Question 1

Propose measures of job satisfaction at the nominal, ordinal, and interval or ratio levels. Discuss the relative merits of each. Suggest procedures for establishing validity and reliability of all three of your job satisfaction measures. Explain your rationale for each procedure.

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

What is the difference between conceptualization and operationalization? After defining these terms, demonstrate this difference by conceptualizing and operationalizing one of the following concepts: happiness, prejudice, deviance, environmentalism, justice, poverty. Discuss potential measurement procedures for the concept.

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Question 3

When are open-ended questions more appropriate than closed-ended questions? Describe scenarios where each would be appropriate for studying one of the following concepts: deviance, romance, educational quality, economic development.

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Question 4

Which of the following is considered a form of new social media?

Accepted Answer

All the options listed, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Reddit, are considered forms of new social media. They all facilitate digital communication and social interaction through user-generated content, communities, and networks.

Question 5

John wants to analyze how female characters are portrayed in various cartoon shows. What type of analysis would John most likely employ?

Accepted Answer

John would most likely employ content analysis, which involves systematically analyzing and categorizing the content of a media text (in this case, cartoon shows) to draw insights about the portrayal of characters (in this case, female characters).

Question 6

Propose a study using direct observations and unobtrusive measures for measuring conspicuous consumption among college students. Identify several measures that you might use in this study. Discuss how using direct observation and unobtrusive measures has advantages and disadvantages relative to surveys for measuring conspicuous consumption.

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Question 7

You must develop a measure of student satisfaction with your school. Propose measurement procedures using available data, questions, and observations. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three measurement approaches.

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Question 8

Develop a conceptualized definition of terrorism, making certain to consider the potential dimensions of the concept (and therefore construct validity). Write an index that measures this concept with closed ended questions.

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Question 9

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using existing data sources for research? What is the GSS and why is it so useful for social research?

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Question 10

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using single questions rather than multidimensional index scores to measure concepts?

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Question 11

Which of the following is not a type of unobtrusive measure?

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

Questions that allow a respondent to select from a predetermined set of responses are called:

Accepted Answer

Both closed-ended and fixed-choice questions allow respondents to choose from a predetermined set of responses. Therefore, the best answer is D because it encompasses both options. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, allow respondents to answer freely without being restricted to predetermined options.

Question 13

Counting the number of articles devoted to women's anxiety in women's magazines in 1930, 1950, 1970, and 1990 is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Counting the number of articles in magazines is a form of content analysis, which is a research method that involves categorizing and analyzing the content of media or other forms of communication in order to draw conclusions about the messages being conveyed.

Question 14

Construct a short survey of five questions designed to measure political attitudes. At least one question must be open ended, one must be closed-ended, and one must be an index or a scale. Discuss an alternative procedure to measure political attitudes, and how the survey would compare with this alternative procedure in terms of validity.

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Question 15

Which of the following would not be analyzed using content analysis?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis is typically used to analyze written, visual, or spoken communication. Interview transcripts are usually analyzed using qualitative methods like thematic analysis rather than content analysis.

Question 16

What is triangulation? Why is triangulated measurement superior to single forms of measurement?

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Question 17

Roth (1989: 148-149) defined homelessness as follows in her Ohio study: "In this study a person was defined as homeless if he/she sleeps/lives in: (1) limited or no shelter for any length of time (for example, those seeking shelter under bridges, inside door stoops, in cars, in abandoned buildings, in a bus station or all-night café, or in any public facility); (2) shelters or missions, run by religious organizations or public agencies for any length of time (facilities that are specifically for homeless people. Are run on a drop-in basis and charge no fee or a minimal fee, including the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, and Open Shelter of Columbus); (3) cheap hotels or motels when actual length of stay, or the intent to stay, is 45 days or less; and (4) other unique situations that do not fall into the above categories and when the actual length of stay, or the intent of stay, is 45 days or less (for example, staying with family and friends, living in tent cities, or spending a night in jail)." Rewrite Roth's definition so that it is more succinct and conceptual and less operational. Next, rewrite your conceptual definition with as much level of operational detail as in Roth's definition, but without repeating the specifics of the original definition. What ambiguities remain in your definition that might confuse a research assistant trying to apply the definition in the field?

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Quiz 4: Conceptualization and Measurement