Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology

8th Edition

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Chapter 2 – Measuring people – variables, samples and the qualitative critique

This chapter is an introduction to the language and concepts of measurement in social science.

Exercises

Exercise 2.1

Creating variables to measure psychological constructs

In this exercise try to give at least one operationally defined measure to assess the psychological construct in the list below. Examples are provided if you click ‘Show Answer’ but these are not the ‘correct’ answers, just some possibilities to demonstrate strict measurement.

Anxiety

Show answer
  1. Total score on an anxiety scale which includes such items as: ‘I often lie awake thinking about tomorrow’s issues.’ The response scale might be ‘Strongly agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly disagree’.
  2. Person’s self-rating on a scale of 1 to 10 of their current level of anxiety (e.g., as they approach or think about a feared object).

Conformity

Show answer

Difference between number of beans participant estimates are in a jar and the number they were told was agreed by a previous group. (The lower the difference the more they ‘conform’.)

Assertiveness

Show answer
  1. Participant completes story which requires assertiveness from main character to bring about a successful conclusion. Endings are coded according to scheme on which raters are intensively trained.
  2. Number of people going back to cashier in a store after they have been deliberately short changed.

Stress

Show answer
  1. Number of single days taken off sick in one year.
  2. Total score on ‘hassles’ scale.
  3. Increase in errors made as task demands are increased.

Self-esteem                 

Show answer

Difference in number of points scored on self-assessment ‘as I am’ and ‘how I would like to be’.

Exercise 2.2

Have a go at this short quiz to test your understanding and identify any gaps in your knowledge.

March the appropriate term with the sampling method described:

Question 1

To select a sample of 10 from a school year of 100 a year tutor asks a computer programme to select a number at random from 1 to 10, is given 8 and then proceeds to select the 8th, 18th, 28th into the sample and so on.

Question 2

All participants in a population are given a number and the sample is selected by drawing these numbers at random

Question 3

A few key people are interviewed on a topic and asked to provide names of further people who would have good knowledge of the topic

Question 4

People attending a social club on a particular evening are asked to participate in a study

Question 5

In a town the proportions of people living in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses are determined. Participants are selected from these sub-groups in the same proportions and at random

Plenty of information on sampling at The Research Methods Knowledge Base.

https://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/sampling.php

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