Chapter 4 Moving from Notions to Numbers: Psychological Measurement

Converting Notions to Numbers Judgment phase –Are participants thinking about the same question that the researcher was thinking about? Response translation phase –Can participants translate their internal states to some kind of value on a scale?

Wording Questions Well, Part 1 Keep it simple Use informal language Avoid negations Avoid double-barreled questions Avoid forced-choice items Avoid questions that do not yield any variance

Wording Questions Well, Part II Avoid loaded questions Make sure questions are relevant to everyone in the study Write multiple questions Mix it up Establish a judgmental context Ease into socially sensitive questions Ask sensitive questions sensitively Guarantee participants’ anonymity

The Response Translation Phase Number of scale points Importance of anchors Use anchors to create equal intervals Unipolar versus bipolar rating scales Go Go EGWA! But remember: Special cases require special scales

From Writing Questions to Creating Scales 1: Step back and think 2: Write lots and lots of questions 3: Analyze the scale and get the best items Consider alternatives: –Semantic differential –Thurstone and Guttman scaling

Key Terms from Chapter 4 Judgment phase Response translation phase Operational definitions Pilot testing Focus group Open-ended questions Structured self- report questions Double-barreled questions Forced-choice questions Floor effects Ceiling effects Restriction of range Anchors Equal appearing intervals

Key Terms from Chapter 4 Unipolar scales Bipolar scales EGWA scale Absolute scale Semantic differential Thurstone scale Guttman scale