Deck 4: Conceptualization and Measurement

Question 1

In ______ research, conceptualization helps translate portions of an abstract theory into testable hypotheses.

A) operational
B) translation
C) inductive
D) deductive

Answer 1

D

Question 2

______ validity is commonly used in social science research when no clear criterion exists for validation.

A) Face
B) Content
C) Criterion
D) Construct

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An approach that calculates reliability based on the correlation among multiple items used to measure a single concept is ______.

A) test-retest reliability
B) inter-item reliability
C) Cronbach's alpha
D) alternate-forms reliability

Answer 3

B

Question 4

At the nominal level of measurement, the values of variables ______.

A) are mutually exclusive
B) can be classified as having only one attribute
C) have progressively more precise measurements
D) have no mathematical interpretation

Question 5

The US Census Bureau collects official information about crimes, known as the ______.

A) Poverty and Crime Index (PCI)
B) Systematic Social Observation (SSO)
C) Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
D) National Minority SA/HIV Prevention Initiative (NMSHPI)

Question 6

A measurement showing that measures of a phenomenon at two points in time are highly correlated, as long as the phenomenon has not changed, is known as ______ reliability.

A) test-retest reliability
B) inter-item reliability
C) Cronbach's alpha
D) alternate-forms reliability

Question 7

The use of multiple methods to study one research question is known as ______.

A) unobtrusive measures
B) systematic social observation (SSO)
C) operationalization
D) triangulation

Question 8

The process of defining terms in words is called ______.

A) operationalization
B) conceptualization
C) observationalization
D) unobtrusive

Question 9

Unobtrusive measures allow us to collect data about individuals or groups ______.

A) whose values have no mathematical interpretation
B) with mutually exclusive attributes
C) without their direct knowledge or participation
D) with categorical levels of measurement

Question 10

At which level of measurement is a question that asks the number of alcoholic drinks a respondent had within the past 30 days?

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

Question 11

According to Webb, et al., unobtrusive measures include ______.

A) physical trace evidence
B) archives (available data)
C) contrived observation
D) all of these

Question 12

The measure that covers the full range of the concept's meaning is known as ______ validity.

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

Question 13

When a measurement has reliability, it means that it yields ______.

A) measures affected by chance variation
B) consistent scores as long as the phenomenon is unchanging
C) valid scores as long as they are not changing
D) consistent measures as long as they are observed differently by observers

Question 14

We can say that a measure has face validity if it ______.

A) is generally similar to what's being measured
B) obviously pertains to the concept being measured more than to other concepts we're trying to measure
C) establishes a measure that covers the full range of the concept's meaning
D) is related to a variety of other measures

Question 15

A discrete measure is one that classifies cases ______.

A) in distinct categories
B) in categories that are appropriately discreet
C) in fixed measurement units
D) with an absolute zero point

Question 16

Criterion validity is established when ______.

A) confidence is gained from careful inspection of a concept to see if it makes sense
B) the scores on one measure can accurately be compared to those obtained with an already validated measure of the same phenomenon
C) the measure covers the full range of a concept's meaning
D) a measure is related to a variety of other measures as specified in a theory

Question 17

A closed-ended question is one in which respondents are ______.

A) offered space to write answers in their own words
B) provided explicit responses to choose from
C) offered responses with multiple meanings to choose from
D) provided no instructions as to how answers should be given

Question 18

The numbers indicating the values of variables at the interval level of measurement represent ______.

A) flexible measurement units
B) a composite measurement based on scales
C) fixed measurement units
D) an absolute zero point

Question 19

The level of precision in the data that result from particular procedures is known as the ______.

A) standards of collection
B) levels of measurement
C) level of precision
D) standards of ordinality

Question 20

A statistic that measures the reliability of items in an index or scale is _______.

A) split-halves test
B) Cronbach's alpha
C) criterion's beta
D) alternate forms reliability

Question 21

The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (2015) includes questions that ask respondents to indicate their answers by selecting "none," "once," "twice," "3 to 5 times," "6 to 9 times)," and "10 or more times." Use of these categories makes the level of measurement ______.

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

Question 22

When using a closed-ended question where students are asked to indicate their answer by checking none, once, twice, 3 to 5 times, 6 to 9 times, or 10 or more times, which of these is true?

A) It is possible to mathematically distinguish the number of times a student binged.
B) These answer choices classify as a ratio level of measurement.
C) The distance between any two cases cannot be clearly determined.
D) The level of measurement is inherent in the variable itself

Question 23

With open-ended questions, respondents are more likely to answer questions that the researcher really wants them to answer.

Question 24

The goal of conceptualization is to devise operations that actually measure what we intend to measure.

Question 25

A strategy that increases the reliability of observational data by using explicit rules that standardize coding practices across observers is

A) operationalization
B) systematic social observation (SSO)
C) triangulation
D) contrived observation (CO)

Question 26

The set of questions in the Favorable Attitudes Toward Antisocial Behavior Scale is a good example of a(n) ______.

A) interval level index
B) nominal index-scale
C) continuous scale
D) multi-item index or scale

Question 27

The measurement of a variable in which the numbers permit greater than and less than distinctions is at the ______ level.

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

Question 28

Open-ended questions are preferable when the range of responses cannot adequately be anticipated.

Question 29

Michael Sulik and his colleagues (2010) wanted to know whether the measure of self-regulation that had been used in many studies of children differentially measured the construct across different socioeconomic, gender, and race/ethnicity groups. The construct they measured was actually called ______.

A) self-control (SC)
B) socio-economic status (SES)
C) effortful control (EC)
D) criterion validity (CV)

Question 30

Researchers are testing alternate-forms reliability when ______.

