Question 1

When observers are asked to use a rating scale to measure a psychological dimension such as aggressiveness or anxiety,the researchers must decide whether these ratings represent a(n)
A)nominal or an interval scale.
B)nominal or an ordinal scale.
C)interval or a ratio scale.
D)ordinal or an interval scale.

Accepted Answer

Rating scales are typically either ordinal or interval scales. In an ordinal scale, the items being measured can be ranked in order, but the distance between adjacent items is not necessarily equal. For example, a rating scale assessing anxiety levels might ask participants to rate their anxiety as "low," "moderate," or "high." These categories can be ranked in order, but the difference between low and moderate may not be the same as the difference between moderate and high.

In an interval scale, the distance between adjacent items is equal, and there is an arbitrary zero point. For example, a rating scale assessing temperature might use Celsius or Fahrenheit units, which have equal intervals and a zero point that is not meaningful (i.e., it doesn't mean that there is no heat).

Therefore, if the researchers are asking observers to use a rating scale to assess a psychological dimension such as aggressiveness or anxiety, then the ratings likely represent either an ordinal scale (if the categories are not necessarily equidistant) or an interval scale (if the distance between categories is consistently meaningful).

Question 2

Two student researchers wish to determine the degree of observer reliability they achieved in their study.They observed individual students who were approaching another person on a campus path.The two observers both independently recorded whether or not the observed student greeted the other person.Which of the following measures should the student researchers use to assess observer reliability?
A)percentage agreement measure
B)Spearman's rank-order correlation
C)interobserver coding measure
D)overall agreement measure

Accepted Answer

The percentage agreement measure is the most appropriate measure to assess observer reliability in this scenario as it compares the frequency of agreement between the two observers. It is calculated by dividing the number of agreements by the total number of observations made and multiplying by 100 to obtain a percentage. This measure is commonly used in inter-rater reliability studies. Spearman's rank-order correlation assesses the degree of association between the rankings of two variables and is not appropriate for this study. The interobserver coding measure and overall agreement measure are not standard measures of observer reliability.

Question 3

The first step in the analysis of narrative records often consists of identifying units of behavior according to specific criteria.This process is called
A)coding.
B)chunking.
C)filing.
D)classifying.

Accepted Answer

Coding is the process of identifying and categorizing specific units of behavior or elements in narrative records according to specific criteria.

Question 4

Which of the following dependent variables is most likely to represent a ratio scale of measurement?
A)occurrence of eye contact (present/absent)
B)rank ordering of amount of eye contact
C)duration of eye contact
D)ratings of intimacy of eye contact

Accepted Answer

Duration of eye contact is the only dependent variable that represents a ratio scale of measurement because it has a true zero point (i.e. no eye contact for a duration of zero seconds). The other variables either have a dichotomous (present/absent) or ordinal (rank ordering) scale of measurement. The ratings of intimacy of eye contact may have an interval scale of measurement, but without knowing the specific scale used, it is impossible to determine if it is a ratio scale.

Question 5

When events are classified into mutually exclusive categories on a nominal scale (e.g. ,brown-eyed or blue-eyed),the most common descriptive measure is
A)relative duration.
B)relative frequency.
C)data coding.
D)arithmetic averaging.

Accepted Answer

When events are classified into mutually exclusive categories on a nominal scale, the most common descriptive measure is relative frequency, which is the number of times a particular category occurs divided by the total number of events. This is a useful measure for summarizing and comparing the distribution of categorical data.

Question 6

When many observations of the same children in a classroom are made it is possible to determine the frequency of certain behaviors such as how many times children speak in class.Which scale of measurement do these frequency data represent?
A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Accepted Answer

Frequency data represents a ratio scale of measurement because it has a true zero point (i.e. absence of the behavior being observed) and the intervals between the numbers on the scale are equal.

Question 7

A researcher measures participants' speed to push a button on the computer when a stimulus is presented on the computer screen.Which of the following measurement scales describes this reaction time measure?
A)nominal scale
B)ordinal scale
C)interval scale
D)ratio scale

Accepted Answer

Reaction time is a continuous variable and can take on any positive value, thus it is measured on a ratio scale because it has a clear zero point (i.e. no reaction time).

