Week 5 (part 2) Flashcards
(19 cards)
composite measures
combining several measurements into one single value
index
when several different measures are added together to create a combined score for a particular concept; each measure has the same exact weight/value
scale
a composite measure composed of several items that have a consistent logical or empirical structure among them and may be weighted
when are scales used?
when items need varying degrees, allows for intensity to be taken into consideration (i.e. “to what extent”)
Likert scales
a composite measure that separates items into different response categories (i.e. strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree)
what are the main characteristics of good measures?
mutually exclusive, exhaustive, validity, and reliability
what is meant by a measure being mutually exclusive?
ability to classify oneself into one category; there is no overlap between categories
what is meant by a measure being exhaustive?
the ability to find a category that describes one’s answer; all possible responses are provided as options
what is meant by validity?
accurately measuring what you want to measure; measuring “the truth”
types of validity
face validity, criterion-related validity, and content validity
face validity
the quality of an indicator that makes it a reasonable measure
criterion-related validity
the degree to which a measure relates to some external criterion
content validity
concerns how well a measure encompasses the many different dimensions of a single concept
what is meant by reliability?
the quality of measurement that suggests the same data would have been collected each time in repeated observations of the same phenomenon; aka consistent and repetitive results are found
methods for assessing reliability
split-half method, test-retest method, pilot testing, established measures
split-half method
administering one subset of an item to half of the sample then another subset
test-retest method
administering a measure to the same sample at 2 different times
pilot testing
method of administering to a small preliminary sample of subjects as a means of assessing how well the measure works
established measures
use measures previously shown to be reliable
