Question 1

Which is considered the least precise level of measurement?

Accepted Answer

Nominal measurement is the least precise level of measurement because it only categorizes data into distinct groups or categories without any numerical values assigned to them. Examples of nominal measurements include gender, race, and eye color. There is no inherent order or ranking to these categories, unlike ordinal, interval, and ratio measurements.

Question 2

A measure of how stable a test is over time is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Test-retest reliability measures the consistency of a test over time. It involves administering the same test to the same group of people on two different occasions and comparing their scores. A high test-retest reliability indicates that the test produces consistent results over time.

Question 3

What would the inter-rater reliability be for a 50-item measure in which the number of agreements between Rater 1 and Rater 2 was 45?

Accepted Answer

Inter-rater reliability refers to the degree of agreement between two or more raters in their assessments or ratings of the same set of data. It is usually expressed as a correlation coefficient between 0 and 1, and higher values indicate greater agreement between raters. In this case, the number of agreements between Rater 1 and Rater 2 was 45 out of 50 items. To calculate the inter-rater reliability, we need to divide the number of agreements by the total number of items and then convert it to a correlation coefficient.

Agreements/Total items = 45/50 = 0.9

Therefore, the inter-rater reliability is 0.9, which corresponds to choice letter C.

Question 4

Inter-rater reliability measures consistency_________________.

Accepted Answer

Inter-rater reliability measures consistency from rater to rater, meaning it assesses how consistent multiple raters are in their scoring or evaluation of the same performance or behavior.

Question 5

Which is considered the most precise level of measurement?

Accepted Answer

Ratio level of measurement is the most precise as it has all the properties of interval and ordinal measures with the additional feature of having an absolute zero point, meaning that ratios between values can be compared mathematically. This makes it possible to make statements such as 'twice as many', 'half as many', and so on.

Question 6

If the measures associated with a test are said to be consistent, you might conclude the measure is _______________________.

Accepted Answer

Consistency is a characteristic of reliability in psychological testing, which means that the results of a test are consistent and stable over time and across different examiners. Therefore, if the measures associated with a test are consistent, we can conclude that the measure is reliable. Validity, on the other hand, refers to how well a test measures what it is supposed to measure, and concurrent validity refers to how well a test corresponds to a criterion measure at the same time point. Standardization, while important for ensuring reliable and valid scores on a test, is not the same as consistency/reliability.

Question 7

If the reason for the difference between the true and observed score is a characteristic of the person taking the test, the resulting decrease in reliability will be attributed to ____________.

Accepted Answer

Trait error refers to errors that occur due to the characteristics of the person being measured. These errors decrease the reliability of the test. Method error, random error, and nonsystematic error are all different types of errors but do not relate specifically to the characteristics of the person taking the test.

Question 8

Which coefficient reflects the occurrence of perfect reliability?

Accepted Answer

A coefficient of +1.00 represents perfect reliability because it indicates a perfect positive correlation between two sets of scores or measures. This means that there is a strong, consistent relationship between the two measures, implying that they are both measuring the same thing with no error or inconsistency.

Question 9

_________________ describes a measure used to compare two different tests with the same group of participants to see how closely correlated the two sets of scores are with each other.

Accepted Answer

Parallel-forms reliability measures the correlation between two different tests with the same group of participants, but are designed to measure the same construct. This is done to control for practice effect or familiarity with the test items, and allows for a more accurate comparison of scores between the two tests.

Question 10

Two trained professionals observe the behavior of children in a classroom. They each rate observed behaviors using the same form and the number of items that were rated the same is
Calculated. This is an example of which type of reliability?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of inter-rater reliability, which measures the consistency between two or more observers rating the same behavior using the same tool or measure.

Question 11

Which variable would be considered to be measured at the ordinal level?

Accepted Answer

Racing results involve ranking or ordering participants based on their performance, which is a characteristic of ordinal-level variables. Religious affiliation, SAT score, and temperature, on the other hand, can be measured at a higher level of measurement such as nominal, interval, or ratio.

Question 12

When we calculate reliability, we know the observed score. What are the two unknown components of the reliability equation?

Accepted Answer

The two unknown components of the reliability equation are the true score and error score. The true score represents the person's actual ability or characteristic being measured, while the error score represents any random or systematic sources of measurement error that can affect the observed score.

Question 13

Which of the following variables is an example of the nominal level of measurement?

Accepted Answer

Nominal level of measurement is used to categorize variables without any order or numerical meaning. In this case, gender is a categorical variable that can be divided into distinct groups without any inherent order or numerical meaning.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT an example of reliability?

Accepted Answer

Option C describes validity, which is the degree to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure. Reliability refers to consistency and the ability of a test to produce consistent results over time or in different situations. Options A, B, and D all describe different aspects of reliability.

Question 15

What are the two components of error scores?

Accepted Answer

Trait error and method error are the two components of error scores. Trait error refers to the variability in scores due to individual differences in the trait being measured, while method error refers to the variability introduced by the measurement process itself.

Question 16

The ratio level of measurement would include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ratio level of measurement would include...

Question 17

Which of the following would be considered a continuous variable?

Accepted Answer

Length is a continuous variable as it can take on any value within a range and can be measured with precision, whereas A and B are discrete variables with a limited set of possible values, and C is a categorical variable.

Question 18

A score that you would actually record is an) _______________.

Accepted Answer

An observed score is what is actually recorded or measured in an experiment, while the true score is an estimated score that accounts for measurement error. Error scores and false scores are not valid choices as they are not actual scores that would be recorded.

Question 19

The interval level of measurement would include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Interval level of measurement involves numerical values with equal intervals and no true zero point. IQ scores have equal intervals but do not have a true zero point, making them examples of interval level of measurement. The other options are either nominal level (A and B) or ratio level (D) of measurement.

Question 20

Which level of measurement conveys the most information?

Accepted Answer

Ratio level of measurement conveys the most information as it has all the properties of nominal, ordinal and interval measurement along with a true and meaningful zero point, which allows for meaningful comparisons and arithmetic operations on the data.

Quiz 5: Measurement, Reliability, and Validity