COMM 2000Q Exam 2 UPDATED
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
The Role of Measurement - CORRECT ANSWER Quantitative research involves using
measurement to gather data to help answer our questions
Assigning numbers to data as a way to mark characteristics of data
Links the conceptual to the empirical
Descriptive device and evaluative device
Numbers have no inherent value until we give them meaning
Measurement Includes: - CORRECT ANSWER The device or instrument used
How the device or instrument is used
The skill of the person using the device/instrument
Attributes or characteristics being measured
A process that includes everything the research does to arrive at the numerical estimates
Why Measure Communication Phenomena? - CORRECT ANSWER Measurement allows us to
describe things in standardized form
When variables are standardized -or operationalized- we can make important comparisons
Comparisons among individuals
Comparisons among students using the same measure
Comparisons among similar measures
Level of Measurement - CORRECT ANSWER Level used to measure variables is based on
your operationalization
Four levels of measurement, arranged hierarchically
Each level has all the characteristics of the preceding level
Higher levels offer greater precision and more information about the variable
The Levels of Measurement
Ratio (most precise) (continuous)
,Interval (continuous) (most used in communication research)
Ordinal (continuous)
Nominal (least precise) (categorical)
Levels of Measurement: NOMINAL - CORRECT ANSWER "In name only"
Describes the presence of absence of a characteristic or attribute
'Type-' or 'Category-' based
Minimum of 2 categories
Categories must be mutually exclusive and exhaustive
Any value impose on the categories is arbitrary - categories have no logical rank or level
Also called 'discrete' or 'categorical'
Examples: NOMINAL - CORRECT ANSWER Class Standing
First year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Political Party Affiliation
Democrat
Republican
Independent
Libertarian
Green Party
Other
Relationship Status
Single
Dating
Married
Divorced
Widowed
, Continuous Level Data - CORRECT ANSWER Variables that take on or assume a quantity,
intensity, or magnitude
Values can differ in degree, amount, or frequency and differences can be ordered on a continuum
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
Levels of Measurement: ORDINAL - CORRECT ANSWER "In order"
Measured by ranking elements in logical order from low to high or high to low
Sequencing of elements without precise measurement
Ranking positions are relative only to the other positions in that group
Distance between ranked elements in uneven and unknown
No zero-point
Determined by "more" or "less," but we don't know how much more or less
Examples: ORDINAL - CORRECT ANSWER Rank these social media platforms according to
how often you use them in a single day, with 1 indicating your most used platform and 5 indicating
you least used platform
Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
TikTok
Twitter
Rank these online news outlets from least credible (1) to most credible (7)
BuzzFeed
Huffington Post
Yahoo! News
The Guardian
Mail Online
Google News
USA Today
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
The Role of Measurement - CORRECT ANSWER Quantitative research involves using
measurement to gather data to help answer our questions
Assigning numbers to data as a way to mark characteristics of data
Links the conceptual to the empirical
Descriptive device and evaluative device
Numbers have no inherent value until we give them meaning
Measurement Includes: - CORRECT ANSWER The device or instrument used
How the device or instrument is used
The skill of the person using the device/instrument
Attributes or characteristics being measured
A process that includes everything the research does to arrive at the numerical estimates
Why Measure Communication Phenomena? - CORRECT ANSWER Measurement allows us to
describe things in standardized form
When variables are standardized -or operationalized- we can make important comparisons
Comparisons among individuals
Comparisons among students using the same measure
Comparisons among similar measures
Level of Measurement - CORRECT ANSWER Level used to measure variables is based on
your operationalization
Four levels of measurement, arranged hierarchically
Each level has all the characteristics of the preceding level
Higher levels offer greater precision and more information about the variable
The Levels of Measurement
Ratio (most precise) (continuous)
,Interval (continuous) (most used in communication research)
Ordinal (continuous)
Nominal (least precise) (categorical)
Levels of Measurement: NOMINAL - CORRECT ANSWER "In name only"
Describes the presence of absence of a characteristic or attribute
'Type-' or 'Category-' based
Minimum of 2 categories
Categories must be mutually exclusive and exhaustive
Any value impose on the categories is arbitrary - categories have no logical rank or level
Also called 'discrete' or 'categorical'
Examples: NOMINAL - CORRECT ANSWER Class Standing
First year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Political Party Affiliation
Democrat
Republican
Independent
Libertarian
Green Party
Other
Relationship Status
Single
Dating
Married
Divorced
Widowed
, Continuous Level Data - CORRECT ANSWER Variables that take on or assume a quantity,
intensity, or magnitude
Values can differ in degree, amount, or frequency and differences can be ordered on a continuum
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio
Levels of Measurement: ORDINAL - CORRECT ANSWER "In order"
Measured by ranking elements in logical order from low to high or high to low
Sequencing of elements without precise measurement
Ranking positions are relative only to the other positions in that group
Distance between ranked elements in uneven and unknown
No zero-point
Determined by "more" or "less," but we don't know how much more or less
Examples: ORDINAL - CORRECT ANSWER Rank these social media platforms according to
how often you use them in a single day, with 1 indicating your most used platform and 5 indicating
you least used platform
Snapchat
TikTok
Rank these online news outlets from least credible (1) to most credible (7)
BuzzFeed
Huffington Post
Yahoo! News
The Guardian
Mail Online
Google News
USA Today
