Question 1

In the context of variables and measurement scales, categorizing automobiles as American-made or foreign-made is an example of a(n) _____ scale.
A)ratio
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)nominal

Accepted Answer

Categorizing automobiles as American-made or foreign-made is an example of a nominal scale, where objects or individuals are categorized based on a characteristic or attribute, in this case, country of origin. Nominal scales do not have a numerical value associated with them and are considered the lowest level of measurement.

Question 2

Edgar finds his measure of intelligence quotient is not related to his language skills. Which type of validity does this finding illustrate?
A)Predictive validity
B)Face validity
C)Discriminant validity
D)Convergent validity

Accepted Answer

Discriminant validity refers to the ability of a measure to distinguish between two theoretically distinct constructs. In this case, Edgar's measure of intelligence quotient is not related to his language skills, indicating that the two constructs are distinct from each other. This finding supports the discriminant validity of the measure. The other types of validity listed do not necessarily apply to this specific finding.

Question 3

In the context of construct validity of measures, tests that are developed to evaluate future performance of students are based on _____ validity.
A)convergent
B)divergent
C)predictive
D)discriminant

Accepted Answer

Predictive validity refers to the extent to which a measure can predict future performance or behavior. In this case, the tests are developed to evaluate the future performance of students, so they are based on predictive validity. Convergent and discriminant validity are types of construct validity that assess whether a measure is related to similar constructs (convergent) and distinct constructs (discriminant), respectively. Divergent validity is not a commonly used term in construct validity.

Question 4

Ciara finds a high correlation between her scores on intimacy and self-disclosure, which are both measures of emotional quotient. In the context of indicators of construct validity of a measure, Ciara's scores indicate _____ validity.
A)face
B)convergent
C)predictive
D)discriminant

Accepted Answer

Ciara's scores on intimacy and self-disclosure both relate to emotional intelligence, indicating convergent validity - that the two measures converge or relate to the same construct.

Question 5

In the context of reactivity of measures, a measure is said to be reactive if:
A)the measurement is unobtrusive.
B)same individuals are measured at two points in time during a research.
C)awareness of being measured changes an individual's behavior.
D)the measurement is unreliable.

Accepted Answer

A reactive measure is one that changes an individual's behavior because they are aware of being measured. Therefore, option C is the correct choice. Options A and D are not related to the definition of reactivity, and option B describes a longitudinal study design which may or may not involve a reactive measure.

Question 6

Identify a similarity between content validity and face validity.
A)Both focus on scores on the measures that are not related to other measures that are theoretically different.
B)Both focus on scores on the measures that are related to other measures of the same construct.
C)Both focus on assessing whether the content of a measure reflects the meaning of the construct being measured.
D)Both are important when studying measures that are designed to improve researchers' ability to make predictions.

Accepted Answer

Both content validity and face validity focus on assessing whether the content of a measure reflects the meaning of the construct being measured. Content validity is concerned with the extent to which a measure adequately samples all aspects of a construct while face validity is about whether the measure appears to be measuring what it is purported to measure. Therefore, these two types of validity are similar in their focus on the relationship between the measure and the construct being measured.

Question 7

A human resources manager believes that people whose job requires converting values from the standard to the metric system will have higher math test scores than people who do not have to make these conversions. The human resource manager would be most concerned with _____ validity.
A)face
B)general
C)divergent
D)concurrent

Accepted Answer

The human resources manager is concerned with concurrent validity, which refers to the extent to which a test is related to a criterion that is measured at the same time. In this case, the criterion is math test scores, and the test is the requirement to convert values from the standard to the metric system. Therefore, the manager wants to know if there is a relationship between these two variables at the same time.

Question 8

A researcher has developed a measure of a person's ability to detect colors. He finds the measure is not related to a person's spelling ability, which is a different type of measure. This finding is an example of _____ validity.
A)convergent
B)discriminant
C)face
D)concurrent

Accepted Answer

Discriminant validity is the extent to which a measure does not correlate with measures of conceptually unrelated constructs. In this case, the measure of color detection ability should not be related to spelling ability, as they are different constructs, and the finding supports the discriminant validity of the color detection measure.

