Question 1

The reliability coefficient of a new instrument designed to measure anxiety is established at 0.86.How should a nurse researcher interpret this finding?
A) High error variance; high reliability
B) High error variance; low reliability
C) Low error variance; high reliability
D) Low error variance; low reliability

Accepted Answer

Correct C: When the error variance is low,the reliability coefficient will be closer to 1; a reliability level of 0.70 or higher is considered acceptable.
Incorrect A: When the error variance is low,the reliability coefficient will be closer to 1; a reliability level of 0.70 or higher is considered acceptable.
Incorrect B: When the error variance is low,the reliability coefficient will be closer to 1; a reliability level of 0.70 or higher is considered acceptable.
Incorrect D: When the error variance is low,the reliability coefficient will be closer to 1; a reliability level of 0.70 or higher is considered acceptable.

Question 2

In an attempt to distinguish depression from fatigue among patients receiving radiation therapy for cancer,a researcher developed a fatigue scale.The new fatigue scale was administered along with instruments that measure depression.Fatigue scores were found to be negatively related to indicators of depression.How should this information be interpreted?
A) Divergent validity present; construct validity supported
B) Divergent validity present; construct validity unsupported
C) Convergent validity present; construct validity supported
D) Convergent validity present; construct validity unsupported

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Similar constructs are differentiated; the divergent measure is negatively related to the other measure,so divergent validity is established.
Incorrect B: If the correlations were positive,divergent validity would be unsupported.
Incorrect C: Convergent validity refers to different instruments that measure the same construct; if the measures are positively correlated,convergent validity is supported.
Incorrect D: The example illustrates divergent,not convergent,validity.

Question 3

What type of validity is demonstrated when a nurse researcher submits items of an instrument to a panel of experts to evaluate item clarity and reflection of the concept under consideration?
A) Content validity
B) Construct validity
C) Concurrent validity
D) Criterion-related validity

Accepted Answer

Correct A: A panel of experts judges instrument validity through the content type of validity.
Incorrect B: Construct validity validates the theory underlying the measurement and testing of hypothesized relationships.
Incorrect C: Concurrent validity refers to the degree of correlation of two measures of the same concept administered at the same time.
Incorrect D: Criterion-related validity incorporates two forms: concurrent and predictive.

Question 4

What type of validity is demonstrated by administering a test in which all the items relate to wound care and then evaluating student performance in caring for clients with wounds in the clinical setting?
A) Face validity
B) Content validity
C) Construct validity
D) Criterion-related validity

Accepted Answer

Correct D: This validity type connects the subject's performance with his or her actual behavior.
Incorrect A: This does not illustrate face validity,or the instrument appears to be measuring the construct.
Incorrect B: This does not illustrate content validity,representing the universe of content or domain of a given construct.
Incorrect C: Construct validity is characterized by the test measuring theoretical construct or trait.

Question 5

Why should nurse researchers critiquing research reports be concerned with the assessment of the validity and reliability of study instruments?
A) To determine the utility of the instruments for triangulation
B) To assess the relationships between the hypotheses and the research questions
C) To determine whether the concepts and variables were measured adequately
D) To assess whether the concept under study is being treated as a dependent or an independent variable

Accepted Answer

Correct C: An indicator of a study's excellence is the establishment of the reliability and validity of the instruments used to measure variables.
Incorrect A: There are several types of triangulation; the instrument chosen might assist a study to become triangulated,but the reliability and validity of it must be determined before triangulation.
Incorrect B: This response fits the connection between hypotheses and research questions but not instrument reliability and validity.
Incorrect D: Instrument reliability and validity issues are separate issues from whether variables are independent or dependent variables.

Question 6

What property is established when the results of two separately administered tests that measure the same domain or concept are highly correlated?
A) Validity
B) Stability
C) Equivalence
D) Homogeneity

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Convergent validity example: two or more instruments that theoretically measure the same construct and are administered to the same subjects.
Incorrect B: The example in the stem matches validity,not reliability.
Incorrect C: The example in the stem matches validity,not reliability.
Incorrect D: The example in the stem matches validity,not reliability.

Question 7

How should a nurse researcher describe an instrument that produces the same result when it is administered to the same subjects under similar conditions on two or more occasions?
A) Possesses homogeneity
B) Possesses equivalence
C) Possesses stability
D) Possesses validity

Accepted Answer

Correct C: The same results are obtained on repeated administration of the instrument.
Incorrect A: The instrument is administered to the same subjects under similar conditions on two or more occasions.Correlations are strong.Test-retest reliability establishes stability of the instrument
Incorrect B: Parallel forms is a reliability example.
Incorrect D: This stem is a reliability example,not a validity example.