Question 8

Which of the following statements about interobserver reliability is true?
A)High interobserver reliability of observations assures observations are valid (accurate).
B)Interobserver reliability is best when observers are allowed to make their own subjective judgments when making observations.
C)Interobserver reliability is generally increased by clearly defining the events that are to be observed.
D)all of these

Accepted Answer

Interobserver reliability is generally increased by clearly defining the events that are to be observed. The other statements are incorrect because high interobserver reliability does not necessarily assure validity and subjective judgments can decrease interobserver reliability.

Question 9

A school superintendent has received a report from the state that lists the ranking of schools in terms of the students' performance on the state's achievement test.Which scale of measurement is represented in this report?
A)nominal scale
B)ordinal scale
C)interval scale
D)ratio scale

Accepted Answer

The report is listing the schools based on their ranking, which is an indication of order or preference. Therefore, this is an example of an ordinal scale of measurement.

Question 10

For both physical and psychological measurement the lowest scale of measurement involves categorizing the stimulus into one of a number of discrete categories (e.g. ,male or female).This level of measurement is called a(n)
A)ordinal scale.
B)ratio scale.
C)nominal scale.
D)interval scale.

Accepted Answer

The lowest scale of measurement is the nominal scale, which involves categorizing the stimulus into one of a number of discrete categories, such as male or female. The nominal scale does not have any numerical or quantitative properties, and the categories do not have any inherent order or ranking.

Question 11

A researcher studying interpersonal communication measured the time that couples made eye contact during a conversation.Which descriptive statistics will most commonly be used describe the researcher's duration measurements?
A)mode and range
B)median and quartile dispersion
C)mean and standard deviation
D)proportion and percentage

Accepted Answer

The duration measurements are continuous, so a measure of central tendency like the mean is appropriate. The standard deviation is useful for describing the spread of the data. Mode and range are less useful for continuous data, and quartile dispersion is not needed for this specific question. Proportion and percentage are not relevant since it is measuring an amount of time, not a proportion of anything.

Question 12

Low interobserver reliability is likely to result because of
A)extensive training of observers.
B)lack of clear definitions of events to be recorded.
C)specific feedback to observers regarding discrepancies between their observations.
D)all of these

Accepted Answer

Low interobserver reliability is often caused by a lack of clear definitions or criteria for the events being observed. Extensive training and specific feedback can help improve interobserver reliability, so options A and C are not correct. Therefore, the best choice is B as it directly addresses the issue of unclear definitions for events being recorded.

Question 13

When a more or less faithful reproduction of behavior as it originally occurred is recorded in either written form or through the use of audio or video recording,the resulting description of behavior in an observation study is called a
A)coded copy.
B)data transcript.
C)complete file.
D)narrative recorD.

Accepted Answer

A narrative record is a detailed, qualitative description of behavior as it originally occurred, often recorded in written form or through audio/video, capturing the context and sequence of events.

Question 14

A researcher tries to show that the frequency of traffic accidents increases in warmer weather.This researcher need to consider whether there are more cars on the road when it is warmer.This "number of cars" variable must be considered to make sure the relationship between traffic accidents and temperature is not a
A)natural-treatment relationship.
B)causal relationship.
C)spurious relationship.
D)contaminated relationship.

Accepted Answer

The variable of "number of cars" can act as a confounding variable, creating a spurious relationship between traffic accidents and temperature. It is essential to control for this variable to ensure that the relationship between traffic accidents and temperature is not just due to the presence of more cars on the road during warmer weather.

Question 15

Researchers conducted a content analysis in which they examined race relations on TV.They included programs with a story line and all commercials,but they excluded documentaries,news broadcasts,and sports shows.Which characteristic of the researchers' sample is likely to be most affected by these decisions?
A)representativeness
B)homogeneity
C)stability
D)internal validity

Accepted Answer

By excluding documentaries, news broadcasts, and sports shows, the researchers may be excluding a significant portion of content that could potentially impact race relations on television. This exclusion could affect the representativeness of the researchers' sample, as it may not accurately reflect the full range of race relations portrayed on television.

Question 16

Organizing results and preparing statements summarizing important findings in the analysis of behavioral data is called
A)data abstraction.
B)data reduction.
C)coding.
D)summative analysis.

