HW2_kelseydonaldson_510B01

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Feb 20, 2024

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PSYC 510 H OMEWORK : V ARIABLES , M EASURES , AND SPSS A SSIGNMENT I NSTRUCTIONS O VERVIEW This Homework: Variables, Measures & SPSS Assignment is designed to assess your under- standing of the concepts and applications covered thus far in PSYC 510: Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology I. This particular module introduces more introductory concepts of re- search design including types of measures commonly used in the field, variables, scale of mea- surement, and whether variables are discrete or continuous. Definitions, applications, and impor- tance of reliability and validity are covered, and we are introduced to the most commonly used statistical software in our field – SPSS. I NSTRUCTIONS Be sure you have reviewed this module’s Learn section before completing this Homework: Variables, Measures & SPSS Assignment . This Homework: Variables, Measures & SPSS Assignment is worth 60 points. Each question is worth 3 points except questions #1 – 3, which are worth 4 pts. Six points are awarded for overall mechanics/structure. · Part I contains general concepts from this module’s Learn section . · Part II requires use of SPSS. You will have to take “snips”, screen shots and/or copy and paste from your SPSS to place answers within this file. Make sure you only insert relevant and legible images. Failure to do so may affect the mechanics / structure points for this as- signment. · Part III is the cumulative section. These may include short answer and/or use of SPSS but will review material from previous module(s). · Directions for each subsection are provided in the top of each table (in the gray shaded ar- eas). Answers should be placed where indicated (wherever there is “ ANSWER ”). · Submit the file as a WORD document (.doc or .docx). Make sure the filename of your sub- mission includes your full name, course and section. o Example: HW2_JohnDoe_510B01 Make sure to check the Homework Grading Rubric before you begin this Homework: Vari- ables, Measures & SPSS Assignment . Part I: General Concepts These questions are based on the concepts covered in this module’s assigned readings and presentations. Use complete sentences to answer the following questions. 4 pts each = 12 pts 1. Identify and describe a type of reliability that measures participant reliability . Why is Page 1 of 11

PSYC 510 it useful? ANSWER: One type of reliability that measures participant reliability is test-retest reliability. Test- retest reliability refers to the consistency of participants' responses to a test or questionnaire when they complete it on two separate occasions. To measure test-retest reliability, researchers administer the same test or questionnaire to the same participants at two different times. The scores from the two ad- ministrations are then compared using a correlation coefficient. The higher the correlation coefficient, the more reliable the test is considered to be. Test-retest reliability is useful because it allows researchers to evaluate whether participants are giving consistent responses over time. This is particularly important when studying constructs that are ex- pected to remain relatively stable over time, such as personality traits or attitudes. By measuring test- retest reliability, researchers can assess the extent to which participants' responses are influenced by fac- tors such as changes in mood, memory, or experience, and whether these factors are likely to impact the results 2. How is reliability measured? What is the potential range of values? According to your required readings, what is an acceptable range to establish reliability (include negative or positive sign(s)? ANSWER: Reliability is measured using statistical methods such as Cronbach's alpha, inter-rater reli- ability, test-retest reliability, or split-half reliability. These methods examine the consistency and de- pendability of a measurement or test in producing the same results over time or across different con- texts. The potential range of values for reliability is from 0 to 1, with 0 indicating no reliability and 1 indicat- ing perfect reliability. However, the actual range of values may depend on the specific statistical method used. In social science and psychological research, an acceptable range to establish reliability is generally considered to be a score of 0.7 or higher. Negative values are not possible as reliability is a measure of consistency and cannot be negative. 3. Choose one of the types of validity used by researchers to evaluate the truthfulness / genuineness of a measure. Identify the name of the validity, briefly define it, and state why it is useful. ANSWER: One type of validity used by researchers to evaluate the truthfulness or genuineness of a measure is content validity. Content validity is the extent to which a measure covers all relevant aspects of the construct being mea- sured. It is assessed by evaluating the items or questions included in the measure and determining whether they adequately represent the construct of interest. Content validity is useful because it ensures that a measurement tool is relevant to the construct being Page 2 of 11