Question 8

A researcher who is developing a new instrument to measure pain has been told by experts and patients that the instrument has face validity.What should be the researcher's next step?
A) Use the instrument in a parent study.
B) Use the instrument in a pilot study.
C) Assess the reliability of the instrument.
D) Assess the content validity of the instrument.

Accepted Answer

Correct D: The next step is content validity established through literature and expert judges.
Incorrect A: The findings would be in question if this were the next step.
Incorrect B: Another step should be taken before testing is done.
Incorrect C: Reliability testing is not the next step; establishing greater validity should occur first.

Question 9

When the nurse researcher demonstrates that an instrument is highly reliable,what type of error is reduced?
A) Random error
B) Variance error
C) Persistent error
D) Systematic error

Accepted Answer

Correct D: Systematic error is connected with reliability
Incorrect A: Random error is connected with validity.
Incorrect B: Variance and error are connected as research term,error variance,not the reverse; it is defined as variability in test scores.
Incorrect C: Persistent error is not a research term.

Question 10

Which type of validity is most difficult to establish?
A) Content validity
B) Construct validity
C) Predictive validity
D) Concurrent validity

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Construct validity includes many types of validity; it is complex and tends to take much more time to establish than other types of validity.
Incorrect A: Face and expert validity are relatively easy to establish.
Incorrect C: Predictive validity is relatively easy to establish.
Incorrect D: Concurrent validity is relatively easy to establish.

Question 11

How can a nurse researcher determine an instrument's homogeneity?
A) Split-half reliability
B) Test-retest reliability
C) Interrater reliability
D) Alternate form reliability

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Instrument homogeneity is established with split-half reliability.
Incorrect B: Test-retest reliability establishes instrument stability.
Incorrect C: Interrater reliability is not a homogeneity measure.
Incorrect D: Alternate form or parallel form reliability is not a test of homogeneity.

Question 12

How should a nurse researcher describe an instrument that is administered repeatedly and obtains the same results?
A) Indicative of validity
B) Indicative of reliability
C) Indicative of consistency
D) Indicative of predictability

Accepted Answer

Correct B: This Answerwer indicates consistency and stability of an instrument.
Incorrect A: The stem indicates reliability,not validity.
Incorrect C: Consistency is a characteristic of reliability.
Incorrect D: Predictability is a characteristic of reliability.

Question 13

In developing an instrument to measure self-esteem,the researcher administered the instrument to a group of individuals who were substance abusers and to a group who were not drug users,expecting to see significant differences in scores between the two groups.How should this method of establishing construct validity be categorized?
A) Factor analysis
B) Convergent validity
C) Discriminant validity
D) Contrasted-groups approach

Accepted Answer

Correct D: Two groups of subjects who are suspected to score extremely high or low in the characteristic being measured complete the instrument and differences in scores are examined; the groups should differ and construct validity will be supported.
Incorrect A: The example in the stem does not provide an example of construct validity using factor analysis.
Incorrect B: The example does not illustrate convergent validity.
Incorrect C: The example does not illustrate discriminant validity.

Question 14

How can a nurse researcher assess the degree to which individual items on a scale cluster together around multiple dimensions?
A) Factor analysis
B) Split-half reliability
C) Cronbach's alpha coefficient
D) Kuder-Richardson coefficient

Accepted Answer

Correct A: The extent to which a set of items measures the same underlying construct or dimension of a construct and clusters together around one or more dimensions describes factor analytic construct validity.
Incorrect B: This reliability is not associated with factor analysis and construct validity.
Incorrect C: This reliability is not associated with factor analysis and construct validity.
Incorrect E: This reliability is not associated with factor analysis and construct validity.

Question 15

A new instrument developed to measure mental status has been determined to be highly valid.What does this attribute mean?
A) It is sensitive but not specific.
B) Its use results in minimal random errors.
C) It accurately measures level of mentation.
D) Determination of interrater reliability is unnecessary.

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Validity of an instrument is associated with its accuracy.
Incorrect A: This Answerwer does not reflect validity,but rather it reflects characteristics of screening tests.
Incorrect B: Validity does not guarantee minimal random errors.
Incorrect D: Interrater reliability is not an example of validity.

