Psychological Measurement

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PSYCHOLOGICAL

MEASUREMENT
Ch. 4
19. Understanding Psychological
Measurement
• Learning Objectives
• Define measurement and give several examples of
measurement in psychology.
• Explain what a psychological construct is and give several
examples.
• Distinguish conceptual from operational definitions, give
examples of each, and create simple operational definitions.
• Distinguish the four levels of measurement, give examples of
each, and explain why this distinction is important.
Measurement
• “the assignment of scores to individuals so that the scores represent
some characteristic of the individuals”

• Examples
• Using a scale to “measure” one’s weight
• Using a thermometer to “measure” the internal temperature of
a turkey roasting

• In Psychology, we can also refer to measurement as Psychometrics


• Using a test to “measure” one’s working memory capacity
What Do We Measure in
Psychology?
• Constructs: variables we want to measure that are seemingly not
straightforward or simple to measure
• i.e., A concept we are trying to measure

• Must use a conceptual definition


• Describes the behavior and internal processes that make
up that construct, along with how it relates to other
variables
How Do We Measure It?
• Must use the operational definition
• A definition of the variable in terms of precisely how it will be
measured

• Types
• Self-report measure
• Behavioral measures
• Physiological measures
Levels (or Scales) of Measurement
• A variable can be measured on one of four scales:
• Nominal
• Ordinal
• Interval
• Ratio

• Important: Determines the type of statistics you can do and


conclusions you can make
Scales of Measurement for
Qualitative Data
Scales of Measurement for
Quantitative Data
Scales of Measurement Flow
Chart Ordinal Yes
Can the
Category Categories be
ordered? No Nominal
Does the
scale involve
categories or Yes Ratio
numbers? Does the scale
have a true
Numbers zero point
(absence of No Interval
variable)?
Examples- Question 1
• If I wanted to see which table students are more
likely to approach at an organizational fair
(labeled Table 1, Table 2 & Table 3), what type of
scale would this be?
Examples- Question 2

• If I wanted to see which table students are


more likely to approach at an organizational
fair (the 1st from the right, 2nd, or 3rd),
what type of scale would this be?
Examples- Question 3

• What is Academic
Position?

• What about Income?


Examples- Question 4

• Happiness Rating
(1-7)?

• # of people that
reported each
value?
Examples- Question 5

• Shirt Color?

• SAT Score?
• Range from 400-
1600
20. Reliability and Validity of
Measurement
• Learning Objectives
• Define reliability, including the different types and how they
are assessed.
• Define validity, including the different types and how they
are assessed.
• Describe the kinds of evidence that would be relevant to
assessing the reliability and validity of a particular measure.
Reliability vs. Validity
►Reliability: Ability to obtain consistent scores
►Validity: Ability of a test to measure what it’s supposed to

High Accuracy, Low Precision Low Accuracy, High Precision


Accuracy vs. Precision
Neither Valid

Reliable Valid & Reliable


Types of Reliability & Validity
Reliability Validity
Over time: Face Validity:
• Ability of a measure to be consistent • How accurate something looks on the
across multiple administrations surface
• Test-retest Content (Internal):
Across items (internal): • The extent to which your test
• Ability of the same test to be consistent accurately/actually measures the
throughout behavior you are trying to measure
(conceptual definition)
• Split-half
Across different researchers: Criterion Validity:
• Extent to which scores on a measure
• Ability for different people to measure the correlate with other related variables (as
same test consistently they should)
• Inter-rater • Predictive or concurrent validity
• Convergent validity
Discriminant
• Extent to which scores on a measure DO
NOT correlate with other UNrelated
variables
Describe Reliability and Validity
►Scenario #1:
►The Morris Shoe-Size Intelligence Test
►IQ = shoe size x 10

►Scenario #2:
►You have 15 s to write as many t’s as you can
►Discuss the techniques you used to perform this task
►Now, I’ll give you another 15s to repeat the task

Bolt, M. Instructor resources for Psychology retrieved from http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/WebPub/Psychology/myers11e/irm_pdf/myers11e_irm_ch10.pdf


21. Practical Strategies for
Psychological Measurement
• Learning Objectives
• Specify the four broad steps in the measurement process.
• Explain how you would decide whether to use an existing
measure or create your own.
• Describe multiple strategies to identify and locate existing
measures of psychological constructs.
• Describe several general principles for creating new
measures and for implementing existing and new measures.
• Create a simple plan for assessing the reliability and validity
of an existing or new measure.
Steps in the Measurement Process

• Conceptually define the Construct


• Decide on Operational Definition
• Using an existing measure
• Creating your own measure
• Implementing the Measure
• Caution: Look out for socially desirable responding and
demand characteristics
• Evaluating the Measure

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