PSYC 510 studied and that it covers all important aspects of that construct. Without content validity, a measure- ment tool may not accurately measure the construct it is intended to measure, leading to inaccurate or incomplete research findings. By establishing content validity, researchers can have confidence in the accuracy and relevance of their measurement tool, and therefore, the results they obtain from their re- search. As discussed this week, a variable must be operationally defined in a particular study to clarify what the researcher will use to measure or manipulate the variable of interest. To answer the following questions, think of how a researcher may examine “happiness”. 4. Provide an operational definition of this variable (i.e. briefly describe in detail how a researcher may mea- sure this variable) using a “ behavioral ” measure. ANSWER: The operational defi- nition would be that happiness is measured by the frequency of en- gaging in specific behaviors that are associated with happiness. The researcher would use the ratings provided by participants on the sur- vey to operationalize happiness in this way. By operationalizing hap- piness in this way, the researcher can obtain a behavioral measure that can be used to quantify happi- ness and analyze how it relates to other variables of interest in the study. Page 3 of 11

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PSYC 510 5. Based on your answer in the previous question, iden- tify and justify the scale of measurement (nominal, or- dinal, or “scale”, which includes both interval or ratio) based on your definition. ANSWER: The measure in- volves a Likert-type scale where participants rate the frequency of engaging in specific behav- iors associated with happiness using a numerical scale from 1 to 5. The values on this scale have a specific numerical order, and the differences between val- ues are meaningful and can be measured, making it an interval or ratio scale of measurement. In this case, the scale would have equal intervals and a true zero point, which would indicate a complete lack of happiness or negative affect. 6. Provide an operational definition of this variable (i.e. briefly describe in detail how a researcher may mea- sure this variable) using a “ self-report ” measure. ANSWER: To operationalize the variable of "happiness" us- ing a self-report measure, a re- searcher may ask participants to complete a questionnaire or sur- vey that includes items specifi- cally designed to assess their subjective well-being or happi- ness. The researcher can obtain a self- report measure that can be used to quantify happiness and ana- lyze how it relates to other vari- ables of interest in the study. Page 4 of 11

PSYC 510 7. Based on your answer in the previous question, iden- tify and justify the scale of measurement (nominal, or- dinal, or “scale”, which includes both interval or ratio) based on your definition. ANSWER: The scale of mea- surement used to operationalize happiness using a self-report measure would typically be an ordinal scale of measurement. The measure involves asking participants to rate their level of agreement with specific state- ments or items using a Likert- type scale that typically ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). While the items on the scale have a spe- cific numerical order, the differ- ences between the values on the scale may not be equal or mean- ingful. This makes it an ordinal scale of measurement. Most self-report measures of happiness typically use an ordi- nal scale of measurement. Many files will be used in this course, and being able to identify the extension will greatly help you in determining what the file is used for and which program you should use to open the file. Match the following files with the expected program based on the information provided. A. SPSS Data File B. SPSS Output File C. Word Document 8. Homework1.sav ANSWER: SPSS data file 9. Homework1.spv ANSWER: SPSS Output File 10. Homework1.doc ANSWER: Word Document Page 5 of 11

PSYC 510 Part II: SPSS Application These questions require the use of SPSS. Remember you must submit all of your work within this word document. You will need to take a screen shot of your data view if necessary, or copy and paste your output into the spaces below. Create a data file and enter the following two variables. Name the variables exactly as shown and make sure to enter the value labels for the variable “Type” . (Note there are 6 rows of data). Value labels for the Variable “Type” are: 0 = Staff; 1 = Faculty; 2 = Administration. Type Salary 0 33 0 35 1 57 1 65 2 82 2 80 11. Paste an image (e.g., “snip”) of your DATA VIEW in the space below. (Only the two columns with column titles and the 6 rows of data need to be shown). Page 6 of 11

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PSYC 510 ANSWER: Paste Data View HERE: 12. Paste an image (e.g., “snip”) of your VARIABLE VIEW in the space below. It must include all of the columns from “Name” to “Measure” (Role is optional). ANSWER: Paste Variable View HERE: Page 7 of 11

