Question 1

According to Chapter 4,open-ended questions are used frequently in:

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions are particularly useful in focus group discussions, where the aim is to encourage participants to share their thoughts and ideas freely. Focus groups are an important tool for gathering qualitative data, particularly when exploring complex social phenomena, as they allow researchers to elicit rich, detailed information about people's experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. While open-ended questions may also be used in other types of research, such as interviews or surveys, they are particularly well-suited to the interactive, dynamic context of focus groups.

Question 2

Pilot testing most often refers to the use of:

Accepted Answer

Pilot testing is the process of trying out a research method or instrument on a small scale before implementing it in a full-scale study. It is commonly referred to as a practice study, where researchers test their hypotheses, research design, and data collection methods in a smaller sample size to identify potential problems and make necessary adjustments. Therefore, choice A, a practice study, is the most appropriate answer.

Question 3

In a survey study of prosocial attitudes and self-reported helping behavior,Zeke included the survey item,"I am opposed to murder." This item is extremely unlikely to yield useful survey responses.Why?

Accepted Answer

The item "I am opposed to murder" is likely to yield responses that are overwhelmingly in agreement, leading to a ceiling effect where most participants select the highest point of agreement on the scale, providing little variability or useful information for analyzing attitudes towards less universally condemned behaviors.

Question 4

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in Chapter 4 as a rule for writing good survey questions?

Accepted Answer

Rule number 4 for writing good survey questions is to use questions that avoid variance.

Question 5

Chapter 4 begins with a story about the butterfly ballots that were used in Palm Beach County,Florida in the 2000 Presidential election.The point of this story is that it is surprisingly difficult to:

Accepted Answer

The story about the butterfly ballots illustrates the difficulty of translating psychological constructs (in this case, voters' intentions and preferences) into observable events (their actual votes). The confusing design of the ballot led many voters to mistakenly vote for the wrong candidate, highlighting the complexity of measuring voting behavior accurately.

Question 6

Summer was allowed to ask six and only six questions in a large survey study.If Summer wanted to measure both (a)gender and (b)gender role attitudes (attitudes about the proper roles of men and women in society),how should she use her six questions as wisely as possible?

Accepted Answer

Gender can be effectively assessed with a single question, allowing the remaining questions to focus on the more complex issue of gender role attitudes.

Question 7

According to Chapter 4,one common reason why research participants do not answer the question(s)that a researcher intended is:

Accepted Answer

Researchers often fail to consider the perspective of participants, leading to questions that are unclear or irrelevant to them.

Question 8

Response translation refers to the process by which:

Accepted Answer

Response translation involves the process where survey participants convert their internal thoughts, feelings, or behaviors into a form that can be expressed on a survey, typically through selecting options on a categorical or numerical rating scale. This is a crucial step in survey methodology to ensure that internal states are accurately captured and quantified.

Question 9

Although it is generally a good idea to avoid loaded questions in survey research,your textbook pointed out that researchers can sometimes use loaded questions to get participants to:

Accepted Answer

Loaded questions can be used in survey research to encourage participants to admit to engaging in behaviors that they may be reluctant to report. This may lead to more accurate data collection, as participants may be more likely to share sensitive information if they feel that others are also engaging in similar behaviors. However, researchers should be cautious and considerate when using loaded questions, as they can also lead to biased responses.

Question 10

During the judgment phase of answering a self-report question,participants determine what question is being asked,and then they:

Accepted Answer

During the judgment phase, participants form some initial response to the question. This means they think about how they feel, what they believe, or what their experiences are in relation to the question being asked. They do not yet convert this response to a numerical answer, compare it to other people's responses, or agree or disagree with a basic proposition (which might come later in the response process).

Question 11

Imagine that a survey of subscribers to TV Guide asked the following: "Which TV show do you prefer,'Survivor' or 'Jeopardy'?" According to the text,this question is problematic because it:

Accepted Answer

The question is problematic because it is a forced-choice question, which limits respondents to choosing only between two options and does not allow for any other possible preferences or opinions.

Question 12

According to the text,a survey item such as "I am a kind and forgiving person." is not an ideal question because it:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the text,a survey item such...

Question 13

Researchers who develop multiple-item measures of a psychological construct sometimes use negatively worded items,that is,items that must be recoded before scoring.This approach is:

Accepted Answer

Negatively worded items are useful in avoiding a "yay saying" response bias where participants tend to agree with all questions, regardless of their actual beliefs or behaviors. This is because negatively worded items require participants to pay closer attention and think before responding, leading to more accurate responses.

Question 14

A focus group is:

Accepted Answer

A focus group is a specific kind of pilot study often used by marketing researchers to gather feedback on a product, service, or marketing campaign. It typically involves a small group of people who fit a certain demographic profile and who are asked to provide their opinions and reactions to various stimuli. The results are then used to refine and optimize the product, service, or campaign.

Question 15

Floor effects and ceiling effects are each examples of:

Accepted Answer

Floor effects and ceiling effects both refer to situations where the data are clustered at the lower or upper ends of the measurement scale, respectively, indicating a restriction of range. This can happen when the instrument used to measure a variable does not adequately capture the full variability of the participants' responses.

Question 16

Providing participants with instructions and using practice questions:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Providing participants with instructions and using practice...

Question 17

Which of these is NOT a drawback to using open-ended questions?

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions do not force participants to use a specific response scale. Instead, they allow participants to provide answers in their own words, providing more detailed and nuanced information. The other options are potential drawbacks to using open-ended questions, such as the need for highly trained raters to code responses and the potential for important concepts to be left out. Additionally, coding open-ended responses can be time-consuming.

Question 18

Most researchers prefer structured self-report questions over open-ended questions.This is because open-ended questions often yield responses that:

Accepted Answer

Structured self-report questions allow researchers to control the response options and ensure that the construct of interest is mentioned. Open-ended questions can result in a variety of responses, some of which may not relate to the construct being studied.

Question 19

According to the text,which of the following is a good way to develop good structured self-report questions for a survey?

Accepted Answer

All three options (reading research literature, making use of focus groups, and conducting pilot tests) are good ways to develop good structured self-report questions for a survey. By reading established surveys in the research literature, one can gain insight into effective question formatting and the use of standardized language. Focus groups can provide valuable feedback on the wording and comprehension of survey questions. Pilot tests can help identify any issues with the survey's questions or structure before it is distributed to a larger sample. All of these methods can lead to a more reliable and valid survey instrument.

Question 20

Lisa is administering her questionnaire to a large group of very diverse college students.What steps should she take when writing her questions?

Accepted Answer

Lisa should take all of these steps when writing her questions. Using unbiased language means avoiding language that is offensive or excludes certain groups of people. Avoiding loaded questions means avoiding questions that have a likely desired answer or that make assumptions about the respondent. Easing into sensitive questions means starting with less controversial questions and gradually moving towards more sensitive ones. Taking all of these steps can help ensure that the questionnaire is fair and accurately captures the opinions and experiences of the diverse group of college students being surveyed.

Quiz 4: Moving From Notions to Numbers: Psychological Measurement