Question 1

Buford wants to double check the range for Cronbach's alpha with his mentor in his research lab.The appropriate range for Cronbach's alpha is:

Accepted Answer

Cronbach's alpha is a measure of internal consistency reliability, which ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. A higher value indicates a greater degree of reliability, with values closer to 1.0 indicating more reliable measurements. Values below 0.6 are generally considered to indicate poor internal consistency. Therefore, the appropriate range for Cronbach's alpha is 0.0 to 1.0.

Question 2

Researchers included items on sports and recent events on a scale about political interests.They did this in an effort to mislead the participants as to the purpose of the survey.The sports and recent event items were:

Accepted Answer

Distractor items are meant to distract or mislead participants from the actual purpose of the survey, which was about political interests in this case. The sports and recent event items were not included to measure political interests but rather to mislead participants, so they qualify as distractor items.

Question 3

Mr.Wright is reviewing a measure of relationship satisfaction and realized that if he wants higher scores to represent higher relationship satisfaction then he needs to reverse code the items before he ______ to determine the overall score for an individual participant.

Accepted Answer

Since the question mentions that Mr. Wright needs to reverse code the items before determining the overall score, it can be inferred that the items are currently coded in a way where lower scores indicate higher relationship satisfaction. Therefore, the items need to be reversed (i.e. lower scores become higher scores and vice versa) before they are summed to determine the overall score of the participant. Therefore, the correct choice is B - sums the items. The other choices (calculating the mean, determining the variability, and calculating the standard deviation) do not involve reversing the items and are not relevant to the given information in the question.

Question 4

Local university administrators developed a new curriculum and wanted to pilot it on a representative student sample.Approximately 20% of students study online and 80% are residential students.Administrators wanted the pilot sample to have a similar makeup so they used:

Accepted Answer

Stratified random sampling involves dividing the population into groups or strata based on known characteristics, and then randomly selecting a sample from each stratum. In this case, the population is divided into two strata (online students and residential students) based on the known proportion of each group, and a random sample is selected from each stratum. This ensures that the pilot sample is representative of the entire population, with a similar makeup of online and residential students.

Question 5

Dr.Norx is writing up the results section of a recent study.He is about to note the Cronbach's alpha for a measure of psychopathy in his study.Which symbol is appropriate for such a write-up?

Accepted Answer

Cronbach's alpha is commonly denoted by the symbol α. Therefore, choice D with the symbol "α" is the best choice.

Question 6

If a research study asks personal or sensitive information it is important the purpose of the study is clearly stated and ______ is obtained to document reporting procedures.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a research study asks personal or...

Question 7

In the process of research it is extremely important to ensure you follow the appropriate steps in setting up a strong study.If your measure lacks ______ then there is no need to proceed with additional analyses.

Accepted Answer

Internal consistency is essential for ensuring that the items within a measure are measuring the same construct. If a measure lacks internal consistency, there is no point in proceeding with further analyses as the results will be unreliable. Content validity, face validity, and test-retest reliability are also important considerations in research, but internal consistency is the most critical in determining whether a measure is robust enough to be used in further analyses.

Question 8

Hank decided to use ______in which he separated the sophomore college class by geographic region and then randomly sampled from each region.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Hank decided to use ______in which he...

Question 9

In typical data software programs each column represents:

Accepted Answer

In typical data software programs, each column represents a single item. This allows for clear organization and analysis of data.

Question 10

In typical data software programs each row represents:

Accepted Answer

In typical data software programs, each row usually represents a single participant, making it the correct choice. Rows are usually used to represent individual cases, and therefore, it is most appropriate for the representation of a single participant or individual case.

Question 11

Dr.Clarion had one group of research participants complete scale 1 first and scale 2 next and had the other group of participants complete scale 2 first and scale 1 next.This was done in an effort to:

Accepted Answer

By having different groups complete the scales in a different order, Dr. Clarion is reducing the potential for order effects or practice effects, which could bias the results. This increases the internal validity of the study.

