Deck 10: Clarifying Measurement and Data Collection in Quantitative Research

Question 1

Which level of measurement is indicated when referring to a temperature of 70° F?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Answer 1

Interval

Question 2

When renewing a nursing license, nurses are asked to indicate their area of specialization. This datum is measured on which scale?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Answer 2

Nominal

Question 3

The lowest level of measurement is:

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

Answer 3

nominal.

Question 4

Data characteristics that can be ranked are measured on which scale?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 5

A blood hemoglobin measurement of 13.5 g/100 mL would be which level of measurement?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 6

The difference between the observed score and what exists in reality (true score) is called:

A) homogeneity.
B) measurement error.
C) split-half reliability.
D) standard deviation.

Question 7

A researcher collecting ethnic data assigns the following numerical labels: 1 equals Caucasian
2 equals African American
3 equals Mexican American
4 equals Asian
This is an example of which type of data?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 8

Which uses the higher level of measurement: temperature in Fahrenheit degrees or weight in kilograms?

A) Both are measured at the same level
B) Not enough information given to make a decision
C) Temperature
D) Weight

Question 9

A researcher studying time and motion measures how long it takes the nurse to do a particular task. The time is recorded in minutes for comparison with other subjects. This is an example of which type of measurement?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 10

A researcher records the weight of subjects in a study as:
(1) normal for height.
(2) overweight for height.
(3) underweight for height.
A nominal level of measurement is used. Which of the following levels of measurement could also be used?

A) Categorical
B) Interval
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 11

What level of measurement does this scale represent?
(1) less than $10,000
(2) $10,001 to $25,000
(3) $25,001 to $40,000
(4) greater than $40,000

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 12

Which of the following scales has an absolute zero point?

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 13

In critiquing nominal-level instruments, the reviewer checks the items in the instrument to be sure they are:

A) mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
B) precise and complete.
C) stable and structured.
D) valid and reliable.

Question 14

What level of measurement is represented by the following?
For families of three children, indicate where the male child is in the birth order.
_______ (1) Oldest
_______ (2) Middle
_______ (3) Youngest

A) Interval
B) Nominal
C) Ordinal
D) Ratio

Question 15

Which of the following can be measured using direct measures?

A) Age, gender, height, and weight
B) Anxiety and coping
C) Opinions and feelings
D) Personality and hardiness

Question 16

Which of the following represents the same idea for physiological instruments as reliability does for psychosocial instruments?

A) Accuracy
B) Precision
C) Selectivity
D) Sensitivity

Question 17

What is the problem with the following example?
Age: under 18
18 to 25
25 to 40
40 to 65
Over 65
The categories are not:

A) empirical.
B) equal.
C) exclusive.
D) exhaustive.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of random error in measurement?

A) Consistent use of a tuning fork pitched too high
B) Inadvertent deletion of one question from the questionnaire sent to all subjects in a study
C) Occasional discussion of questions with some subjects during completion of the measurement tool
D) Use of a mismarked tape measure to determine infant head circumference

Question 19

An indirect measure would be used to measure which of the following?

A) Heart rate
B) Oxygen saturation
C) Spiritual perspective
D) Temperature

Question 20

Reliability could be established for a physiological instrument, such as an automatic blood pressure (BP) cuff, by:

A) measuring pulse rate and BP.
B) recalibrating the equipment.
C) taking the BP in a different arm.
D) using another BP cuff to compare results.

Question 21

Cronbach's alpha is used in tool development to determine:

A) equivalence of items.
B) internal consistency.
C) stability of measurement.
D) triangulation of theories.

Question 22

In the process of interpretation of quantitative results, evidence of the validity of the results is derived from:

A) alternate methods of data analysis.
B) close examination of the measurement tool.
C) linking results to study framework.
D) reexamination of the research purpose.

Question 23

Which of the following is true about the relationship between reliability and validity?

A) As reliability increases, validity decreases.
B) If a measure is reliable, it will be valid.
C) There is no relationship between these two concepts.
D) Unless a measure is reliable, it cannot be valid.

