Ch. 4 Vocab

Question 1

a form of probability sampling in which a researcher samples entire clusters, or naturally occurring groups, that exist within the population

Answer 1

cluster sampling

Question 2

a system for quantifying responses to open-ended questions by categorizing them according to objective rules or guidelines

Answer 2

content analysis

Question 3

effects produced by the position of a question; where it falls within the question order can influence how the question is interpreted

Answer 3

context effects

Question 4

the concept that traits, attitudes, and preferences can be viewed as a continuous dimension, and each individual can fall at any point along each dimension; for ex. sociability can be viewed as a continuous dimension ranging from very unsociable to very sociable

Answer 4

continuous dimension

Question 5

obtained by using any groups who happen to be convenient; considered a weak form of sampling because the researcher exercises no control over the representiveness of the sample

Answer 5

convenience sampling

Question 6

the measure of magnitude, or quantitative size, having equal intervals between values but no true zero point

Answer 6

interval scale

Question 7

the “hidden meaning” behind a question

Answer 7

latent content

Question 8

the type of scale of measurement - ratio, interval, ordinal, or nominal - used to measure a variable

Answer 8

level of measurement

Question 9

the plain meaning of words or questions that actually appear on the page

Answer 9

manifest content

Question 10

people who are apt to disagree with a question regardless of its manifest content

Answer 10

nay-sayers

Question 11

the simplest level of measurement; classifies items into two or more distinct categories on the basis of some common feature

Answer 11

nominal scale

Question 12

sampling procedures in which subjects are not chosen at random; two common examples are quota and convenience samples

Answer 12

nonprobability sampling

Question 13

a measure of magnitude in which each value is measured in the form of ranks

Answer 13

ordinal scale

Question 14

all people, animals, or objects that have at least one characteristic in common

Answer 14

population

Question 15

when in doubt about answers to multiple-choice questions, some people always select a response in a certain position, such as answer “c”

Answer 15

position preference

Question 16

selecting samples in such a way that the odds of any subject being selected for the study are known or can be calculated

Answer 16

probability sampling

Question 17

the selection of nonrandom samples that reflect a specific purpose of the study

Answer 17

purposive sampling

Question 18

selecting samples through predetermined quotas that are intended to reflect the makeup of the population; they can reflect the proportions of important population subgroups, but the particular individuals are not selected at random

Answer 18

quota sampling

Question 19

a table of numbers generate by a computer so that every number has an equal chance of being selected for each position in the table

Answer 19

random number table

Question 20

an unbiased method for selecting subjects in such a way that each member of the population has an equal opportunity to be selected, and the outcome cannot be predicted ahead of time by any known law

Answer 20

random selection

Question 21

a measure of magnitude having equal intervals between values and having an absolute zero point

Answer 21

ratio scale

Question 22

the extent to which a survey is consistent and repeatable

Answer 22

reliability

Question 23

the extent to which the sample responses we observe and measure reflect those we would obtain if we could sample the entire population

Answer 23

representativeness

Question 24

a tendency to answer questions based on their latent content with the goal of creating a certain impression of ourselves

Answer 24

response set

Question 25

tendency for subjects to respond to questions or test items in a specific way, regardless of the content

Answer 25

response style

Question 26

a selected subset of the population of interest

Answer 26

sample of subjects

Question 27

deciding who the subjects will be and selecting them

Answer 27

sampling

Question 28

the most basic form probability sampling whereby a portion of the whole population is selected in an unbiased way

Answer 28

simple random sampling

Question 29

a form of nonprobability sampling in which a researcher locates one or a few people who fit the sample criterion and asks these people to locate or lead the researcher to additional individuals who fit the criterion

Answer 29

snowball sampling

Question 30

a form of probability sample obtained by randomly sampling from people in each important population subgroup in the same proportion as they exist in the population

Answer 30

stratified random sampling

Question 31

a useful way of obtaining data about people's opinions, attitudes, preferences, and experiences that are hard to observe directly; data may be obtained using questionnaires or interviews

Answer 31

survey research

Question 32

a variation of random sampling in which a researcher selects every "n"th person from the population

Answer 32

systematic random sampling

Question 33

the extent to which a survey actually measures the intended topic and not something else

Answer 33

validity

Question 34

the differences among people in their style of responding to questions they are unsure about; some people will leave these questions blank, whereas others will take a guess

Answer 34

willingness to answer

Question 35

people who are apt to agree with a question regardless of its manifest content

Answer 35

yea-sayers