Exam 2 Flashcards
Defining and Measuring Variables, Validity, Reliability, The Descriptive Research Strategy, and Chi-Square.
Validity
The degree to which an instrument measures and what it claims to measure.
Face Validity
The measure “looks like it makes sense” on the surface.
Concurrent Validity
A new measure correlates with a previous measure of the same construct.
Construct Validity
The extent to which a measuring instrument accurately measures the theoretical construct or trait that it is designed to measure.
Criterion-related Validity (Predictive)
The extent to which a measuring instrument accurately predicts current or future performance.
- The measure of “Does my study actually represent what is happening in the population?”
- Ex: Does aggressiveness correlate with the number of times a child hits his doll?
Internal Validity
The extent to which a set of research findings provides information about causality.
-Laboratory experiments
Eternal Validity (Generalizability)
The extent to which a set of research findings provides an accurate descriptions of what typically happens in the real world.
-Passive, observational studies
Reliability
Consistency of a measure.
-Reliability=True Score/[True Score + Error Score]
Measurement Error
An error of measurement due to transient states (mood, level of fatigue, etc.), stable characteristics (attitude), context/environment, characteristics of measure (ambiguous questions), coding errors.
Internal Consistency/Interitem Reliability
The degree to which all of the specific items or observations in a multiple-item measure behave the same way (equivalency of items).
Interrater Reliablity
The degree to which different judges independently agree upon an observations or judgment (agreement between raters).
Average Inter-Item Correlations
1) Compute correlation between each pair of items
2) Compute average of all correlations
Item-Total Correlation
-Each item on a scale should correlate with the sum of the other items (>.30)
Test/Retest
The degree to which an item or a scale correlates positively with itself over time (>.70).
-Ex: SAT scores
Parallel Forms
Using alternate forms of the testing instrument and correlating performance on the two different forms.
- *Recommend a two-week gap between tests.
- Make tests similar
Descriptive Research Strategy
Intended to answer questions about the current state of individual variables for a specific group of individuals. The goal of the descriptive strategy is to obtain a snapshot of specific characteristics of a specific group of individuals.
Observational Research Design
Descriptive research in which the researcher observes and systematically records the behavior of individuals to describe the behavior.
Naturalistic Observation
A type of observation in which a researcher observes behavior in a natural setting as unobtrusively as possible. Also known as nonparticipant observation.
Contrived Observation (Laboratory)
Observation in settings arranged specifically to facilitate the occurrence of specific behaviors. Also known as structured observation.
Disguised vs Undisguised
-For the researcher to pose as someone they are not vs. displaying themselves as a researcher
Quantifying Observations
1) Frequency Method-involves counting the instances of each specific behavior that occur during a fixed time observation period.
2) Duration Method-involves recording how much time an individual spends engaged in a specific behavior during a fixed-time observation period.
3) Interval Method-involves dividing the observation period into a series of intervals and then recording whether a specific behavior occurs during each interval.
Sampling Observations
1) Time Sampling-involves observing for one interval, then pausing during the next interval to record all the observations.
2) Event Sampling-involves identifying one specific event or behavior to be observed and recorded during the first interval; then the observer shifts to a different event or behavior during the second interval, and so on, for the full series of intervals.
3) Individual Sampling-involves identifying one participant to be observed during the first interval, then shifting attention to a different individual for the second interval, and so on.
Reactivity
People not acting naturally because they are being watched.
Content Analysis
Involves using the techniques of behavioral observation to measure the occurrence of specific events in literature, movies, television programs, or similar media that present replicas of behaviors.