Question 24

Subjects respond to a visual analogue scale by:

A) circling the correct response.
B) drawing a mark across a 100-mm line that has bipolar anchors.
C) marking a check in the appropriate box.
D) selecting the best response from a set of items.

Question 25

A correlation coefficient is used in tool development to determine:

A) equivalence of items.
B) reliability.
C) stability.
D) validity.

Question 26

Which of the following is an advantage of observational methods of data collection?

A) Data are free from distortions or biases.
B) Inferences are based on attitudes and values of the observer.
C) Subjectivity of researcher's observations adds credibility.
D) These directly capture a record of events and behaviors.

Question 27

Which of the following is true about Likert scales?

A) Data from each item are at the ratio level of measurement.
B) Response set biases are not a problem.
C) Scores from individual items can be summed for a total score.
D) There must be seven response options for each item.

Question 28

The aspect of reliability for which interrater reliability is appropriate is:

A) equivalence.
B) homogeneity.
C) internal consistency.
D) stability.

Question 29

One limitation of observation as a data collection technique is that observation is:

A) controlled.
B) inflexible.
C) structured.
D) subjective.

Question 30

A major advantage of using a questionnaire for data collection is that a questionnaire:

A) allows for follow-up on subject's responses.
B) can be distributed to large samples.
C) eliminates all sources of bias in subject's responses.
D) is easy to construct.

Question 31

Unstructured interviews are preferred over other types of self-report data in studies in which:

A) in-depth information is of greatest importance.
B) large numbers of subjects are expected to participate.
C) researcher time and resources are limited.
D) there are many specific questions to be asked.

Question 32

Which of the following alpha coefficients would be the lowest value you would accept in evaluating the reliability of a well-developed measurement tool?

A).25
B).50
C).65
D).80

Question 33

What type of data collection method could be used in a study assessing the crying patterns and feeding patterns of infants related to their gestational age at birth?

A) Interviews
B) Observation
C) Semantic differential scale
D) Visual analogue scale

Question 34

Which of the following is true of interrater reliability?

A) It is the relationship between ratings by the same person done at two separate times.
B) It is the relationship between two or more data collectors' ratings of the same event.
C) There is little the researcher can do to increase this type of reliability because numerous data collectors are involved.
D) This type of reliability is applicable only to psychosocial instruments.

Question 35

Which of the following scales is most sensitive to differences between ratings?

A) A visual analogue scale
B) 0- to 10-numerical rating scale
C) Five-item verbal descriptor scale
D) Seven-item Likert scale

Question 36

Interviews are generally preferable to questionnaires because:

A) the quality of data tends to be higher.
B) there is less opportunity for bias.
C) they are easier to analyze.
D) they are less expensive.

Question 37

Which is true about test-retest reliability?

A) Is not useful in situations where the variable is dynamic and changing
B) Reflects a measure of instrument accuracy
C) Requires at least 3 weeks between test and retest administration
D) Requires a correlation between the two administrations of .30 or greater

Question 38

Which of the following is true about the validity of a measure?

A) Characteristics of the sample may affect the validity of a tool for use in a particular study.
B) Once validity is established, it need not be examined before using the tool in future applications.
C) Physiological measures are objective and accurate and do not need to be examined for any type of validity.
D) Use of a tool in many studies indicates it is a valid instrument for nursing research.

Question 39

A researcher studying coping strategies is concerned that women with HIV will feel reluctant to share their experiences. Which of the following strategies is useful for facilitating data collection with potentially threatening research topics?

A) Focus group
B) Mailed questionnaire
C) One-to-one interview
D) Participant observation

Question 40

Consistency is associated with:

A) content analysis.
B) level of measurement.
C) reliability.
D) validity.

Question 41

Serendipitous findings are best dealt with in which of the following ways?

A) Included in the final written report
B) Incorporated into the ongoing study
C) Ignored because they are suspect findings
D) Interchanged with the dependent variable

Question 42

In the research process, a critical factor in data collection is:

A) consistency.
B) flexibility.
C) observation.
D) timeliness.