Ch5 Verified Test Bank Variables and Measurement in Research

Test Bank

Chapter 5: Variables and Measurement in Research

Multiple Choice

1. If I set my alarm to read 8:10 when it is really 8:00 (i.e., it is 10 minutes fast) and the alarm goes off each day when it reads 8:10, it will be ______ but not ______.

a. valid; reliable

b. reliable; valid

c. accurate; testable

d. parsimonious; falsifiable

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Reliability of Measurements and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Time measured in minutes is an example of a(n) ______ scale.

a. interval

b. ordinal

c. nominal

d. ratio

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. People in a grocery store are asked to sample three types of energy drinks and then indicate which one they liked best and which they liked least (i.e., they rank ordered the drinks). The dependent variable in this study is measured on a(n) ______ scale.

a. interval

b. ratio

c. ordinal

d. nominal

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The difference between nominal and ordinal measurement scales is ______.

a. nominal scales have numerical response categories and ordinal scales do not

b. responses on ordinal scales can be rank ordered and responses on nominal scales cannot be rank ordered

c. nominal scales include zero as the lowest possible score and ordinal scales do not

d. nominal and ordinal scales are identical

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Suppose a psychologist developed a test to measure intelligence, but this test was poorly developed and really only measured how well people perform on standardized tests (in other words, it doesn’t actually measure intelligence). This test would lack ______.

a. inter-rater reliability

b. test-retest validity

c. construct validity

d. parsimony

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. When different observers of behavior record the behavior in a similar way, the measure is said to have good ______.

a. inter-rater reliability

b. test-retest validity

c. construct validity

d. parsimony

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Reliability of Measurements and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. An independent variable that includes three different types of treatments is called a(n) ______ variable.

a. amount

b. bivalent

c. multivalent

d. subject

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. The difference between an independent variable and a quasi-independent variable is that the quasi-independent variable lacks ______.

a. random assignment

b. parsimony

c. validity

d. reliability

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.2: Determine if a research study contains an independent variable

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Quasi-Independent Variables

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. A variable that affects the results of the study but is not a variable of interest in the study, is called a(n) ______ variable.

a. independent

b. dependent

c. subject

d. confound

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.3: Distinguish between independent and dependent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. A solution to experimenter bias is to use a(n) ______ design.

a. double-blind

b. single-blind

c. experimental

d. correlational

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Measuring intelligence using the score on an IQ test is an example of ______.

a. reliability

b. an operational definition

c. an independent variable

d. maturation

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Dependent Variables

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Temperature measured in Fahrenheit or Celsius is an example of a(n) ______ measurement scale.

a. nominal

b. ordinal

c. interval

d. ratio

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Independent variables can be manipulated according to all but ______.

a. presence/absence of treatment

b. type of treatment

c. amount of treatment

d. level of treatment

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. A quasi-independent variable is the same as ______.

a. a subject variable

b. an independent variable

c. a dependent variable

d. a confounding variable

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.3: Distinguish between independent and dependent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Quasi-Independent Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Confounding variables primarily threaten the ______ of a study.

a. external validity

b. internal validity

c. reliability

d. third variable

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. Getting better on a task in a study with practice can cause a source of bias called ______.

a. maturation

b. testing effects

c. regression toward the mean

d. mortality

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Suppose that on average, you tend to score about 83% on exams in your courses. Scoring a 95% on the first exam in a course and 84% on the second exam in that course is an example of ______.

a. the Hawthorne effect

b. maturation

c. regression toward the mean

d. attrition

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. Suppose that a participant completes a task in a research study faster than he or she would have completed the task outside the study (i.e., in their natural surroundings). This would be an example of ______.

a. regression toward the mean

b. maturation

c. a history effect

d. the Hawthorne effect

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Testing effects are particularly problematic for ______ designs.

a. quasi-experimental

b. within-subjects

c. between-subjects

d. bivalent

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. Having different participants in a study experience conditions in different orders is ______.

a. counterbalancing

b. regression toward the mean

c. random assignment

d. attrition

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

21. The simplest scale of measurement is a ______.

a. ordinal scale

b. nominal scale

c. interval scale

d. ratio scale

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

22. ______ validity means that on the surface, a study or scale appears to be intuitively valid.

a. Face

b. Criterion

c. Construct

d. Inter-rater

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. An independent variable that includes two levels is called a(n) ______ variable.

a. amount

b. bivalent

c. multivalent

d. subject

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Nominal scales are considered ______ data.

a. quantitative

b. bivalent

c. multivalent

d. qualitative

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. In a ______, both the participants and the researchers who interact with the participants do not know which participants are assigned to the different groups.

a. double-blind design

b. tri-blind design

c. multi-blind design

d. single-blind design

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

26. A survey response scale that involves pictorial response categories for participants with low verbal skills is a ______.

