Question 1

Criterion validity is a type of validity that consists of a subjective but systematic evaluation of the representativeness of the content of a scale for the measuring task at hand.

Accepted Answer

Criterion validity is actually a type of validity that involves comparing the scores obtained from a scale or test to a criterion measure or standard that has already been established. This criterion measure is typically considered to be an objective external standard against which the validity of the scale or test is evaluated.

Question 2

Scales are only presented horizontally.

Accepted Answer

Scales can also be presented vertically, such as on a graph or chart.

Question 3

A construct is more abstract than everyday concepts.

Accepted Answer

Constructs are concepts that are deliberately abstract and are created to explain or describe a phenomenon. They are not tangible or concrete, but rather they provide a theoretical framework for understanding a particular aspect of the world. Everyday concepts, on the other hand, tend to be more concrete and easily observable.

Question 4

Discriminant validity is a measure of construct validity that measures the extent to which the scale correlates positively with other measures of the same construct.

Accepted Answer

Discriminant validity is a measure of construct validity that measures the extent to which the scale correlates negatively or weakly with measures of different, unrelated constructs.

Question 5

A scale consisting of multiple items, in which an item is a single question or statement to be evaluated is called a multi-item scale.

Accepted Answer

This is correct. A multi-item scale is made up of multiple individual questions or statements to be evaluated.

Question 6

Alternative-form reliability is a form of internal consistency reliability in which the items constituting the scale are divided into two halves, and the resulting half scores are correlated.

Accepted Answer

Alternative-form reliability refers to the correlation between two equivalent versions of a test, not the division of a single test into two halves. The division of a test into two halves for correlation is a method of assessing split-half reliability, a different concept.

Question 7

According to the text, total measurement error is determined by multiplying systematic error with random error.

Accepted Answer

Total measurement error is determined by adding systematic error and random error, not multiplying them.

Question 8

The extent to which a scale produces consistent results if repeated measurements are made on the characteristic is called reliability.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of reliability.

Question 9

Random error affects the measurement in a constant way and represents stable factors that affect the observed score in the same way each time the measurement is made.

Accepted Answer

Random error is also known as unstable error as it affects the measurement in an unpredictable way each time it is made. It represents factors that can vary from one measurement to another, such as individual differences in response or environmental conditions.

Question 10

Systematic error describes measurement error that arises from arbitrary changes that have a different effect each time the measurement is made.

Accepted Answer

Systematic error describes measurement error that is consistent, repeatable, and typically arises from a flaw in the measurement system itself, not from arbitrary changes.

Question 11

According to the text, researchers may assess validity using coefficient validity.

Accepted Answer

Researchers assess validity using various methods, but "coefficient validity" is not a recognized term; they might use terms like "construct validity," "content validity," "face validity," or "criterion validity."

Question 12

Test-retest reliability is an approach for assessing reliability in which respondents are administered identical sets of scale items at two different times under as nearly equivalent conditions as possible.

Accepted Answer

Test-retest reliability is indeed an approach for assessing reliability where respondents are given the same set of scale items at two different times under similar conditions.

Question 13

An approach for assessing reliability, which requires two equivalent forms of the scale to be constructed and then measures the same respondents at two different times using the alternate forms, is called alternative-form reliability.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately describes alternative-form reliability.

Question 14

Reliability refers to the extent to which a scale produces valid results if repeated measurements are made.

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure, not its validity. Validity is about whether the scale measures what it is supposed to measure.

Question 15

A measure of internal consistency reliability that is the average of all possible split-half coefficients resulting from different splittings of the scale items is called coefficient gamma.

Accepted Answer

The measure described is actually coefficient alpha, not coefficient gamma.

Question 16

Validity is the extent to which differences in observed scale scores reflect true differences among objects on the characteristic being measured, rather than systematic or random errors.

Accepted Answer

Validity is indeed defined as the extent to which scale scores reflect true differences in the characteristic being measured and not due to errors.

Question 17

Internal consistency reliability is used to assess the reliability of a summated scale and refers to the consistency with which each item represents the construct of interest.

Accepted Answer

Internal consistency reliability does indeed assess the consistency with which each item represents the construct of interest in a summated scale, so the statement is true.

Question 18

Perfect reliability implies perfect validity.

Accepted Answer

Perfect reliability means consistent and repeatable results. However, reliability does not guarantee that the measure is measuring what it is intended to measure, which is the essence of validity. Therefore, perfect reliability does not necessarily imply perfect validity.

Question 19

Random reliability is a popular approach for assessing reliability.

Accepted Answer

Random reliability is not a popular approach for assessing reliability. Random reliability refers to the reliability of a system when its components fail at random, which is not a common scenario. Other more popular methods for assessing reliability include reliability block diagrams, fault trees, and reliability growth models.

Question 20

A type of validity that addresses the question of what characteristic the scale is measuring is called construct validity.

Accepted Answer

Construct validity is concerned with whether a scale is measuring the construct or characteristic it is intended to measure.

Quiz 10: Measurement and Scaling: Noncomparative Scaling Techniques