Key Takeaways and Exercises

What is the fundamental definition of measurement in psychology?

Which of the following are described as variables that are not directly observable because they represent behavioral tendencies or complex internal processes?

What is the term for the strategy of using multiple operational definitions for the same construct in psychological research?

A researcher asks participants to state their country of origin. What level of measurement is being used?

Which level of measurement communicates the most quantitative information?

What is the primary difference between reliability and validity as criteria for evaluating measures?

A researcher gives a group of participants a personality test on Monday and then the same test again on Friday to check for the consistency of the scores. What type of reliability is being assessed?

Which of the following describes internal consistency?

Validity is described as a judgment based on various types of evidence. Which of the following is NOT listed as a type of relevant evidence for validity?

What is the first step in good measurement practice?

According to the text, when should a researcher decide between using an existing measure or creating a new one?

What is the status of the assessment of reliability and validity after a measure has been used?

What is the relationship between a conceptual definition and an operational definition of a construct?

Why do psychological researchers not simply assume their measures work?

If a researcher develops a new scale to measure shyness and finds that its scores are highly correlated with scores on an existing, validated shyness scale, what type of validity is being demonstrated?

Which level of measurement allows for ranking of individuals but does not assume equal intervals between the ranks?

The extent to which scores on a measure are NOT correlated with measures of conceptually distinct variables is known as what?

If two different researchers observe the same behavior and their ratings are highly consistent with each other, the measure is said to have high:

A measure can be highly _______ but not at all _______.

What does the text identify as an important goal of scientific research regarding psychological constructs?

Which of the following measurement types are included under the umbrella of 'psychological measurement'?

A researcher measures temperature in degrees Celsius. This is an example of which level of measurement?

The process of reevaluating a measure's reliability and validity based on new data is described as what?

If a depression scale is found to accurately predict which patients will later be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, it has high what?

Why must the assessment of a measure's reliability and validity be considered an ongoing process?

A researcher measures the number of times a child shares a toy in a 10-minute period. What level of measurement is this?

What is the consequence if a researcher cannot show that their measure works?

The steps of making changes to research design, prescreening participants, and providing thorough information during consent are all methods to achieve what?

What is the final step listed in the summary of a researcher's ethical responsibilities that continues beyond IRB approval?

A detailed review of the research literature is described as being essential for what part of the measurement process?

Which statement accurately reflects the relationship between the level of measurement and the statistical analysis that can be performed?

What type of validity involves checking if a measure covers all the important aspects of the construct of interest?

A new IQ test is developed. To demonstrate its validity, researchers show that scores on the test are positively correlated with college GPA and negatively correlated with the number of academic probations. This provides evidence for its:

Which of these is NOT one of the three types of consistency that define reliability?

The use of self-report questionnaires, observations of behavior, and EEG recordings are all examples of what?

What is the primary characteristic of psychological constructs like self-esteem or depression?

The decision to use an existing measure or create a new one is based on the availability of existing measures and their what?

If a bathroom scale consistently shows you are 5 pounds heavier than you actually are, what can be said about the scale as a measure of weight?

What is the relationship between the four levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)?

A measure's reliability is considered part of the evidence for its what?

A student researcher wants to measure financial responsibility. Which of the following would be an example of using converging operations?

What is the first step a researcher should take after using a measure and collecting new data?

Which of these is NOT a simple step mentioned for creating and implementing measures to help maximize reliability and validity?

An important characteristic of psychological constructs is that they often represent:

What does a ratio level of measurement have that an interval level of measurement lacks?

If a research measure is found to have poor reliability, what is the most likely implication for its validity?

The primary purpose of having several simple steps in creating and implementing measures is to:

What kind of validity evidence would be gathered by asking a group of experts to review a questionnaire and judge whether its items adequately sample the construct of interest?

The ongoing evaluation of a measure's reliability and validity is based on what?

Which statement best describes the researcher's responsibility regarding ethical issues in research?