W2: Ethics, Survey Design and Deriving Scales

Question 1

What are the three core principles of human ethics?

Answer 1

Respect/Autonomy, Beneficence, Justice

Question 2

What does Respect/Autonomy entail in ethical research?

Answer 2

Participants must be able to make autonomous, reasoned decisions about their participation

Question 3

What is Informed Consent?

Answer 3

Participants are informed about the purpose of the study, risks/benefits, rights, and debriefing

Question 4

What is the purpose of debriefing in research?

Answer 4

To inform participants about the study after their participation

Question 5

What special considerations are there for special populations in research?

Answer 5

Ensuring that participation is autonomous and that risks/rewards are considered

Question 6

What does Beneficence require in research?

Answer 6

Utilize benefits and minimize risks of the research

Question 7

What should research address according to the principle of Beneficence?

Answer 7

Research that is relevant to a societal need and advances scientific theory

Question 8

What is required to ensure participant beneficence?

Answer 8

Protect participants from psychological and physical harm and maintain privacy and confidentiality

Question 9

What is the principle of Justice in ethical research?

Answer 9

Selection of participants and risks/benefits must be equitable

Question 10

What should inclusion/exclusion criteria be based on?

Answer 10

Research questions or limitations such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and sexual orientation

Question 11

True or False: Ethical decisions must avoid all costs and injustices.

Answer 11

False

Question 12

What is the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi in ethical research at VUW?

Answer 12

It must be considered alongside the principles of respect/autonomy, beneficence, and justice

Question 13

What are core application requirements for obtaining ethics approval?

Answer 13

Include copies of all materials, description of confidentiality, benefits/risks, compensation, and data storage

Question 14

What is the difference between morality and ethics in research?

Answer 14

Morality is personal values, while ethics are standards set by committees and associations

Question 15

Fill in the blank: Ethical issues in research include _______, Beneficence, and Justice.

Answer 15

Respect/Autonomy

Question 16

What does Research Beneficence refer to in science in the media?

Answer 16

It applies to ensuring ethical standards in research reported in the media

Question 17

What is the goal of applying participant and survey characteristics?

Answer 17

To create ‘good’ questions

Question 18

What does measurement of item reliability involve?

Answer 18

Assessing the consistency of items within a scale

Question 19

What are common biases in surveys that affect validity and reliability?

Answer 19

Response Biases, Demand Characteristics, Social Desirability

Question 20

What are scale anchors used for?

Answer 20

To provide strong question phrasing and avoid ceiling and floor effects

Question 21

What are examples of scale anchors?

Answer 21

‘not at all’/‘always’, ‘strongly disagree’/‘strongly agree’

Question 22

What is Acquiescence Bias?

Answer 22

The tendency for people to agree more than they disagree

Question 23

In which cultures is Acquiescence Bias stronger?

Answer 23

Collectivistic cultures

Question 24

What can help mitigate Acquiescence Bias?

Answer 24

Using multiple items to average into one scale

Question 25

What does Cronbach’s Alpha test measure?

Answer 25

Item reliability within a scale

Question 26

What is considered an acceptable Cronbach's Alpha score?

Answer 26

Above .70

Question 27

What is Priming in the context of surveys?

Answer 27

Exposure to a question influences subsequent answers

Question 28

What is an example of Affective Priming?

Answer 28

Answering questions about values, morals, or attitudes

Question 29

What should researchers do to deal with Priming?

Answer 29

Move impactful questions to the end of the survey or use distraction tasks

Question 30

What is a common mistake in survey question design?

Answer 30

Double-Negatives or Double-Barreled Questions

Question 31

What can leading questions do to survey measures?

Answer 31

Make measures totally invalid

Question 32

What is the effect of Demand Characteristics and Social Desirability on response bias?

Answer 32

Increase bias but lower validity

Question 33

What should good survey questions adjust for?

Answer 33

Psychological biases in the participant and in the survey

Question 34

Fill in the blank: Acquiescence Bias is the tendency to agree more than to _______.

Answer 34

disagree

Question 35

What is a method to counter Acquiescence Bias?

Answer 35

Remove the mid-point of the scale

Question 36

What can high reliability and low validity indicate in survey data?

Answer 36

The measures are consistent but not accurately capturing the intended construct

Question 37

In an online survey, what does a countdown timer help adjust for?

Answer 37

Social desirability/Demand characteristic biases

Question 38

What is the main purpose of Principal Components Analysis (PCA)?

Answer 38

To identify which questions group together and which provide unique information.

Question 39

What is the first step in developing a scale?

Answer 39

Operationalization.

Question 40

What should you ensure when designing questions for PCA?

Answer 40

Balance question wording and valence.

Question 41

What is the recommended sample size for PCA?

Answer 41

Greater than 200 and more than 5 people per item.

Question 42

What does PCA look at to summarize measures?

Answer 42

Patterns of data and fitting a series of lines called 'Principal components'.

Question 43

What rotation method should you choose in PCA when components are likely to be correlated?

Answer 43

'Oblimin' rotation.

Question 44

What is the significance of the Bartlett test in PCA?

Answer 44

It assesses sphericity and needs to be significant.

Question 45

What does the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure assess?

Answer 45

Sampling adequacy, needing to be above 0.5.

Question 46

What indicates that it is appropriate to conduct a PCA?

Answer 46

Significant Bartlett's test and a KMO measure above 0.5.

Question 47

What does the scree plot help determine?

Answer 47

The number of components to retain.

Question 48

In the context of PCA, what does 'cross-load' mean?

Answer 48

An item loads on multiple components.

Question 49

What should be done if items cross-load in PCA?

Answer 49

Consider re-starting or removing the item from the scale.

Question 50

What is one key indicator to look for in the scree plot?

Answer 50

The point where the plot drops to the flat part (the 'plateau').

Question 51

What is meant by 'construct validity' in PCA?

Answer 51

The grouping of items reflects the theoretical constructs being measured.

Question 52

What should you do with items that have negative loadings when forming a scale?

Answer 52

Reverse-code those items.

Question 53

What should be included in the report after conducting PCA?

Answer 53

Descriptive statistics and reliability for the new scale.

Question 54

Fill in the blank: The two components summarizing reasons for crying were labeled as _______ and _______.

Answer 54

self-focused reasons, other-focused reasons.

Question 55

True or False: An item loading on three different components should always be kept in the scale.

Answer 55

False.

Question 56

What is the goal of generating as many questions/items as possible in PCA?

Answer 56

To select items appropriately for your aim and sample.

Question 57

What does a high KMO score indicate?

Answer 57

Very good sampling adequacy.

Question 58

What is the purpose of averaging items in each component?

Answer 58

To create a reliable scale.

Question 59

What should be reported in an APA table after PCA?

Answer 59

Item labels and loadings.

Question 60

What does it mean if components are grouped by something other than theorized?

Answer 60

It may indicate a lack of construct validity.