PSYC 212 CH. 5: Psychological Measurement and Testing

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Questions and Answers

What does reliability primarily refer to in measurement?

The accuracy of the measurements taken

The degree of detail in the measurement

The relevance of the measurement to the construct

The consistency of the measurements (correct)

Which type of reliability assesses consistency across time?

Inter-rater reliability

Internal consistency

Split-half reliability

Test-retest reliability (correct)

What statistical method is used to assess internal consistency?

Cohen’s κ

Pearson’s r

Cronbach’s α (correct)

Spearman’s rho

What does a Pearson’s r value of +.95 indicate regarding test-retest reliability?

Excellent reliability Signup and view all the answers

Which type of validity considers whether a measurement appears to measure what it is supposed to measure?

Face validity Signup and view all the answers

Which type of validity involves measuring a criterion simultaneously with the construct?

Concurrent validity Signup and view all the answers

What concept refers to the extent to which observers provide consistent judgments?

Inter-rater reliability Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes validity as it pertains to measurement?

The extent to which a measurement represents the intended construct Signup and view all the answers

What does the discipline of Psychometrics study?

The measurement of psychological phenomena Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of psychological tests?

Allows subjective scoring Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines a psychological construct?

A theoretical abstraction summarizing internal processes and behavior Signup and view all the answers

What is a proposed process in developing a psychological construct definition?

Proposing conceptual definitions and testing them Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an operational definition?

An individual's self-report of happiness Signup and view all the answers

Categories for measuring variables specifically include which of the following?

Nominal, ordinal, and interval Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the extent different methods produce similar results?

Converging operations Signup and view all the answers

Which psychological construct might be related to behaviors surrounding technology use?

Internet addiction Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Psychological Measurement

Definition: The assignment of scores to represent a characteristic of an individual.
Psychometrics: Discipline concerned with the measurement of psychological phenomena.
Examples: Working memory, digit span.

Features of Psychological Tests

Sample behavior: They collect a systematic sample of behavior.
Standardized conditions: Behavior is sampled under standardized conditions.
Established scoring rules: Quantitative (numeric) information is obtained from the behavior sample using specific rules.

Psychological Constructs

Definition: Represent tendencies in how people think, feel, and behave across various situations.
Abstract summaries: Represent complex sets of behavior and internal processes.
Indirect observation: Often involve internal, unobservable processes.
Examples: Neuroticism, fear, anxiety, anger, sadness.

Operational Definitions

Specifications: How a construct or variable is measured.
Categories:
- Self-report: Asking individuals about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- Behavioral: Observing and recording actions.
- Physiological: Measuring bodily responses, such as heart rate or brain activity.
Converging Operations: Different operational definitions producing similar results for a construct.

Levels of Measurement

Nominal: Categories with no order (e.g., gender, hair color).
Ordinal: Categories with order, but no equal intervals (e.g., rank in a competition, level of agreement).
Interval: Equal intervals between categories, but no true zero (e.g., temperature in Celsius).
Ratio: Equal intervals with a true zero (e.g., height, weight, reaction time).

Reliability and Validity of Measurement

Reliability: Consistency of a measurement.
Types of reliability:
- Test-retest: Consistency over time. Assessed using Pearson's r (correlation coefficient) with minimum acceptable range of 0.6 to 0.8
- Internal consistency: Consistency across multiple items. Assessed using Cronbach's α.
- Inter-rater: Consistency between different observers. Assessed using Cronbach's α or Cohen's κ.

Validity

Definition: Extent to which scores represent the intended construct.
Types of Validity:
- Face: Appearance of measuring the intended construct.
- Content: comprehensiveness of the measurement.
- Criterion: Correlation with other measures of the construct.
  - Concurrent validity: Measures taken concurrently.
  - Predictive validity: Future outcomes prediction.
  - Convergent validity: Agreement between multiple measures of the same construct.
- Discriminant validity: Distinguishing the intended construct from other constructs.

Examples

Fear: A psychological construct with measurable aspects: physiological (elevated heart rate), behavioral (avoidance), cognitive (worried thoughts).
Stress: Can be measured in different ways: self-report scale (perceived stress scale), physiological measures (cortisol levels), behavioral observations (frequency of negative coping mechanisms).

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of psychological measurement in this quiz. Learn about psychometrics, features of psychological tests, and the complexities of psychological constructs. Test your understanding of how behavior is quantified and evaluated under standardized conditions.