Question 1

One step in the analysis of narrative records consists of identifying units of behavior according to specific criteria.This process is called

Accepted Answer

The process of identifying units of behavior according to specific criteria and assigning codes to them is called coding. It is an essential step in the analysis of narrative records, particularly in qualitative research. The other options, such as chunking, filing, or classifying, may be related to some aspects of data analysis but are not specific to the identification and coding of behavior units.

Question 2

When a more or less faithful reproduction of behavior as it originally occurred is recorded in either written form or through the use of audio or video recording,the resulting description of behavior in an observation study is called a

Accepted Answer

A narrative record is a detailed description of behavior in an observation study that aims to capture the essence of what occurred. It records the behavior as it naturally occurred and is written in a narrative form. This is the most commonly used approach in observation studies and is considered to be the most accurate method of recording behavior. Physical traces refer to any physical evidence left behind by the behavior (such as footprints, debris, or damage), while data transcripts and complete files are not typically used to describe behavior in observation studies.

Question 3

A researcher examines the number of "family-size" products on supermarket shelves in America and France,and concludes that Americans prefer larger-sized portions than do the French.A second researcher concludes that the number of members in a typical family is larger in American than in France.These different interpretations indicate that

Accepted Answer

The two researchers have drawn different interpretations from the same unobtrusive measure, which is the number of family-size products on supermarket shelves. The validity of unobtrusive measures needs to be carefully examined, as in this case, to ensure that accurate conclusions can be drawn. This highlights the importance of considering the context and possible alternative explanations when using unobtrusive measures.

Question 4

When observers are asked to use a rating scale to measure a psychological dimension such as aggressiveness or anxiety,the researchers must decide whether these ratings represent

Accepted Answer

The ratings would be considered ordinal because they represent a ranking or order of the level of aggressiveness or anxiety. However, depending on the type of scale used (e.g. Likert scale), the ratings could also be considered interval because they represent equal intervals or distances between levels of aggressiveness or anxiety. Therefore, either an ordinal or interval scale could be appropriate depending on the specific method used for the rating scale.

Question 5

Researchers conducted a content analysis in which they coded how males and females are depicted in work settings on TV.They included programs with a story line and all commercials,but they excluded documentaries,news broadcasts,and sports shows.Which characteristic of the researchers' sample is likely to be most affected by these decisions?

Accepted Answer

The researchers' sample may not be fully representative of how males and females are depicted in work settings on TV since they excluded certain types of programs such as documentaries, news broadcasts, and sports shows. By excluding these types of programs, the researchers may have inadvertently biased their sample towards certain types of portrayals.

Question 6

Two types of archival records are

Accepted Answer

Running records are those created as part of day-to-day operations, such as financial and personnel records, while episodic records are created in response to specific events, such as meeting minutes and reports. These types of records help to provide a complete picture of an organization's activities and history. Choice B refers to access restrictions on records, while choice C refers to selection processes for preservation, neither of which are types of records.

Question 7

A researcher measures participants' speed to push a button on the computer when a stimulus is presented on the computer screen.Which of the following measurement scales describes this reaction time measure?

Accepted Answer

Reaction time is measured on a ratio scale because it has a true zero point (no reaction time) and equal intervals between measurements, allowing for the calculation of meaningful ratios.

Question 8

The distinction between natural-use traces and controlled-use traces is similar to the distinction between

Accepted Answer

The distinction between natural-use traces and controlled-use traces highlights whether the observed phenomenon is occurring without human intervention (natural-use traces) or with deliberate intervention (controlled-use traces). This is similar to the distinction between observations without intervention (correlations) and observations with intervention (spurious relationships). Therefore, option B is the best choice. Option A describes a different distinction between genuine and misleading associations. Options C and D are not related to the concept being discussed.

Question 9

Advice columnists respond to only a fraction of the letters they receive.If a researcher were to analyze only the columnists' printed letters to describe the everyday problems people face,which problem likely will affect the researcher's findings?

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon occurs when only a portion of the total population is available for analysis, which can result in biased or inaccurate findings. In the case of the advice columnists, only a fraction of the letters are actually responded to and printed, so the researchers may be missing out on a significant portion of letters and issues that people face. Therefore, the researcher's findings may not accurately represent the everyday problems people face due to selective survival.

