Chapter 4

Question 1

Concept

Answer 1

A mental image that summarizes a set of similar observations, feelings, or ideas.

Question 2

Conceptualization

Answer 2

The process of specifying what we mean by a term. In deductive research, conceptualization helps to translate portions of an abstract theory into testable hypotheses involving specific variables. In inductive research, conceptualization is an important part of the process used to make sense of related observations.

Question 3

Nominal definition

Answer 3

Defining a concept using other concepts.

Question 4

Operationalization

Answer 4

The process of specifying the operations that will indicate the value of cases on a variable.

Question 5

Operational definition

Answer 5

The set of rules and operations used to find the value of cases on a variable

Question 6

Scale

Answer 6

A composite measure based on combining the responses to multiple questions pertaining to a common concept.

Question 7

Multidimensional scale

Answer 7

A scale containing subsets of questions that measure different aspects of the same concept.

Question 8

Nominal level of measurement

Answer 8

Variables whose values have no mathematical interpretation: they vary in kind or quality, but not in amount.

Question 9

Level of measurement

Answer 9

The mathematical precision with which the values of a variable can be expressed. The nominal level of measurement, which is qualitative, has no mathematical interpretation; the quantitative levels of measurement—ordinal, interval, and ratio—are progressively more precise mathematically.

Question 10

Mutually exclusive

Answer 10

A variable’s attributes or values are mutually exclusive when every case can be classified as having only one attribute or value.

Question 11

Exhaustive

Answer 11

Every case can be classified as having at least one attribute (or one value) for the variable.

Question 12

Ordinal level of measurement

Answer 12

A measurement of a variable in which the numbers indicating a variable’s values specify only the order of the cases, permitting greater than and less than distinctions.

Question 13

Interval level of meaurement

Answer 13

A measurement of a variable in which the numbers indicating a variable’s values represent fixed measurement units but have no absolute, or fixed, zero point.

Question 14

Ratio level of measurement

Answer 14

A measurement of a variable in which the numbers indicating a variable’s values represent fixed measuring unit and an absolute zero point.

Question 15

Systematic error

Answer 15

Error due to a specific process that biases the results

Question 16

Random error

Answer 16

Errors in measurement that are due to chance and are not systematic in any way.

Question 17

Reliability

Answer 17

A criterion to assess the quality of scales based on whether the procedure yields consistent scores when the phenomenon being measured is not changing.

Question 18

Test-retest reliability

Answer 18

It is demonstrated by showing that the same measure of a phenomenon at two points in time is highly correlated, assuming that the phenomenon has not changed.

Question 19

Testing effect

Answer 19

Measurement error related to how a test is given; the conditions of the testing, including environmental conditions; and acclimation to the test itself.

Question 20

Internal consistency

Answer 20

An approach to reliability based on the correlation among multiple items used to measure a single concept.

Question 21

Split-half reliability

Answer 21

Reliability achieved when responses to the same questions divided into two randomly selected halves are about the same.

Question 22

Cronbach’s alpha

Answer 22

A statistic commonly used to measure internal reliability. It is the average correlation of all the possible ways to divide a scale in half.

Question 23

Alternate-forms reliability

Answer 23

A reliability procedure in which participants’ answers are compared with participants’ responses to slightly different versions of the questions.

Question 24

Interrater reliability

Answer 24

The degree of agreement when similar measurements are obtained by different observers rating the same people, events, or places.

Question 25

Intrarater reliability

Answer 25

Consistency of ratings by an observer of an unchanging phenomenon at two or more points in time.

Question 26

Face validity

Answer 26

The type of validity that exists when an inspection of items used to measure a concept suggests that they are appropriate “on their face.”

Question 27

Content validity

Answer 27

The type of validity that exists when the full range of a concept’s meaning is covered by the measure.

Question 28

Criterion validity

Answer 28

The type of validity established by comparing the scores obtained on the measure being validated to scores obtained with a more direct or already validated measure of the same phenomenon (the criterion).

Question 29

Concurrent validity

Answer 29

The type of validity that exists when scores on a measure are closely related to scores on a criterion measured at the same time.

Question 30

Predictive validity

Answer 30

The type of validity that exists when a measure predicts scores on a criterion measured in the future.

Question 31

Construct validity

Answer 31

The type of validity that is established by showing that a measure is related to other measures as specified in a theory.

Question 32

Discriminant validity

Answer 32

An approach to construct validity; the scores on the measure to be validated are compared to scores on another measure of the same variable and to scores on variables that measure different but related concepts. There is discriminant validity if the measure to be validated is related most strongly to the comparison measure and less strongly to the measures of other concepts.

Question 33

Convergent validity

Answer 33

The type of validity achieved when one measure of a concept is associated with different measures of the same concept.

Question 34

Known-groups validity

Answer 34

Demonstrating the validity of a measure using two groups with already-identified characteristics.

Question 35

Factorial validity

Answer 35

A form of construct validity used to determine if the scale items relate correctly to different dimensions of the concept.

Question 36

Cut-off score

Answer 36

A score used in a scale to distinguish between respondents with a particular status and respondents who do not have that status.

Question 37

True negative

Answer 37

When it is determined from a screening instrument score that the participant does not have a particular status and the participant really does not have the status based on a clinical evaluation.

Question 38

True positive

Answer 38

When it is determined from a screening instrument score that the participant does have a particular status and the participant really does have the status based on a clinical evaluation.

Question 39

False negative

Answer 39

The participant does not have a particular problem according to a screening instrument, but the participant really does have the problem based on a clinical evaluation.

Question 40

False positive

Answer 40

The participant has a particular problem according to a screening instrument but in reality does not have the problem based on a clinical evaluation.

Question 41

Sensitivity

Answer 41

The proportion of true positives based on the number of people assessed as having a diagnosis by a screening instrument to the number of people who actually have the diagnosis.

Question 42

Specificity

Answer 42

The proportion of true negatives based on the number of people assessed as not having a diagnosis by a screening instrument relative to the number of people who really do not have the diagnosis.