define and give an example of each.

Question 65

Define each of the four levels of measurement (nominal,ordinal,interval,and ratio)and give an example of each.Also,explain the special case of dichotomies in levels of measurement and give an example of a dichotomous level of measurement.