A) responses to the same questions by two randomly selected halves of a sample are about the same
B) they compare subjects' answers to slightly different versions of survey questions
C) measurement showing that measures of a phenomenon at two points in time are highly correlated
D) they calculate reliability based on the correlation among multiple items used to measure a single concept

Question 31

When researchers measure a phenomenon that does not change between two points separated by an interval of time, the degree to which the two measurements yield comparable values is the ______ reliability.

A) split halves
B) construct
C) alternate-forms
D) test-retest

Question 32

Sampson and Raudenbush (1999) and St. Jean (2007) used direct observation and other techniques in their studies of ______.

A) broken windows theory and policing in St. Paul
B) neighborhood disorder and crime in Chicago
C) physical trace evidence in Minneapolis
D) alcohol consumption in Milwaukee

Question 33

One of Meldrum's main areas of research concerns the measurement and operationalization of ______.

A) associating with delinquent peers
B) understanding college bound peers
C) empirical significance of non-peer delinquency on peers
D) social-networking sites like MySpace

Question 34

Good conceptualization and operationalization can prevent confusion later in the research process.

Question 35

Validity of self-report measures of substance abuse varies with such factors as whether ______.

A) respondents are sober or intoxicated at time of interview
B) the measure refers to recent or lifetime abuse
C) the respondents think their responses might affect chances of receiving housing
D) all of these

Question 36

To determine the convergence between official incident records inmate misconduct and self-reported offending, Steiner and Wooldredge (2014) ______.

A) conducted interviews with inmates as well as official records for the same inmates
B) collected intake information from recent inmates (less than 6 months) as well as official records for the same inmates.
C) collected survey data from inmates as well as official records from a random sampling of inmates at the same institution
D) collected survey data from inmates as well as official records for the same inmates

Question 37

A variable's attributes or values are mutually exclusive if ______.

A) every case can have only one attribute
B) every value can have exclusive cases
C) cases have no mathematical interpretation
D) cases are classified in distinct categories

Question 38

In deductive research, conceptualization ______.

A) helps translate portions of an abstract theory into testable hypotheses
B) is an important part of the process used to make sense of related observations
C) must be defined unidimensionally
D) is a mental image that summarizes a set of similar observations, feelings, or ideas

Question 39

Because they are often ordinary terms, it is very easy for social scientists to define concepts precisely.

Question 40

Physical traces of past behavior are one type of ______.

A) open-ended available data
B) statistical information
C) unobtrusive measure
D) official measure

Question 41

Measurement validity is a necessity for social research.

Question 42

For open-ended questions, response choices should be mutually exclusive and exhaustive.

Question 43

Construct validity is the type of validity established by comparing scores on a measure with a more direct or already validated measure of the same phenomenon.

Question 44

We must always assess the validity of a measure if we hope to establish its reliability.

Question 45

How we operationalize concepts affects our findings.

Question 46

Level of conflict, with response choices of "low," "medium," or "high," is measured at the nominal level of measurement.

Question 47

A measure with numbers indicating the values of variables as points on a continuum is a continuous measure.

Question 48

Reliability is a prerequisite for measurement validity.

Question 49

A measure is valid when it yields consistent scores or observations of a given phenomenon on different occasions.

Question 50

The ordinal level of measurement is a qualitative level

Question 51

Cronbach's alpha can be computed when only one question is used to measure a concept.

Question 52

Variables that have only two values are known as dichotomies.

Question 53

Researchers are testing split-halves reliability when they compare subjects' answers to lightly different versions of survey questions.

Question 54

The level of measurement is inherent in the variable itself.

Question 55

The type of validity that is achieved when a measure measures what it is presumed to measure is measurement validity.

Question 56

The nominal level of measurement is also called the categorical level.

Question 57

Questioning can be a particularly poor approach for measuring behaviors that are socially stigmatized.

Question 58

When ratings by an observer are being assessed at two or more points in time, test-retest reliability is termed inter-observer reliability.

Question 59

For most statistical analyses in social science research, the ordinal and interval level of measurement can be treated as equivalent.

Question 60

Reliability and validity of measures in any study must be tested after the fact to assess the quality of the information obtained.

Question 61

Is reliability the same as validity? As part of your answer, define both and describe why (or why not) they show different things.

Question 62

How is conceptualization different from operationalization?

Question 63

What is Triangulation? How might it assist in achieving better validity?

Question 64

What is "operationalization"? Using the concept "binge drinking", operationalize one variable that represents it, and finally provide one indicator for the measure.

Question 65

In most statistical analyses in social science research, the interval and ratio levels of measurement can be treated as equivalent. How is that possible? As part of your answer, define continuous measures.

Question 66

Is the level of measurement inherent in the variable itself? Why? Does it matter at which level a variable is measured? Does it make sense to measure variables at a lower or higher level?

Question 67

What are open-ended questions? When are they preferable to be used in questionnaires? Give an example of an open-ended question that asks about alcohol use on your campus compared with another campus.

Question 68

What is meant by the term "conceptualization"? As part of your answer, discuss how you might conceptualize "youth gangs."

Question 69

What is a closed-ended (fixed-choice) question? Why is it important that response choices should be mutually exclusive and exhaustive?

Question 70

Why do surveys that are to be given to a large number of people often consist primarily of closed-ended (fixed choice) questions?

Question 71

What are four levels of measurement? Name and give an example of each.

Question 72

Why is it crucial to clearly define a concept before conducting research?

Question 73

Why might a researcher be concerned with inter-item reliability (or internal consistency)? Why would the researcher choose to use a multi-item index to measure a concept rather than a single question? As a part of your answer, discuss Cronbach's alpha.