Question 1

The reliability of a test refers to the extent that the test is free from
A) random error.
B) measurement bias.
C) systematic error.
D) individual traits.

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a test, meaning it is free from random error, which can cause variability in test scores.

Question 2

Consider the following item that might appear on a Likert scale: "I normally do not get along well with other people." Such an item has high __________ validity, but may not have __________ validity because respondents may not answer it honestly.
A) face; construct
B) construct; face
C) face; criterion
D) construct; criterion

Accepted Answer

This item has high face validity because it directly relates to measuring interpersonal relationships, which is apparent on the surface. However, it may lack construct validity if respondents do not answer honestly, affecting the accuracy of measuring the intended psychological construct (in this case, interpersonal compatibility or sociability).

Question 3

A researcher is developing a Likert scale to measure the self-esteem of a group of college students. He considers self-esteem to be a state, in the sense that it will change from day to day based on a person's experiences. Which of the following forms of reliability should he use to assess self-esteem?
A) Internal consistency
B) Interrater
C) Test-retest
D) Equivalent forms

Accepted Answer

Internal consistency is appropriate for assessing the reliability of a scale measuring a construct like self-esteem, especially when it is considered a state that can change frequently. It ensures that the items on the scale are consistently measuring the same construct at a single point in time.

Question 4

A researcher has developed a new test of "interpersonal skills." It consists of measuring a person's shoe size. The test shows a test-retest reliability of .85. It appears that this test has __________ and ___________.
A) high reliability; high face validity
B) high reliability; low face validity
C) low reliability; high face validity
D) low reliability; low face validity

Accepted Answer

The test has high reliability because the test-retest reliability score of .85 indicates consistent results over time. However, it has low face validity because measuring a person's shoe size does not appear to be a relevant or appropriate way to assess interpersonal skills.

Question 5

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) uses which approach to assess reliability?
A) Interrater
B) Equivalent forms
C) Item to total
D) Unexpected item

Accepted Answer

The GRE uses the equivalent forms approach to assess reliability, which involves creating two different versions of the test that are designed to be equivalent in terms of content, difficulty, and style, and then comparing the scores of the same test takers on the two versions to assess consistency.

Question 6

Which of the following two techniques can be used to assess the internal consistency of a scale?
A) Coefficient alpha, split-half reliability
B) Coefficient alpha, test-retest reliability
C) Test-retest reliability, equivalent forms reliability
D) Test-retest reliability, split-half reliability

Accepted Answer

Coefficient alpha (often referred to as Cronbach's alpha) and split-half reliability are both methods used to assess the internal consistency of a scale. Internal consistency refers to how well the items on a scale measure the same construct and provide consistent results. Coefficient alpha calculates the average of all possible split-half reliabilities, while split-half reliability divides the scale into two halves and correlates the scores from each half.

Question 7

A researcher has found that his new measure designed to assess the conceptual variable of "exoticism" correlates about +.85 with an existing measure designed to assess "unusualness." The researcher needs to worry about the __________ of his measure.
A) random error
B) measurement bias
C) face validity
D) discriminant validity

Accepted Answer

Discriminant validity is concerned with whether a measure that is not supposed to be related to other variables actually is not related to them. In this case, the high correlation between "exoticism" and "unusualness" suggests that the new measure may not be sufficiently distinct from the existing measure, indicating a potential issue with discriminant validity.

Question 8

Which of the following statistics would be used to assess the reliability of a set of raters who used a nominal variable to code behavior?
A) Kappa
B) Coefficient alpha
C) Pearson R
D) The reliability statistic

Accepted Answer

Kappa (often referred to as Cohen's Kappa) is the correct statistic for assessing inter-rater reliability when the raters are using a nominal scale to code behaviors. It measures the agreement between raters beyond what would be expected by chance.

Question 9

A form of reliability that is used to assess the consistency of judgment when more than one person has observed a set of events is known as
A) judgment reliability.
B) interrater reliability.
C) construct reliability.
D) internal reliability.

Accepted Answer

Interrater reliability assesses the degree to which different raters/observers give consistent estimates of the same phenomenon. This is crucial in research or any situation where multiple observers are used to ensure that the observations are reliable regardless of who is observing.

Question 10

Which of the following equations represents the relationship between true score, actual score, and reliability?
A) Reliability equals true score divided by actual score.
B) Reliability equals true score plus actual score.
C) Reliability equals actual score divided by true score.
D) Reliability equals actual score minus true score.

Accepted Answer

Reliability in the context of psychological testing and measurement is defined as the ratio of the variance of the true score to the variance of the observed (actual) score. However, none of the options provided directly matches this definition. The closest option, based on a misunderstanding, is A, but it incorrectly represents the relationship as a simple division of scores rather than a ratio of variances. In reality, reliability is a more complex concept that cannot be accurately captured by any of the options given.

Question 11

Changes in a person's current mood, a misreading or misunderstanding of the question, and measuring individuals on different days or in different places are all likely to contribute to
A) random error.
B) systematic error.
C) reliable error.
D) operational error.

Accepted Answer

Random error arises from unpredictable fluctuations and inconsistencies that occur in the data collection process, such as changes in mood, misunderstandings of questions, or variations in testing conditions (like different days or places). These factors do not consistently skew the data in one direction, as systematic error would, but instead introduce variability that is random in nature.