PSYC 510 13. As shown in this module’s presentation and described below, run descriptive statis- tics: Analyze  Descriptive Statistics  Explore Salary  Dependent List Type  Factor List Select “OK” Once the output is shown, select the “Boxplot” to copy and paste in the box provided. ANSWER: Paste Data View Screen-shot HERE: Part III: Cumulative These questions can be related to anything covered thus far in the course. Design a descriptive study to measure political party affiliation to answer the following ques- Page 8 of 11 Variable View

PSYC 510 tions. 14. How would you operationally define political party affiliation? Be very specific and detailed in the answer options and/or how the data would be collected. ANSWER: To measure political party affilia- tion, we can design a descriptive study using a sur- vey research method. The following are some steps we can take to operationally define political party affiliation: Define the population: The population of interest would be adults who are eligible to vote in a par- ticular geographic area, such as a city, state, or country. Select a sample: We can use a random sampling method to select a representative sample of adults from the population. For example, we can use a simple random sampling method to select a sample of 1,000 adults from a city with a population of 100,000. Develop the survey questionnaire: The survey questionnaire should include questions that mea- sure political party affiliation, as well as other rele- vant demographic variables, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education level. The political party affiliation question can be operationalized in several ways, such as: Direct question: "What is your political party affil- iation? (Republican, Democrat, Independent, Other)" Indirect question: "In general, do you consider yourself to be more conservative or more liberal?" Multiple questions: "Which political party do you tend to support more often? (Republican, Demo- crat, Independent, Other) How often do you vote for candidates from this party?" Administer the survey: The survey can be adminis- tered in several ways, such as in-person interviews, telephone interviews, or online surveys. The mode of administration should be selected based on the characteristics of the sample population and the re- sources available. Analyze the data: Once the data is collected, we can analyze it using descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, and means, to summarize the distribution of political party affiliation and other relevant variables. Overall, to operationally define political party af- filiation, we need to ask specific questions about an individual's political beliefs and affiliations. The exact phrasing and format of the questions may vary based on the study's goals, sample population, and resources available. Page 9 of 11

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PSYC 510 15. For the variable you listed above, identify its scale of measurement (nominal, ordinal, or scale). Justify your answer. ANSWER: The scale of measurement for political party affiliation would be nominal, as it is a categorical variable with no inherent order or ranking among the categories. Each individual can only belong to one political party at a time, and there is no meaningful way to assign numerical values or es- tablish a hierarchy among the cate- gories. 16. What type of descriptive research method (ob- servational, case study, or survey) would be best based on your operational definition? Pro- vide your rationale. ANSWER: A survey would be the best descriptive research method based on the operational definition of political party affiliation. A survey al- lows for the collection of self-reported data directly from individuals, which is appropriate for a categorical vari- able like political party affiliation. Surveys can also reach a large and di- verse population, which is important for obtaining a representative sample of the population's political affilia- tions. Additionally, surveys can in- clude closed-ended questions with pre-determined response options, which is useful for collecting categor- ical data like political party affiliation. Page 10 of 11

PSYC 510 17. How could you assess the predictive validity of your measure? ANSWER: To assess the predictive validity of a measure of political party affiliation, a researcher could use a criterion-related validation approach. This would involve examining the re- lationship between participants' re- ported political party affiliation and their behavior or outcomes in a related domain. For example, the researcher could examine whether individuals' reported political party affiliation pre- dicts their voting behavior in an up- coming election. The researcher could gather data on participants' self-reported political party affiliation and also collect data on their voting behavior in the elec- tion. They could then use statistical analysis techniques, such as correla- tion or regression analysis, to examine the strength and direction of the rela- tionship between political party affili- ation and voting behavior. If the mea- sure of political party affiliation accu- rately predicts or correlates with par- ticipants' voting behavior, it would provide evidence for the measure's predictive validity. Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module 2. Remember to name file ap- propriately. Done! Page 11 of 11 Data View Screen

HW2_kelseydonaldson_510B01

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