Question 12

Mr.Wright is reviewing a measure of relationship satisfaction and realized that if he wants higher scores to represent higher relationship satisfaction then he needs to ______ before he sums the items to determine the overall score for an individual participant.

Accepted Answer

By reverse-coding certain items, the scale can be adjusted so that higher scores represent higher relationship satisfaction. This is because reversing the score of an item changes the direction of the relationship between the item and the overall score. For example, if a participant rates an item with a low score (e.g. "I often feel ignored by my partner"), the score is reversed so that a low score becomes a high score (e.g. "I rarely feel ignored by my partner"), which contributes to a higher overall score for relationship satisfaction.

Question 13

In order to reduce evaluation apprehension in participants Dr.Hugo included ______ in the scale.

Accepted Answer

Including distractor items can help reduce evaluation apprehension by making it more difficult for participants to discern the purpose of the scale and thus feel less pressure to give socially desirable responses. Fewer items may not necessarily reduce evaluation apprehension, and discriminant or demographic items may actually increase it if participants feel that their responses will reveal personal information.

Question 14

Nestor is reviewing data for his research lab and is in the process of going down the spreadsheet column and changing responses.He is changing 5s to 1s and 1s to 5s.He is going through the process of:

Accepted Answer

Nestor is performing reverse-coding, which involves changing the directionality of response options (e.g. changing "1 = strongly disagree" to "1 = strongly agree"). In this specific case, he is changing 5s to 1s and 1s to 5s, which is a form of reverse-coding. Item differentiation refers to measuring different constructs with different items, item variability refers to the range of responses for a single item, and dummy coding refers to a statistical analysis technique for categorical variables.

Question 15

Simple random sampling functions on the idea that:

Accepted Answer

Simple random sampling functions by giving everyone an equal chance of being selected. This ensures that the sample is truly representative of the population without any bias towards certain subgroups. Options A and D suggest some form of stratification, which is a different sampling technique. Option B provides everyone with the same probability, but not necessarily an equal chance, as some individuals may have certain characteristics that make them more likely to be selected.

Question 16

All recent recipients of insurance benefits were surveyed regarding their satisfaction and customer service experience.Approximately 15% of the surveys were completed and returned.The _____ is 15%.

Accepted Answer

The response rate measures the proportion of surveys that were completed and returned. In this case, the response rate is stated to be approximately 15%. The return rate refers to the proportion of items that were returned after being sent out, which may not be applicable in this situation. The sample rate and variability rate are not relevant to this question.

Question 17

Dr.Luxley wanted to make sure his research sample was representative of the local rural community with approximately 65% females and 35% males.He wanted to make sure his sample had similar demographics so he used:

Accepted Answer

Stratified random sampling is the best choice as it allows the researcher to divide the population into different subgroups (in this case, males and females) and then randomly select participants from each subgroup in proportion to their representation in the population. This ensures that the sample is representative of the population in terms of the important variables. The other options (simple random sampling, convenience sampling, and area probability sampling) do not address the need to ensure representation of specific demographic groups in the sample.

Question 18

Dr.Andros is a history professor studying cultural stereotypes.He decides to sample the freshmen and senior classes at his university.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr.Andros is a history professor studying cultural...

Question 19

Drs.Jackson and O'Brien work at a residential chemical dependency unit.They are interested in studying coping strategies among heroin users.The doctors survey residents at the chemical dependency unit where they work.They are using a(n):

Accepted Answer

Since the doctors are surveying residents at the chemical dependency unit where they work, they are using a convenience sample. This is because they are selecting participants who are easily accessible to them. While it may not be the most representative sample, it is the most practical given their circumstances.

Question 20

Area probability sampling is a variation of:

Accepted Answer

Area probability sampling is a variation of stratified random sampling where the population is divided into smaller geographic areas or strata and a random sample is taken from each stratum. This allows for better representation of the population as a whole and can improve the precision of estimates. Simple random sampling and convenience sampling do not involve stratification, while cluster sampling involves sampling entire groups or clusters rather than individual units within those clusters.

Quiz 7: B: Survey Design and Scale Construction: Is Going Greek a Great Idea