chapter 5 Flashcards
(33 cards)
1
Q
conceptual definiton
A
dictionary definition of the variable we want to study
2
Q
operational definition
A
defines operations or techniques the researchers will use to measure or manipulate a variable
3
Q
construct
A
an abstract concept that must be translate into concrete forms of observation or manipulation
4
Q
psychological construct
A
- variable that we hypothesize exists and we need it to be contrite to measure it
- can’t be observed directly
- the behaviours and internal processes that make up that construct, along with how it relates to other variables
- e.g. personality traits, emotional states, attitudes and abilities
5
Q
converging operations
A
- more than one operational definition or using more than one measure
- e.g. rate hunger on a scale from 1-10 but also weigh the plate before and after someone eats; these both contribute to the measure of how hungry someone is
6
Q
nominal scale
A
- categories with no meaningful numeric value
- impossible to define quantitative values or differences across categories
- involves assigning scores that are different category labels
- e.g. males/females; experimental condition/control condition
7
Q
ordinal scale
A
- rank ordering with numeric values
- allows comparison of the degree to which two individuals rate variable
- has magnitude; values are smaller or larger than the next
- e.g. restaurant ratings, birth order, olympic medals
8
Q
interval scale
A
- involves assigning scores using numerical scales in which intervals have the same interpretation throughout
- has magnitude; values are smaller or larger than the next
- interval between items is known and is meaningful
- no true zero point
- e.g. intelligence score, temperature
9
Q
ratio scale
A
- involves assigning scores in such a way that there is a true zero point that represents the complete absence of the quantity
- objects are ordered
- has magnitude; values are smaller or larger than the next
- interval between items is known and is meaningful
- has true zero point
- e.g. reaction time, duration of response
10
Q
measure vs. dimension
A
- operational definition vs. actual variable
- ratio can become nominal: e.g. % score on a test (ratio scores) divide that into bellow, on average or above average you have created ordinal
- nominal can become ratio: nominal variable such as favourite colour and change it into wavelength of light (makes it operational)
11
Q
validity
A
- degree of truth in the conclusions
- applies to measures and conclusions drawn
12
Q
reliability
A
reliability refers to the consistency of a measure
13
Q
test-retest reliability
A
- measure of a construct that is assumed to be consistent across time, then the scores obtained should also be consistent across time
- e.g. a person who is highly intelligent today will be highly intelligent next week; this means that any good measure of intelligence should produce roughly the same scores for this individual next week as it does today
14
Q
internal consistency
A
- consistency of people’s responses across the items of a multiple-item measure
- e.g. on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, people who agree that they are a person of worth should tend to agree that they have a number of good qualities
15
Q
inter-rater reliability
A
the extent to which different observers are consistent in their judgments
16
Q
split half correlation
A
- splitting the items into two sets, such as the first and second halves of the items or the even- and odd-numbered items
- then a score is computed for each set of items, and the relationship between the two sets of scores is examined
- this is a way to assess data for internal consistency
17
Q
reliability of measures
A
- consistency or stability of a measure
- true score theory
- true score + measurement error
- random + systematic or bias
- reliability indexes indicate amount of error but not accuracy
- a measure can be highly reliable but not accurate
18
Q
construct validity
A
- degree of truth in the conclusions
- does the measure I am using (operational definition) adequately reflect the construct that I am trying to measure?
19
Q
translation validity
A
- validity related to operationalization
- measure that i am using, does it translate the construct accurately?
- is the operational definition in my study an accurate reflection of the construct I am interested in?
- e.g. face validity
20
Q
face validity
A
- the extent to which a measurement method appears “on its face” to measure the construct of interest
- a very weak kind of evidence that a measurement method is measuring what it is supposed to because it is based on personal opinion and intuition
21
Q
content validity
A
- the extent to which a measure “covers” the construct of interest
- can be assessed by carefully checking the measurement method against the conceptual definition of the construct
22
Q
criterion-related validity
A
- validation of a measure based on its relationship to another independent measure
- e.g. concurrent validity & predictive validity
23
Q
concurrent validity
A
when the criterion is measured at the same time as the construct
24
Q
predictive validity
A
when the criterion is measured at some point in the future
25
convergent validity
other measures of the same construct
26
discriminate validity
- the extent to which scores on a measure are not correlated with measures of variables that are conceptually distinct
- e.g. self-esteem is a general attitude toward the self that is fairly stable over time. It is not the same as mood, which is how good or bad one happens to be feeling right now
27
loaded terms
- asking a question in a way that is latent with emotion
- e.g. using the term “baby murder” instead of “abortion”
28
leading questions
a series of questions that lead you to a specific response
29
"double-barrelled" questions
packing two questions into one which forces a yes or no for both
30
measurement
- the assignment of scores to individuals so that the scores represent some characteristic of the individuals
- psychological measurement is called psychometrics
- measurement require is some systematic procedure for assigning scores to individuals or objects so that those scores represent the characteristic of interest
31
self-report measures
those in which participants report on their own thoughts, feelings, and actions
32
behavioural measures
- those in which some other aspect of participants’ behaviour is observed and recorded
- includes the observation of people’s behaviour both in highly structured laboratory tasks and in more natural settings
33
physiological measures
- those that involve recording a wide variety of physiological processes
- e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic skin response, hormone levels, blood flow to the brain and electrical activity
