Chapter 7 Test Items

1. Which famous researcher is credited with examining the idea of variation or the idea that certain traits and attributes are selected to be passed from one generation to the next while others are not?

a. James C. McCroskey

b. Carl Hovland

c. Renis Likert

d. Charles Darwin

2. Which well-known researcher is credited with first using mental measures?

a. Francis Galton

b. James McKeen Cattell

c. Alfred Binet

d. Lewis Terman

3. What type of variable is one that a researcher cannot directly observe but that can be inferred from other variables that can be observed/measure?

a. Likert variable

b. nominal variable

c. hypothetical variable

d. independent variable

e. intervening variable

4. Tika is creating a scale to measure student levels of trust in an instructor. On her scale she asks respondents to rate their level of trust on a linear scale between two endpoints that have opposite meanings (e.g., I do not trust my instructor at all/I trust my instructor completely). What type of scale is Tika creating?

a. a semantic differential

b. a Likert scale

c. a Likert-type scale

d. a parametric scale

5. What is the process of systematic observation and assignment of numbers to phenomena according to rules?

a. measurement

b. ordinal variables

c. ordering attributes

d. mental measures

6. Gordon recently had a germinal idea about a new scale to measure aggressiveness in family contexts. Prior to scale creation, Gordon must develop and clarify the concept “aggression”. In other words, Gordon must engage in which of the following?

a. conceptualization

b. definition

c. operationalization

d. scale construction

7. Which of the following is NOT a tip for constructing questions on a research measure?

a. Start with the minimum number of items needed.

b. Make sure each item reflects the construct.

c. Use concise, clearly worded, unambiguous items.

d. Construct relatively short items.

8. How many subscales are included in the Source Credibility Measure?

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

9. What is the detailed description of the research procedures necessary to assign units of analysis to the categories of a variable in order to represent conceptual properties?

a. germinal idea

b. operationalization

c. conceptualization

d. rationalization

10. Which type of statistical test assumes that the level of measurement employed in obtaining the data was at the interval/ratio level?

a. parametric

b. nonparametric

c. central tendency

d. descriptive

11. Bill is creating a survey and wants to know how long individuals have been working at their current job. Here’s how it looks on his survey:

How long have you been in your current position at work?

Less than 1 Month

1–2 Months

3–6 Months

7–12 Months

1–2 Years

2–6 Years

6–10 Years

10+ Years

What level variable is this survey question?

a. ordinal

b. interval

c. ratio

d. nominal

12. What is a tool used for measurement of mental functions like attitudes, beliefs, cognitive knowledge, perceived knowledge, and personality/behavioral traits?

a. mental measures

b. research scales

c. questionnaires

d. alternative

e. interview schedule

13. Jim is attempting to develop a measure that examines one’s prejudice against people from eastern Europe. Unfortunately, Jim cannot directly measure people’s prejudice, so he is inferring people’s level of prejudice using a semantic differential scale he’s created. What type of variable is Jim measuring?

a. hypothetical variable

b. intervening variable

c. operationalized variable

d. mental measure

14. Virginia is attempting to measure whether participants believe a new ballot measure is good or bad. What category of measurement is Virginia attempting to measure?

a. attitude

b. belief

c. personality trait

d. perceived knowledge

15. Which of the following is NOT a way to ensure constructive question development?

a. longer items (more than 20 words) are appropriate when necessary

b. use concise, clearly worded, unambiguous items

c. consider recall issues for certain types of items

d. avoid ambiguous pronoun references

16. Susan’s measure is designed to measure three distinct concepts. Previous research demonstrated that each of these distinct subscales exists within the measure Susan is using. What statistical test would have been conducted to ensure the three subscales really exist?

a. factor analysis

b. isomorphic statistic

c. interval statistic

d. descriptive statistic

17. In her study, Rachel uses the following measure:

The current President is:

Angry 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cheerful

Annoyed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gratified

Troubled 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Satisfied

The answers for each of these three items are added together to create a single score Rachel calls “attitude towards the president.” What level of variable is Rachel using in her study?

a. nominal

b. ordinal

c. interval

d. ratio

18. In his study, Geraldo uses the following measure:

When it comes to higher education, I feel:

Positive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Negative

Favorable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Unfavorable

The answers for each of these two items are added together to create a single score Geraldo calls “attitude towards higher education.” What type of measure is Geraldo using in his study?

a. Likert

b. vocational test

c. semantic differential

d. staple

19. During her communication seminar, Polly wonders if anyone has ever examined people’s fear of interacting with police officers. This initial spark that caused Polly to create a new measure of fear of interacting with police officers is called what?

a. conceptualization

b. germinal idea

c. hypothetical design

d. operationalization

20. Which important scholar to the history of measurement first strived to measure individual differences?

a. Charles Darwin

b. James McKeen Cattell

c. Francis Galton

d. Alfred Binet

21. Isomorphism means identity or similarity of form.

a. True

b. False

22. Robert Woodworth was commissioned by the American Psychological Association on behalf of the U.S. military to create a measure of emotional stability that could be used to test new recruits during World War I.

a. True

b. False

23. Nominal measurement assigns numbers to things in such a way as to reflect relationships among the things.

a. True

b. False

24. State behavior is behavior that is assumed to be consistent across contexts and specific situations within particular constructs.

a. True

b. False

25. An attitude is a perception of reality about whether something is true or false.

a. True

b. False

26. Belief is a predisposition to respond to people, ideas, and objects in an evaluative way.

a. True

b. False

27. The purpose of a scalogram is to create a series of beliefs about a single topic starting with very strong and moving to very weak.

a. True

b. False

28. The answer on a single Likert Item is considered ordinal, but when multiple items are summed the total may be treated as interval.

a. True

b. False

Essays:

29. Explain the difference between conceptualization and operationalization.

30. Create a semantic differential scale to measure an individual’s communication satisfaction with one’s sibling.

31. Explain 8 of the 15 guidelines for writing Likert-scale items.

32. Explain the difference between state behavior and trait behavior.

33. Explain the three forms of operationalization. Provide your own examples.

Matching:

34. Match each of the following terms with the correct statement.

a. Germinal Idea = The spark that causes an individual to realize that something new can be measured.

b. Latent Variable = A variable that cannot be directly observed.

c. Belief = Perception of reality about whether something is true or false.

d. Trait Behavior = Behavior that is assumed to be consistent across contexts and specific situations.

e. Ordinal-Level Variable = Rank order measurement