If a researcher summates the scales of a construct that has five items, this means that the researcher would:
A) Sum the high and low questions within a construct
B) Sum each of the items within a construct
C) Sum the standard deviations within the five items
D) Sum the five items and divide by the standard deviation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Summating the scales of a construct with five items means adding up the scores for each of the five items to get a total score for the construct. This is a common method for measuring a latent construct or variable in psychology research. Summing the standard deviations or dividing by the standard deviation would not provide a meaningful measure of the construct. Summing high and low questions would only work if the construct was measured using a likert scale with extreme ends labeled as high and low.

If a Researcher Summates the Scales of a Construct That