ATTITUDES: Measures of attitudes

Question 1

What are the two main ways of measuring attitudes?

Answer 1

Observational studies and self reports

Question 2

What are observational studies and provide an example?

Answer 2

Researcher watches behaviour and assumes behaviour is based on attitudes
Eg Milgrim (1969) scattered letters addressed to "Friends of the Communist/Nazi Party", "Medical Research Associates" and a random guy - thrice as many non political letters were returned to the post office.

Question 3

1 advantage and 4 disadvantage of observational studies?

Answer 3

ADV: participants don’t know they’re being watched
DIS: participants are usually not interviewed
Behaviour does not necessarily reflect attitudes
Qualitative data is difficult to interpret
researcher bias

Question 4

What are the two main types of self reports, and the two main types of surveys?

Answer 4

Survey
-questionnaire
-interview
Rating scale

Question 5

Define: survey

Answer 5

a method of measuring attitudes that includes any technique requiring participants of a sample to answer questions

Question 6

Define: questionnaire

Answer 6

a written set of questions for participants to provide self-report information on a topic of research interest
-large numbers, anonimity, written or spoken

Question 7

Define: interview

Answer 7

Involves questions that are asked by the researcher to obtain self-report information from people on a research topic
-spoken, can be structured or unstructured

Question 8

Describe rating scales

Answer 8

Provide fixed-response questions or statements relating to attitudes, where participants indicate the extent (strength) of their agreement or disagreement (direction)
eg. LIkert scale

Question 9

3 advantages of self reports?

Answer 9

Large numbers
Simple to complete (not interviews)
Rating scales: quantitative, concrete data

Question 10

4 disadvantages of self reports?

Answer 10

Only be used by the literate
May not remember all details
Time consuming
Social desirability/embarrassment