Accepted Answer

Data reduction involves organizing and summarizing data to make it more manageable and easier to interpret.

Question 17

Frequency of occurrence can represent either of two measurement scales depending upon whether only a single observation of each person is made or several observations of the same individual are made.Frequency of occurrence can represent either
A)nominal or ordinal scales.
B)nominal or ratio scales.
C)ordinal or interval scales.
D)interval or ratio scales.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Frequency of occurrence can represent either of...

Question 18

Although there is no hard-and-fast percentage of agreement that defines low interobserver reliability,the literature of observation studies reveals that researchers generally report interobserver reliabilities that are at least as high as
A)25 percent.
B)50 percent.
C)60 percent.
D)85 percent.

Accepted Answer

The literature of observation studies generally report interobserver reliabilities that are at least 85 percent. Hence, the correct choice is D.

Question 19

Which of the following would be an example of coding a narrative record during the process of data reduction in qualitative data analysis?
A)calculating interobserver reliability
B)obtaining a mean number of behaviors after classifying the behaviors into categories
C)displaying the data using a graph or a chart
D)classifying behaviors from an observation record into different categories

Accepted Answer

Coding a narrative record involves the process of categorizing or classifying behaviors, events, or incidents into different categories based on themes or patterns in the data. This is done to identify recurring patterns, themes, or concepts that can help in understanding the research question. Therefore, classifying behaviors from an observation record into different categories is an example of coding a narrative record during the process of data reduction in qualitative data analysis. A, B, and C refer to other aspects of data analysis (interobserver reliability calculation, obtaining mean numbers, and data display using graphs/charts).

Question 20

Newspaper advice columnists print only a fraction of the letters they receive.Analysis of the printed letters is likely limited by the problem of
A)selective deposit.
B)selective survival.
C)spurious relationship.
D)situation sampling.

Accepted Answer

Selective survival refers to the fact that only certain letters are chosen by the advice columnist to be printed in the newspaper, which limits the analysis of the printed letters. This means that the advice columnist may only choose to print letters that align with their beliefs or that they find most interesting, which could skew the results of any analysis of the printed letters. While the other choices may also be applicable to some extent, selective survival is the most directly related to the given situation.

Quiz 4: Observation

When observers are asked to use a rating scale to measure a psychological dimension such as aggressiveness or anxiety,the researchers must decide whether these ratings represent a(n)

The first step in the analysis of narrative records often consists of identifying units of behavior according to specific criteria.This process is called

Which of the following dependent variables is most likely to represent a ratio scale of measurement?

When events are classified into mutually exclusive categories on a nominal scale (e.g. ,brown-eyed or blue-eyed) ,the most common descriptive measure is

When many observations of the same children in a classroom are made it is possible to determine the frequency of certain behaviors such as how many times children speak in class.Which scale of measurement do these frequency data represent?

A researcher measures participants' speed to push a button on the computer when a stimulus is presented on the computer screen.Which of the following measurement scales describes this reaction time measure?

Which of the following statements about interobserver reliability is true?

A school superintendent has received a report from the state that lists the ranking of schools in terms of the students' performance on the state's achievement test.Which scale of measurement is represented in this report?

For both physical and psychological measurement the lowest scale of measurement involves categorizing the stimulus into one of a number of discrete categories (e.g. ,male or female) .This level of measurement is called a(n)

A researcher studying interpersonal communication measured the time that couples made eye contact during a conversation.Which descriptive statistics will most commonly be used describe the researcher's duration measurements?

Low interobserver reliability is likely to result because of

When a more or less faithful reproduction of behavior as it originally occurred is recorded in either written form or through the use of audio or video recording,the resulting description of behavior in an observation study is called a

Organizing results and preparing statements summarizing important findings in the analysis of behavioral data is called

Frequency of occurrence can represent either of two measurement scales depending upon whether only a single observation of each person is made or several observations of the same individual are made.Frequency of occurrence can represent either

Although there is no hard-and-fast percentage of agreement that defines low interobserver reliability,the literature of observation studies reveals that researchers generally report interobserver reliabilities that are at least as high as

Which of the following would be an example of coding a narrative record during the process of data reduction in qualitative data analysis?

Newspaper advice columnists print only a fraction of the letters they receive.Analysis of the printed letters is likely limited by the problem of