Question 10

A researcher uses archival records to investigate whether divorce rates in a city change following major catastrophes (e.g.,hurricane,terrorism).This represents the use of

Accepted Answer

Natural treatments refer to naturally occurring events or changes that researchers study to observe their effects, such as the impact of catastrophes on divorce rates.

Question 11

Researchers who analyze postings on Facebook to understand human behavior are aware that the information people choose to display about themselves may be biased.In terms of archival data,this represents the problem of

Accepted Answer

Selective deposit refers to the bias introduced when data (in this case, Facebook postings) are not a complete representation of the phenomenon being studied, but rather are selectively presented by the individuals involved. This can lead to a skewed understanding of human behavior, as researchers are only seeing what participants choose to share.

Question 12

When many observations of the same children in a classroom are made it is possible to determine the frequency of certain behaviors,such as how many times children speak in class.Which scale of measurement do these frequency data represent?

Accepted Answer

The frequency data represents a ratio scale of measurement because there is a clear and meaningful zero point (i.e. zero times speaking in class) and equal intervals between values (i.e. each time a child speaks in class is the same interval). This is the highest level of measurement and allows for meaningful mathematical operations such as calculating means and standard deviations.

Question 13

A state's education director received a report listing the school rankings in terms of high school students' graduation rates.Which scale of measurement is represented in this report?

Accepted Answer

The rankings reflect an order, indicating that one school has a higher graduation rate than another. However, there is no standard unit of measurement or fixed distance between the ranks, so it is not a true interval or ratio scale. It is also not a nominal scale as the rankings have a meaningful order. Therefore, the best choice is the ordinal scale.

Question 14

Research studies have examined evidence of past human behavior,including works of art,television shows,and bumper stickers,to test various hypotheses.This source of unobtrusive evidence is called

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research studies have examined evidence of past...

Question 15

A researcher observes that the frequency of traffic accidents increases in warmer weather.This researcher need to consider whether there are more cars on the road when it is warmer.This "number of cars" variable must be considered to determine if the relationship between traffic accidents and temperature is

Accepted Answer

In order to establish a causal relationship between traffic accidents and temperature, the researcher needs to control for potential confounding variables. If there are more cars on the road during warmer weather, then the relationship between traffic accidents and temperature may be spurious, meaning that it appears to be causal, but is actually due to a third variable (number of cars) that is affecting both of the observed variables (traffic accidents and temperature). Thus, the researcher needs to consider the potential confounding variable of number of cars to determine if the relationship between traffic accidents and temperature is spurious.

Question 16

For both physical and psychological measurement,the lowest scale of measurement involves categorizing the stimulus into one of a number of discrete categories (e.g.,whether or not someone makes eye contact).This level of measurement is called

Accepted Answer

The lowest scale of measurement is a nominal scale, which involves assigning scores to objects or individuals for the purpose of categorization. In this case, the stimulus is being categorized into discrete categories (making eye contact or not), which fits with a nominal scale.

Question 17

Which of the following would be an example of coding a narrative record during the process of data reduction in qualitative data analysis?

Accepted Answer

Coding a narrative record involves identifying themes or patterns in the data and categorizing them into different codes or categories. Classifying behaviors from an observation record into different categories is an example of this type of coding. Calculating interobserver reliability and obtaining a mean number of behaviors are not examples of coding a narrative record, while displaying data using a graph or chart is a form of data visualization, not coding.

Question 18

When events are classified into mutually exclusive categories on a nominal scale (e.g.,whether a behavior is present or absent),the most common descriptive statistic is

Accepted Answer

When events are classified into mutually exclusive categories on a nominal scale, the most appropriate descriptive statistic is relative frequency. This is because these categories do not have any inherent numerical value or order, making measures like arithmetic mean or relative rank irrelevant. Instead, the relative frequency (i.e., proportion) of events falling into each category is the most meaningful descriptor.

Question 19

Which of the following dependent variables is most likely to represent a ratio scale of measurement?

Accepted Answer

Duration of eye contact represents a ratio scale of measurement because it has a meaningful zero point and measurements can be expressed as ratios (e.g., one person's eye contact duration is twice as long as another's). The other options do not have a meaningful zero point and therefore do not represent a ratio scale of measurement.

Question 20

The process of abstracting and summarizing behavioral data from narrative records,including identifying categories and themes,is called

Accepted Answer

The answer of The process of abstracting and summarizing behavioral...

Quiz 4: Observation