quiz 2

Question 1

concepts

Answer 1

idea or mental representations of things, they are categories for the organization of ideas and observations

Question 2

conceptualization

Answer 2

is the process of defining the concepts that one employs in one’s research - specifying the meaning of something for research

Question 3

operationalization

Answer 3

is the process of determining how one will measure a concept through one’s research

Question 4

nomothetic explanations
what are the three criteria of causation

Answer 4

involve attributions of cause and effect, expressed in terms of general laws and principles
- typically quantitative

1. correlation
2. time order
3. non-spuriousness

Question 5

idiographic explanation

Answer 5

involve a rich description of a person or group and seek to explain the particular
typically qualitative
- not meant to apply to persons or groups who were not part of the study

Question 6

reliability
- what are its three different meanings

Answer 6

concerned with the consistency of measures
1. stability over time
2. internal reliability
3. inter-observer consistency.

Question 7

reliability
(stability over time)

Answer 7

whether the results of a measure fluctuate as time progresses assuming that what is being measured is not changing
- can be measured using the test-retest method
- it is extremely difficult to quantify stability over time because of the number of factors that may come into play over the passage of time

Question 8

reliability
(internal consistency)

Answer 8

whether multiple measures that are administered in one sitting are consistent

Question 9

reliability
(inter-observer consistency)

Answer 9

all observers should classify behaviour or attitudes in the same way
- two researchers looking at the same study should agree

Question 10

measurement validity
and the four kinds

Answer 10

concerned with whether one is measuring what one wants to measure
1. face validity
2. concurrent validity
3. construct validity
4. convergent validity

Question 11

explain face validity

Answer 11

established if at first glance the measure appears to be valid

Question 12

explain concurrent validity

Answer 12

established if the measure correlates with some criterion thought to be relevant to the concept
a lack of correlation brings some doubt onto the validity (correctness) of the original measure

Question 13

construct validity

Answer 13

established if the concepts relate to each other in the way that is consistent with the researcher’s theory - confirmed by seeing that the results match what would be predicted given the theory

Question 14

convergent validity

Answer 14

established if a measure of a concept correlates with a second measure of the concept that uses a different measurement technique

Question 15

what are the levels of measurement

Answer 15

nominal
ordinal
interval
ratio

Question 16

nominal

Answer 16

a variable comprised of categories that cannot be ranked

Question 17

ordinal

Answer 17

a variable whose categories can be ranked in order but the distance between the categories is not equal or known across the range

Question 18

interval

Answer 18

a variable for which the intervals between categories are identical and quantifiable

Question 19

ratio

Answer 19

an interval variable with a true zero point

Question 20

units of analysis

Answer 20

the things that are the object of a study’s attention (individuals, organizations or groups, social artifacts

Question 21

unit of observation

Answer 21

the kinds of objects from which evidence is collected

Question 22

in the research example how did they measure school quality

Answer 22

average of percent on standardized testing

Question 23

in the research example how did they measure ethnic composition

Answer 23

by schools through official data

Question 24

in the research example how did they measure poverty

Answer 24

how many students are eligible for free lunch

Question 25

what is the unit of analysis in the research example

Answer 25

schools

Question 26

what is the unit of observation in research example

Answer 26

individuals

Question 27

in the research example, what was the result comparing race and testing

Answer 27

reading and math- white, Asian, native/other, Hispanic, black (highest to lowest grades) - vertical mosaic

Question 28

what demonstrates a vertical mosaic in the research example

Answer 28

school quality by racial composition

Question 29

poverty level makes a BIG difference in

Answer 29

school quality

Question 30

the impact of location on quality depends on

Answer 30

the level of poverty in the school district

Question 31

what type of location has the most poverty

Answer 31

inner city

Question 32

most racial/ethnic disparities are linked not so much to racial composition of schools as to their ______ ___ _______

Answer 32

levels of poverty

Question 33

what races are concentrated in the two high poverty schools of the research

Answer 33

Hispanic, Native, black

Question 34

how are porverty and school quality related

Answer 34

inversely

Question 35

which variables mattered at the end of the study

Answer 35

race and poverty - not location

Question 36

what kind of research design did the study follow

Answer 36

positivist - quantitative -cross-sectional -logical -operationalization -levels of measurement - reliability and validity - typologies

Question 37

what approach was used throughout the study

Answer 37

deductive - the construction of typology was done inductively

Question 38

what where the control, independent, and dependent variables in the study

Answer 38

- poverty/location - race - ranking on test

Question 39

which variable had debatable validity

Answer 39

school ranking (does test grades really measure quality)

Question 40

when creating the typology what was the independent and dependent variables

Answer 40

type of school independent school quality- dependent

Question 41

what is unobtrusive method

Answer 41

use of existing statistics provided (researchers had no impact)

Question 42

primary goal of quantatitive researchers

Answer 42

measurement establishing causality (internal validity) generalization replication

Question 43

external validity. what controls this?

Answer 43

achieved if results of a study can be generalized beyond research context affected by research design picked

Question 44

what are the three main reasons for the attention given to measurement

Answer 44

1. can detect fine differences 2. can define a consistent yardstick for such distinctions 3. basis for correlation analysis

Question 45

indicator

Answer 45

something employed to measure a concept can refer to anything but mainly indirect measure used when no direct measure is available

Question 46

what is the likert scale

Answer 46

measure the intensity of feelings about a particular topic

Question 47

multiple indicators allow for

Answer 47

factor analysis and cluster analysis

Question 48

factor analysis

Answer 48

- Factor analysis provides an indication of the extent to which (a) multiple measures really are measuring a single concept as opposed to more than one concept; and (b) individual items are measuring the concept in question.

Question 49

cluster analysis

Answer 49

Cluster analysis allows researchers to determine whether people or other units of study can be grouped together on the basis of shared characteristic

Question 50

coding three principles

Answer 50

1. categories must not overlap 2. must be exhaustive 3. clear rules about how codes are applied

Question 51

reliability is concerned with

Answer 51

consistency of measures 1. stability over time 2. internal 3. inter-observer consistancy

Question 52

internal reliability

Answer 52

- The key issue here is whether multiple measures that are administered in one sitting are consistent—in other words, whether respondents’ scores on any one indicator tend to be related to their scores on the other indicators.

Question 53

face validity

Answer 53

- Appears to reflect the content of the concept In question

Question 54

2. Concurrent validity

Answer 54

- The researcher can also seek to gauge the concurrent validity of the measure by examining a criterion relevant to the concept in question at about the same time as the measure of interest is administered

Question 55

which test for stability over time

Answer 55

test-retest

Question 56

The criticism that quantitative research's reliance on instruments and procedures produces a disjuncture between research and everyday life relates to the question of

Answer 56

external validity.