Instruments and measures Flashcards
What is an instrument?
- used to measure individual characteristics (IVs) and responses to the stimuli (DVs)
What is the difference between instruments and stimuli?
- stimuli: vehicle to deliver manipulation/treatment (IVs)
- instrument: measure other variables (DVs, CVs, IVs)
What are the 3 types of instruments?
- questionnaire
- technological equipment
- observation
What is a questionnaire?
- measures subjects’ self-reported characteristics and responses to manipulation
- variety of ways to administer: on paper, online, etc.
What must questionnaires in an experiment capture?
- abstract concepts of dependent variables (DVs)
- covariates (CVs)
- intervening variables (mediators, moderators)
What is an item in a questionnaire?
Specific question
What is a single item questionnaire?
only one question used for very concrete concepts like race, age, gender, etc.
What is an index questionnaire?
more complicated concepts measured with more than one question
eg. measures of attitudes, beliefs, emotions, judgements, norms, culture, etc.
What are some measurement issues?
- ceiling and floor effects
- construct validity
What are ceiling and floor effects?
- when answer options are not high (ceiling) or low (floor) enough, there is a bunching at the extremes
- can occur with Likert scales and categories
What is a Likert scale?
- fixed-choice response format measuring agreement, frequency, importance and likelihood
- odd number of choices allow for neutral point
What are some pros of questionnaire?
- self-reports give subjects “voice”
- self-reports are fast easy and cheap
- versatile, able to ask variety of questions and measure many attributes
What are some disadvantages of questionnaires?
- social desirability bias
- reluctance to answer morally, ethically revealing topics
- some people struggle to know their own feelings
- misinterpretation of questions