Measurement Types
Name the three methods of measuring a variable.
Self-Report Measure
Observational (Behavioral) Measure
Physiological Measure
What are the (4) scales of measurement, and which are quantitative?
Nominal (Categorical)
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
Reliability is the consistency of the results of a measure (internal, interrater, and test-retest).
Validity is the appropriateness of a conclusion or decision (construct, internal, external, and statistical).
True
The extent to which a measure is subjectively considered a plausible operationalization of the conceptual variable in question.
Face Validity
The upward, downward, or neutral slope of the cluster of data points in a scatterplot.
Direction (of slope)
A method of measuring a variable in which people answer questions about themselves in a questionnaire or interview.
Self-Report Measure
A variable whose levels are categories (example: brown, blue, and green are each levels for the variable eye color).
Nominal Variable (Categorical Variable)
The consistency in results every time a measure is used.
Test-Retest Reliability
The extent to which a measure captures all parts of a defined construct.
Content Validity
A description of an association indicating how closely the data points in a scatterplot cluster along a line of best fit drawn through them.
Strength (of slope)
A method of measuring a variable by recording observable behaviors (or physical traces of behaviors).
Observational Measure (Behavioral Measure)
What is an ordinal scale?
A quantitative measurement scale whose levels represent ranked order, and distances between levels are not equal (example: finishing first, second, or third in a race).
The degree to which two or more coders or observers give consistent ratings of a set of targets.
Interrater Reliability
An empirical form of measurement validity that establishes the extent to which a measure is associated with a behavioral outcome with which it should be associated.
Criterion Validity
A single number, ranging from -1.0 to 1.0, that indicates the strength and direction of an association between two variables.
Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r)
A method of measuring a variable by recording biological data.
Physiological Measure
A quantitative measurement scale that has no “true zero,” and in which the numerals represent equal intervals (distances) between levels (example: temperature in degrees).
Interval Scale
In a measure that contains several items, the consistency in a pattern of answers, no matter how a question is phrased.
Internal Reliability
An empirical test of the extent to which a self-report measure correlates with other measures of a theoretically similar construct.
Convergent Validity
A correlation-based statistic that measures a scale’s internal reliability.
Cronbach's Alpha (Coefficient Alpha)
Measuring a person's heartbeat is an example of a(n) ______ measurement.
Physiological
What is a ratio scale?
A quantitative measurement scale in which the numerals have equal intervals and the value of zero truly means “none” of the variable being measured.
A ruler has high ______ reliability because it is consistent in its measurements of length.
Internal
An empirical test of the extent to which a self-report measure does not correlate strongly with measures of a theoretically dissimilar constructs.
Discriminant (Divergent) Validity
A measure of internal reliability for a set of items, obtained by taking the mean of all possible correlations computed between each item and the others.
Average Inter-Item Correlation