Question 16

An ear temperature probe that consistently reports body temperature at 0.8° C lower than actual body temperature has what type of reliability or validity problem?
A) Reduced reliability, systematic error
B) Reduced validity, random error
C) Increased validity, systematic error
D) Increased validity, random error

Accepted Answer

Correct A: The instrument is systematically measuring temperature inaccurately.
Incorrect B: This response does not refer to random error.
Incorrect C: The validity of the instrument is not increased.
Incorrect D: The validity of the instrument is not increased.

Question 17

What type of reliability is established by administering a test anxiety questionnaire to a group of nursing students before attending a test anxiety workshop and administering a different questionnaire to the same nurses immediately following the workshop?
A) Split-half
B) Test-retest
C) Parallel form
D) Alternate form

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Parallel form meAnswer that the same individuals are tested within a specific interval but the subjects are given a different form of the test on the second testing.
Incorrect A: Split-half refers to internal consistency and involves dividing a scale into two halves and making a comparison.
Incorrect B: This response fits a quantitative study only partially and is incomplete for a quantitative,quasi-experimental study.
Incorrect D: This response fits with quantitative tests.

Question 18

Why should a nurse researcher be concerned about an instrument's degree of internal consistency?
A) The instrument is appropriate to use to measure a single concept.
B) The instrument has low measurement error and high error variance.
C) More refinement of the instrument is needed before it can be applied.
D) The instrument is valid, but the reliability has yet to be determined.

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Internal consistency or homogeneity reliability indicates that the items within the scale measure the same concept.
Incorrect B: This is an inaccurate statement.
Incorrect C: A high degree of internal consistency indicates that the instrument is refined; however,additional testing is always warranted.
Incorrect D: There is no indication that the instrument is valid; the reliability coefficient is very acceptable.

Question 19

Which type of validity is demonstrated by examining the extent to which a passing grade in physiology is correlated with passing the registered nurse licensure examination?
A) Content validity
B) Construct validity
C) Predictive validity
D) Concurrent validity

Accepted Answer

Correct C: This criterion-related validity example is predictive and connects past with future performance.
Incorrect A: Content validity refers to the representativeness of items to measure a specific concept.
Incorrect B: Construct validity refers to the extent to which a test measures a theoretical construct of trait.
Incorrect D: The example in the stem does not fit concurrent validity.

Question 20

What is the significance of concurrent validity to a nurse researcher?
A) The degree of correlation between the measure of the concept and some future measure of the same concept
B) The degree of correlation of two measures of the same concept administered at the same time
C) The extent to which a test measures a theoretical construct or trait
D) The representativeness of the items to measure a specific concept

Accepted Answer

Correct B: This response fits the definition of concurrent validity.
Incorrect A: Concurrent validity is established when two measures of the same construct are administered at the same time,not a future measure.
Incorrect C: This Answerwer fits the description of construct validity.
Incorrect D: This response fits the description of content validity.

Quiz 13: Reliability and Validity

The reliability coefficient of a new instrument designed to measure anxiety is established at 0.86.How should a nurse researcher interpret this finding?

What type of validity is demonstrated when a nurse researcher submits items of an instrument to a panel of experts to evaluate item clarity and reflection of the concept under consideration?

What type of validity is demonstrated by administering a test in which all the items relate to wound care and then evaluating student performance in caring for clients with wounds in the clinical setting?

Why should nurse researchers critiquing research reports be concerned with the assessment of the validity and reliability of study instruments?

What property is established when the results of two separately administered tests that measure the same domain or concept are highly correlated?

How should a nurse researcher describe an instrument that produces the same result when it is administered to the same subjects under similar conditions on two or more occasions?

A researcher who is developing a new instrument to measure pain has been told by experts and patients that the instrument has face validity.What should be the researcher's next step?

When the nurse researcher demonstrates that an instrument is highly reliable,what type of error is reduced?

Which type of validity is most difficult to establish?

How can a nurse researcher determine an instrument's homogeneity?

How should a nurse researcher describe an instrument that is administered repeatedly and obtains the same results?

How can a nurse researcher assess the degree to which individual items on a scale cluster together around multiple dimensions?

A new instrument developed to measure mental status has been determined to be highly valid.What does this attribute mean?

An ear temperature probe that consistently reports body temperature at 0.8° C lower than actual body temperature has what type of reliability or validity problem?

What type of reliability is established by administering a test anxiety questionnaire to a group of nursing students before attending a test anxiety workshop and administering a different questionnaire to the same nurses immediately following the workshop?

Why should a nurse researcher be concerned about an instrument's degree of internal consistency?

Which type of validity is demonstrated by examining the extent to which a passing grade in physiology is correlated with passing the registered nurse licensure examination?

What is the significance of concurrent validity to a nurse researcher?