PSY 355 Exam 2 UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Steps involved in doing scientific research -Question
-Hypothesis
-Research design
-Measurement
-Analysis
-Interpretation
-Reporting
Measurement assignment of numbers to people, behaviors, objects, events, etc.
Researchers have to systematically observe phenomena by collecting data and
this requires (good) measurement
Accurate, objective measurement is the cornerstone of all science including
psychology
Common measures -Self report measures
-Observational measures
-Physiological measures
Self report measures Operationalizes a variable by recording people's answers to questions about it
-Beck depression inventory (bad measure for older adults), NEO five factor
inventory
Observational measures Operationalizes a variable by recording observable behavior or its physical
traces
-Aggression, helping behaviors, paths, worn books
Physiological measures Operationalizes a variable by recording biological data such as brain activity,
hormone levels, or heartrate
-GSR, EMG, EEG, fMRI
Variability refers to how measurements vary across individuals, situations, and time
Psychology is the study of? behavioral, cognitive, and emotional variability
Research questions are questions about? variability
Measurement error Was the measure a good measure?
Measurement error + true score= observed score
Five categories of measurement error 1. Stable attributes
2. Transient states
3. Situational factors
4. Measure features
5. Scoring errors
Stable attributes consistent; always true, ex. test anxiety
Transient states effect you in here and now; will go away, ex. hunger, sickness
, Situational factors environment may exert influence, ex. lights, talking, comfortability
Measure features decisions the creator made that might impact outcomes, ex. wording, format,
exam length
Scoring errors not scoring correctly
Scales of measurement Refers to the meaning and interpretation of the numbers that are used to
measure something
-They are critical for determining the math operations that can be performed
on the numbers, as well as the kind of statistics that one can use to analyze
them
4 scales of measurement 1. Nominal
2. Ordinal
3. Interval
4. Ratio
Nominal Identity (categorical only)
-used to place people or behaviors into two or more categories based on their
identity (male and female)
-numbers are meaningless
Ordinal Magnitude
-used to rank order thing (from best to worse, likely to unlikely, amount of
agreement, etc.) based on their magnitude (strength)
-No assumption is made about the relative distance (spacing) between
remakings; numeric calculations limited to > & <
Interval Equal interval
-similar to an ordinal scale (numbers reflect magnitude) but includes the idea of
equal intervals between numbers
-Values can be used in calculations (means, SDs), but there is no true zero
amount (temp)
Ratio True zero point
-similar to an interval scale (numbers reflect magnitudes with equal intervals)
but includes a true zero point as well
-Typically found in studies measuring physical properties (height, weight, time)
as well as tests that measure the number, proportion, or % of correct or
incorrect responses
Ex. Does alcohol slow reaction time?
Descriptive statistics (central tendency): Measures of central tendency reduce a large set of
numbers to just one that captures the "center" of the distribution ("what was the
average score?")
Dispersion Describe how much variability or "spread" there is in a set of numbers
Range the lowest ot highest score
Variance the average squared deviation from the mean; helps describe data esp. When
means are the same
SD the average deviation from the mean
Answers
Steps involved in doing scientific research -Question
-Hypothesis
-Research design
-Measurement
-Analysis
-Interpretation
-Reporting
Measurement assignment of numbers to people, behaviors, objects, events, etc.
Researchers have to systematically observe phenomena by collecting data and
this requires (good) measurement
Accurate, objective measurement is the cornerstone of all science including
psychology
Common measures -Self report measures
-Observational measures
-Physiological measures
Self report measures Operationalizes a variable by recording people's answers to questions about it
-Beck depression inventory (bad measure for older adults), NEO five factor
inventory
Observational measures Operationalizes a variable by recording observable behavior or its physical
traces
-Aggression, helping behaviors, paths, worn books
Physiological measures Operationalizes a variable by recording biological data such as brain activity,
hormone levels, or heartrate
-GSR, EMG, EEG, fMRI
Variability refers to how measurements vary across individuals, situations, and time
Psychology is the study of? behavioral, cognitive, and emotional variability
Research questions are questions about? variability
Measurement error Was the measure a good measure?
Measurement error + true score= observed score
Five categories of measurement error 1. Stable attributes
2. Transient states
3. Situational factors
4. Measure features
5. Scoring errors
Stable attributes consistent; always true, ex. test anxiety
Transient states effect you in here and now; will go away, ex. hunger, sickness
, Situational factors environment may exert influence, ex. lights, talking, comfortability
Measure features decisions the creator made that might impact outcomes, ex. wording, format,
exam length
Scoring errors not scoring correctly
Scales of measurement Refers to the meaning and interpretation of the numbers that are used to
measure something
-They are critical for determining the math operations that can be performed
on the numbers, as well as the kind of statistics that one can use to analyze
them
4 scales of measurement 1. Nominal
2. Ordinal
3. Interval
4. Ratio
Nominal Identity (categorical only)
-used to place people or behaviors into two or more categories based on their
identity (male and female)
-numbers are meaningless
Ordinal Magnitude
-used to rank order thing (from best to worse, likely to unlikely, amount of
agreement, etc.) based on their magnitude (strength)
-No assumption is made about the relative distance (spacing) between
remakings; numeric calculations limited to > & <
Interval Equal interval
-similar to an ordinal scale (numbers reflect magnitude) but includes the idea of
equal intervals between numbers
-Values can be used in calculations (means, SDs), but there is no true zero
amount (temp)
Ratio True zero point
-similar to an interval scale (numbers reflect magnitudes with equal intervals)
but includes a true zero point as well
-Typically found in studies measuring physical properties (height, weight, time)
as well as tests that measure the number, proportion, or % of correct or
incorrect responses
Ex. Does alcohol slow reaction time?
Descriptive statistics (central tendency): Measures of central tendency reduce a large set of
numbers to just one that captures the "center" of the distribution ("what was the
average score?")
Dispersion Describe how much variability or "spread" there is in a set of numbers
Range the lowest ot highest score
Variance the average squared deviation from the mean; helps describe data esp. When
means are the same
SD the average deviation from the mean