Question 9

In the context of variables and measurement scales, the difference between the numbers on the scale is meaningful in a(n) _____ scale.
A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)cardinal

Accepted Answer

In an interval scale, the difference between numbers on the scale is meaningful, as it represents a consistent unit of measurement. This is not the case in nominal or ordinal scales, where the numbers or categories do not have a quantitative relationship to each other. Cardinal scales also involve a quantitative relationship, but they have a true zero point, which is not necessary for the meaningful interpretation of differences between numbers.

Question 10

In the context of scales of measurement, _____ scales have an absolute zero point that indicates absence of the variable being measured.
A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Accepted Answer

Ratio scales have an absolute zero point which indicates the complete absence of the variable being measured, making it the most informative type of measurement. Nominal scales only provide categories, ordinal scales have categories with an inherent order but no meaningful measurement of distance between them, and interval scales have equal intervals between values but no true zero point.

Question 11

In the context of scales of measurement, the Celsius measure on a household thermometer scale is an example of a(n) _____ scale.
A)nominal
B)interval
C)ordinal
D)ratio

Accepted Answer

The Celsius measure on a household thermometer scale is an example of an interval scale because it has equal intervals between the points on the scale and there is a meaningful zero point (absolute zero). However, it does not have a true ratio property because it is possible to have negative values on the scale, making it impossible to have a meaningful ratio between two values.

Question 12

In the context of reactivity of measures, _____ measures involve clever ways of indirectly recording a variable to reduce reactivity.
A)unobtrusive
B)concurrent
C)divergent
D)nominal

Accepted Answer

Unobtrusive measures are designed to measure a variable without altering the natural behavior of the participants or influencing their responses. This reduces reactivity as participants are less likely to change their behavior because they are being monitored. Unobtrusive measures involve clever ways of indirectly recording a variable, such as analyzing archival data, using physical traces, or conducting content analysis. Therefore, A is the best choice. The other options (concurrent, divergent, and nominal) do not refer to measures that aim to reduce reactivity.

Question 13

Alan is attentive to customers when his supervisor is present but inattentive when his supervisor is absent. In this scenario, Alan's behavior exemplifies _____.
A)consistency
B)reliability
C)validity
D)reactivity

Accepted Answer

Alan's behavior changes depending on the presence of his supervisor, which indicates that he is reacting to the supervisor's observation. This is an example of reactivity.

Question 14

The reactivity of a measure can be reduced by:
A)evaluating the participant rapidly.
B)allowing participants to get accustomed to being observed.
C)devising lengthy measures that require a long time for evaluation.
D)recording variables directly.

Accepted Answer

Allowing participants to get accustomed to being observed can reduce their initial reaction or change in behavior due to the presence of the observer or measurement tool, thereby reducing reactivity. Option A would increase reactivity by rushing the participant, option C would increase the length of time the participant's behavior is being observed which could increase reactivity, and option D is not directly related to reducing reactivity.

Question 15

Toby, a researcher, finds that his score on honesty has a high correlation with his score on integrity, which are both measures of character. In the context of construct validity of measures, this finding is an example of _____ validity.
A)convergent
B)discriminant
C)face
D)predictive

Accepted Answer

Convergent validity refers to the degree to which two different measures of the same construct are correlated. In this case, the researcher found a high correlation between his score on honesty and his score on integrity, both of which are measures of character. Therefore, this finding demonstrates convergent validity.

Question 16

A food critic rates restaurants according to the quality of food, service, and atmosphere. She assigns 4 stars for excellent, 3 for good, 2 for fair, and 1 star for poor. In the context of scales of measurement, this is an example of a(n) _____ scale.
A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Accepted Answer

The values assigned to the restaurants (4 stars, 3 stars, 2 stars, and 1 star) represent a ranking order, from best to worst, and do not have a consistent interval between them. Therefore, this is an example of an ordinal scale.

Question 17

To find out the most popular health drinks among consumers, a researcher indirectly measures the frequency at which a supermarket purchases a particular health drink. The measurement is based on the idea that the most popular health drinks are the ones more frequently bought by the supermarket. In this context, the researcher is using a(n) _____ measure to reduce reactivity.
A)nominal
B)concurrent
C)divergent
D)unobtrusive

Accepted Answer

The researcher is using an unobtrusive measure to reduce reactivity. This is because the measure (frequency of purchase by the supermarket) is being taken indirectly, without the knowledge or influence of the consumers. This reduces the likelihood of consumers altering their behavior based on awareness of being observed, which is the goal of using unobtrusive measures. Nominal, concurrent, and divergent measures are not relevant in this scenario.

