Question 1

A team of researchers is using surveys to study college students' feelings about the dining hall on campus.In order to ensure reliability,the researchers employ a test-retest method.One potential problem with a test-retest might be that

Accepted Answer

The potential problem with a test-retest method in this study is that the dining hall might have changed its food in between the two survey points, which could result in a change in students' attitudes about the dining hall. This could impact the reliability of the study as the changes in the responses could not be solely attributed to the test-retest method, but rather to an external factor (change in food). The other options mentioned do not pose as significant of a threat to the reliability of the study.

Question 2

Which of the following is an assumption of OLS regression?

Accepted Answer

The assumption of a normal distribution of the data is a key assumption of OLS regression. A is true but not specific to OLS regression, C is a specific outcome that may or may not be true, and D is a violation of the assumption of random sampling.

Question 3

After conducting a study on happiness,researchers realize that the validity and reliability of the study is not as strong as they had hoped.In essence,they haven't done as good a job of measuring happiness as they had hoped to.This means that

Accepted Answer

The best course of action is for future researchers to improve upon the current study by considering ways to measure happiness more accurately. It is important to acknowledge the limitations of the current study and work towards improving its reliability and validity, rather than starting from scratch or giving up altogether.

Question 4

What is the purpose of a pilot test?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of a pilot test is to see how well the measure or instrument (e.g. survey, questionnaire, experiment) works and identify any potential problems or issues that need to be addressed before carrying out the full study. This helps to ensure the validity and reliability of the data collected.

Question 5

The test-retest method is an approach in which

Accepted Answer

The test-retest method involves administering the same measure to a sample at two different points in time, usually with some time interval in between. This is done in order to determine the reliability of the measure, or the degree to which it produces consistent results over time. Choice A correctly describes this method, while the other choices do not involve re-administering the same measure to the same sample.

Question 6

Suppose a researcher wants to measure whether people have experienced racial discrimination in their neighborhood.The researcher might ask questions about whether subjects ever felt they were turned away from renting or buying a home because of their race.The researcher might also ask about whether they have ever been treated unfairly by store clerks or their neighbors.After writing the questions on their survey,the researchers felt they had accurate measures of discrimination because they seemed right.Which kind of validity would they feel they achieved?

Accepted Answer

Face validity refers to whether a measure appears to accurately measure what it is intended to measure. In this scenario, the researchers believe that their questions accurately measure racial discrimination, so they would feel they achieved face validity. However, this does not necessarily mean that the measure has good psychometric properties, such as reliability or validity.

Question 7

Which of the following is true of error in social science research?

Accepted Answer

All social science research involves some level of error. It is impossible to completely eliminate error in any research, as there are always factors that cannot be controlled for, information that cannot be accurately measured, and interpretations that are subjective. However, researchers do their best to minimize error through careful design, sampling, data collection, and analysis.

Question 8

Pick a concept for which it would make sense to measure using a composite variable.In no less than three sentences,explain why you would want to use a composite measure for this concept (as opposed to a single measure).

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pick a concept for which it would...

Question 9

The split-half method is when

Accepted Answer

The split-half method is a statistical technique used to assess the reliability of a measurement instrument, such as a survey or questionnaire. This method involves randomly dividing the items in a scale or measure into two sets, creating two separate measures. The scores from the two sets of items are then compared using a correlation coefficient to determine the consistency or repeatability of the measure. This helps to identify any inconsistencies or errors in the measurement instrument and improve its accuracy.

Question 10

Write a paragraph in which you discuss two difficulties sociologists face in ensuring their research is valid and reliable.Use clear examples from the text to support your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Write a paragraph in which you discuss...

Question 11

Classroom quality can be measured in many different ways.If a researcher is careful to map out each dimension of classroom quality,and observers have a clear plan for how to determine classroom quality when they see it,what have the researchers accomplished?

Accepted Answer

By mapping out each dimension of classroom quality and providing a clear plan for how to determine it, researchers have increased the reliability of their research method. Reliability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of measurement, and having a clear plan and mapping out each dimension helps to reduce observer bias and variation in rating the quality of the classroom.

Question 12

A researcher is getting ready to gather data from a nationally representative sample of 5,000 Americans on their attitudes toward voting in local elections.In order to make sure our measures are reliable,we might gather a random sample of 100 Americans and test the study.What would we call this preliminary study?

Accepted Answer

A pilot study is a preliminary study that is conducted before the main study to test and refine the study methods, instruments, and procedures. It is used to identify any potential problems, to determine feasibility of the study, and to estimate the resources required for the main study. Conducting a pilot study with a smaller sample size helps the researcher to identify and correct any problems prior to conducting the main study with the larger sample.

Question 13

In Chapter 5,the authors argue that educational attainment can be measured in many different ways,which makes it difficult to clearly conceptualize and operationalize.Come up with another concept that you think would also be difficult to study,but that might be something interesting for a sociological investigation.In a paragraph,explain the difficulty and how you might go about measuring your topic of interest to make it as reliable as possible.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In Chapter 5,the authors argue that educational...

Question 14

A pilot test involves administering some version of a measurement protocol (a survey,an experiment,an interview)to whom?

Accepted Answer

A pilot test is a small-scale test of a research protocol to identify any potential issues or challenges before administering it to the full study sample. Therefore, it is best to administer the protocol to a small preliminary sample of subjects. This allows the researchers to refine their research methodology and ensure that their measurement protocol is valid and reliable before using it in a larger study. Administering the protocol to subjects who will be part of the eventual study sample would defeat the purpose of the pilot test as it would not allow for refinement of the research protocol. Administering the protocol to researchers' colleagues and friends or a group of people who are very different from the eventual sample subjects would also not be ideal as the results may not be representative of the actual study sample.

Question 15

What is the most effective method for increasing the reliability of a research method?

Accepted Answer

Conceptualization refers to defining the concepts being studied, while operationalization refers to the methods used to measure those concepts. Careful conceptualization and operationalization are essential for increasing the reliability of research methods. This ensures that the variables are measured consistently, and the results are both accurate and replicable.

Question 16

A common measure of educational attainment includes categories for less than high-school diploma,high-school diploma,some college,college degree,some postgraduate education,and
Postgraduate degree.These categories could be confusing or miss people who went to trade school or who earned any type of nontraditional degree.This measure would have problems with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The measure would have problems with precision, which means that the categories are not precise enough to accurately classify educational attainment, which would threaten the reliability of the measure.

Question 17

The CES-D is considered a reliable composite measure because

Accepted Answer

The CES-D is considered reliable because the alpha score when used in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (ADD Health) is 0.87, indicating strong internal consistency.

Question 18

Experiments might potentially be critiqued for problems with external validity.Why?

Accepted Answer

Experiments are conducted in controlled settings, and findings might not be generalizable to real-world situations. Therefore, external validity can be a potential issue in critiquing experiments.

Question 19

If a researcher asks a participant in a study to envision himself or herself as an unemployed autoworker living in Detroit,Michigan,with a partner and two children,who is struggling to afford food and housing,the researcher is using a

Accepted Answer

The researcher is using a vignette, which is a descriptive scenario or story that participants are asked to imagine themselves in. This technique is often used in research to gather information about attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. In this case, the researcher is interested in understanding how participants would respond to a specific situation involving financial hardship and family responsibilities.

Quiz 5: Evaluating Research: Reliability and Validity