a. verbal scale

b. mute scale

c. nonverbal scale

d. pictorial scale

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Easy

27. Presence/absence of variables typically includes ______.

a. two levels

b. three levels

c. four levels

d. five levels

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. A procedure used to hide the group assignment from the participants in a study to prevent their beliefs about the effectiveness of a treatment from affecting the results is ______.

a. double-blind design

b. tri-blind design

c. multi-blind design

d. single-blind design

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

29. A sugar pill given to the control group in a drug study to allow all groups to believe that they are receiving a treatment is using ______.

a. multi-blind design

b. confounding factors

c. placebo

d. bivalent

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

30. In the ______ design each participant experiences all levels of the variable.

a. within-subjects

b. between-subjects

c. across-subjects

d. all-subjects

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

31. In the ______ design each participant experiences only one level of the independent variable.

a. within-subjects

b. between-subjects

c. across-subjects

d. all-subjects

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. An experiment conducted in the participants’ natural environment is a(n) ______ experiment.

a. environment

b. natural

c. field

d. naturalistic

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

33. ______ is a source of bias that can occur in a study due to participants changing their behavior based on their perception of the study and its purpose.

a. Demand characteristics

b. Perception characteristics

c. Bias characteristics

d. Study characteristics

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

34. Ways to minimize the Hawthorne effect does not include ______.

a. observing the participants unobtrusively

b. using deception

c. making the participants’ responses in a study anonymous

d. telling participants you will be observing them

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

35. How consistent the measurements are is called ______.

a. reliability

b. validity

c. trustworthiness

d. generalizability

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Dependent Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

36. The best way to minimize regression toward the mean bias effects is to use ______ of the test for within-subjects variables.

a. several repetitions

b. blind procedure

c. repeat surveys

d. remove confounds

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Regression Toward the Mean

Difficulty Level: Medium

37. External validity can be reduced by ______ reducing representativeness of the study.

a. the Hawthorne effect

b. maturation

c. regression toward the mean

d. attrition

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

38. Any characteristic that can be measured or observed from the participants can be used to create a ______ variable in a study.

a. bivalent

b. independent

c. quasi-independent

d. dependent

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Quasi-Independent Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

39. The best way to design a good causal experiment (or even a good quasi-experiment) is to use ______.

a. control for sources of bias

b. published inventories

c. counterbalancing procedures

d. different test for each participant

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. A common interval scale is the Likert scale, where respondents are asked how much they agree or disagree with a statement on a 1 to 5 or a 1 to 7 scale.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Amount variables involve a manipulation of the amount of a factor in each level.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Experimenter bias occurs when in a study a researcher inadvertently treats groups the same due to knowledge of the hypothesis for the study.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. When the effectiveness of a drug is tested, the treatment group typically receives a placebo to equate beliefs of effectiveness of treatment across groups.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Some examples of common quasi-independent variables used in psychological research include gender, age, personality types (e.g., introverts and extroverts), and ethnicity.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Quasi-Independent Variables

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. A mono-blind design is used to combat effects of subjects’ knowledge of their group assignment.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Placebo effects can be an issue when multiple testing sessions occur in a study.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. “Regression toward the mean” means that extreme scores are not likely to recur.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Internal Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. If participants behave in a research study the way they would in their everyday lives, then the study has good external validity.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Demand characteristics can affect the validity of a study.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: External Validity

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Comparing scores on a depression questionnaire using different types of drugs or therapies is type variable of the dependent variable.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.4: Compare different types of independent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Types of Manipulations

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. High inter-rater reliability means that there is a high rate of agreement in the way the different observers are recording behaviors.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Reliability of Measurements and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. The Beck Anxiety Inventory questionnaire would have lower validity if used to collect data about anxiety on young children under the age of 4.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. The ratio scale is defined as an unordered category.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. The simplest scale of measurement is the ordinal scale.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. Discuss what scales of measurement mean and how the scale of measurement affects research design.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the issues involved in choosing operational definitions and response scale

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Scales of Measurement

Difficulty Level: Medium

Use the following study description for questions (2)–(4): A researcher conducted a study to examine the effect of number of tasks on performance accuracy. Participants were randomly assigned one or three tasks to perform simultaneously. Accuracy on the target task (the task performed by both groups) was measured for both groups. Accuracy was found to be similar for the two groups.

2. What is the independent variable in this study? What are the levels of the independent variable?

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.3: Distinguish between independent and dependent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Independent Variables

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. What is the dependent variable?

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.3: Distinguish between independent and dependent variables

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Dependent Variables

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Describe two possible sources of bias in this study and explain how each source of bias could have caused the results reported.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Validity and Sources of Bias

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Explain the difference between construct validity and face validity. Please provide examples.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Explain how the concepts of validity and reliability differ.

KEY: Learning Objective: 5.5: Evaluate study design and measures for validity and reliability

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity and Response Scales

Difficulty Level: Medium