Question 18

Exercise is a measure of physical fitness. However, exercise also correlates with good health, which is also a measure of physical fitness. This type of correlation between two measures of the same construct is an example of _____ validity.
A)convergent
B)divergent
C)face
D)internal

Accepted Answer

Convergent validity refers to the extent to which two measures of the same construct are positively correlated with each other. In this case, exercise and good health are both measures of physical fitness, and they have a positive correlation, indicating convergent validity. Option B (divergent validity) is incorrect because it refers to the extent to which two measures that are supposed to be different from each other are not correlated. Face validity (Option C) refers to how well a measure appears to assess the construct it is intended to measure, and internal validity (Option D) refers to the extent to which a study eliminates alternative explanations for its findings.

Question 19

_____ is a potential problem when measuring behavior which causes changes in an individual's behavior when he or she is aware of being measured.
A)Convergence
B)Reactivity
C)Validity
D)Reliability

Accepted Answer

Reactivity refers to the potential problem of changes in behavior when an individual is aware of being measured. Convergence refers to the agreement between multiple measures of the same construct. Validity refers to the extent to which a measure actually assesses what it is intended to measure. Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure over time and across different contexts or raters.

Question 20

Which of the following statement is true of the four scales of measurement?
A)Ratio scales have no numerical or quantitative properties.
B)Nominal scales allow researchers to rank order the levels of a variable being studied.
C)In an interval scale, the intervals between the numbers are equal in size.
D)In an ordinal scale, the categories cannot be ordered from first to last.

Accepted Answer

In an interval scale, the intervals between the numbers are equal in size. This means that the difference between any two adjacent numbers on the scale represents the same amount of change or distance in the variable being measured. Examples of interval scales include temperature measurements, IQ scores, and standardized test scores.

Quiz 5: Measurement Concepts

In the context of variables and measurement scales, categorizing automobiles as American-made or foreign-made is an example of a(n) _____ scale.

Edgar finds his measure of intelligence quotient is not related to his language skills. Which type of validity does this finding illustrate?

In the context of construct validity of measures, tests that are developed to evaluate future performance of students are based on _____ validity.

Ciara finds a high correlation between her scores on intimacy and self-disclosure, which are both measures of emotional quotient. In the context of indicators of construct validity of a measure, Ciara's scores indicate _____ validity.

In the context of reactivity of measures, a measure is said to be reactive if:

Identify a similarity between content validity and face validity.

A human resources manager believes that people whose job requires converting values from the standard to the metric system will have higher math test scores than people who do not have to make these conversions. The human resource manager would be most concerned with _____ validity.

A researcher has developed a measure of a person's ability to detect colors. He finds the measure is not related to a person's spelling ability, which is a different type of measure. This finding is an example of _____ validity.

In the context of variables and measurement scales, the difference between the numbers on the scale is meaningful in a(n) _____ scale.

In the context of scales of measurement, _____ scales have an absolute zero point that indicates absence of the variable being measured.

In the context of scales of measurement, the Celsius measure on a household thermometer scale is an example of a(n) _____ scale.

In the context of reactivity of measures, _____ measures involve clever ways of indirectly recording a variable to reduce reactivity.

Alan is attentive to customers when his supervisor is present but inattentive when his supervisor is absent. In this scenario, Alan's behavior exemplifies _____.

The reactivity of a measure can be reduced by:

Toby, a researcher, finds that his score on honesty has a high correlation with his score on integrity, which are both measures of character. In the context of construct validity of measures, this finding is an example of _____ validity.

A food critic rates restaurants according to the quality of food, service, and atmosphere. She assigns 4 stars for excellent, 3 for good, 2 for fair, and 1 star for poor. In the context of scales of measurement, this is an example of a(n) _____ scale.

Exercise is a measure of physical fitness. However, exercise also correlates with good health, which is also a measure of physical fitness. This type of correlation between two measures of the same construct is an example of _____ validity.

_____ is a potential problem when measuring behavior which causes changes in an individual's behavior when he or she is aware of being measured.

Which of the following statement is true of the four scales of measurement?