Question 12

A measured variable that contains a large proportion of random error is said to be
A) unreliable.
B) invalid.
C) a state variable.
D) a trait variable.

Accepted Answer

A variable that contains a large proportion of random error is considered unreliable because its measurements are inconsistent over time or across different measurement occasions.

Question 13

Consider a researcher who developed a test of driving skills that involved measuring the ability to effectively shift gears in a manual transmission car. One might criticize this test for having low
A) content validity.
B) criterion validity.
C) predictive validity.
D) discriminant validity.

Accepted Answer

Content validity refers to how well a test measures the entire range of the subject it's supposed to assess. In this case, driving skills encompass much more than just the ability to shift gears in a manual transmission car, suggesting the test has low content validity because it doesn't cover all aspects of driving skills.

Question 14

If it is found that people's self-esteem changes quickly-for instance, from day to day-then self-esteem should be considered to be
A) a trait variable.
B) a state variable.
C) an unreliable variable.
D) an invalid variable.

Accepted Answer

Self-esteem that changes quickly from day to day is considered a state variable because state variables capture conditions that can fluctuate over short periods of time, unlike trait variables which are consistent and long-lasting characteristics.

Question 15

Kappa is used
A) to test the construct validity of a measure.
B) to test the criterion validity of a measure.
C) to compute the reliability of a set of nominal variables.
D) to eliminate items from a Likert scale.

Accepted Answer

Kappa is used to compute the reliability of a set of nominal variables, specifically assessing the agreement between two raters or methods of classification beyond what would be expected by chance.

Question 16

Donna is in a two-part experiment. She completed a self-esteem measure one week ago and is now taking the same measure again. Which of the following problems may arise from this process?
A) Systematic error phenomenon
B) Violation of face validity
C) Equivalent form effects
D) Retesting effects

Accepted Answer

Retesting effects can occur because Donna is taking the same measure again after a short period. This might lead to changes in her responses due to her memory of the first test, rather than actual changes in her self-esteem.

Question 17

Which of the following is true about the difference between random and systematic error?
A) Random error is self-canceling, whereas systematic error tends to increase or decrease the scores on the measured variable.
B) Random error tends to increase or decrease the scores on the dependent variable, whereas systematic error is self-canceling.
C) Both random error and systematic error are self-canceling.
D) Because systematic error is self-canceling, it is less problematic in research than is random error.

Accepted Answer

Random error varies in a random way and can cancel itself out over many measurements, while systematic error consistently biases the results in one direction, either increasing or decreasing the scores on the measured variable.

Question 18

Errors in recording the scores on a test that occur because the keypuncher is not paying attention are likely to produce
A) spurious relationships.
B) low face validity.
C) random error.
D) systematic error.

Accepted Answer

Random error occurs due to unpredictable and unsystematic variations, such as a keypuncher's lapses in attention, which affect the accuracy of scores in a non-consistent manner.

Question 19

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is a measure of which of the following?
A) The internal consistency of a scale
B) Test-retest reliability
C) Interrater reliability
D) Construct reliability

Accepted Answer

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is used to assess the internal consistency of a scale, indicating how closely related a set of items are as a group.

Question 20

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is a measure of which of the following?
A) The average validity of an item
B) The correlation between one item and the total scale score
C) The average correlation among the items
D) The face validity of a scale

Accepted Answer

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is a measure of the average correlation among the items in a scale, indicating the internal consistency or reliability of the scale.

Quiz 5: Reliability and Validity

The reliability of a test refers to the extent that the test is free from

Consider the following item that might appear on a Likert scale: "I normally do not get along well with other people." Such an item has high validity, but may not have validity because respondents may not answer it honestly.

A researcher has developed a new test of "interpersonal skills." It consists of measuring a person's shoe size. The test shows a test-retest reliability of .85. It appears that this test has and _.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) uses which approach to assess reliability?

Which of the following two techniques can be used to assess the internal consistency of a scale?

A researcher has found that his new measure designed to assess the conceptual variable of "exoticism" correlates about +.85 with an existing measure designed to assess "unusualness." The researcher needs to worry about the __________ of his measure.

Which of the following statistics would be used to assess the reliability of a set of raters who used a nominal variable to code behavior?

A form of reliability that is used to assess the consistency of judgment when more than one person has observed a set of events is known as

Which of the following equations represents the relationship between true score, actual score, and reliability?

Changes in a person's current mood, a misreading or misunderstanding of the question, and measuring individuals on different days or in different places are all likely to contribute to

A measured variable that contains a large proportion of random error is said to be

Consider a researcher who developed a test of driving skills that involved measuring the ability to effectively shift gears in a manual transmission car. One might criticize this test for having low

If it is found that people's self-esteem changes quickly-for instance, from day to day-then self-esteem should be considered to be

Kappa is used

Donna is in a two-part experiment. She completed a self-esteem measure one week ago and is now taking the same measure again. Which of the following problems may arise from this process?

Which of the following is true about the difference between random and systematic error?

Errors in recording the scores on a test that occur because the keypuncher is not paying attention are likely to produce

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is a measure of which of the following?

Cronbach's coefficient alpha is a measure of which of the following?