Measurement issues

Question 1

What are inobtrusive and non reactive measures?

Answer 1

• instruments designed so subjects don’t know they’re being tested or don’t have conscious control over their responses
• can be more accurate than self-reports

Question 2

What are technical instruments?

Answer 2

measurement tools that involve a machine or type of equipment

Question 3

What are implicit tests?

Answer 3

tests where subjects are not necessarily aware of or in control of their responses

Question 4

What is the latency response?

Answer 4

• measures how quickly people respond to a question/stimulus
• implicit because subjects aren’t aware of what’s being measured
• can be used to measure memory, persuasion knowledge
• can measure thoughts/opinion people are reluctant to admit

Question 5

What are secondary reaction tasks?

Answer 5

• similar to latency in that they measure time delay, but there is a distracting task
• answers questions about executive functioning, cognitive demands, attention

Question 6

What are other technological instruments used?

Answer 6

• fMRI for brain activity
• heart rate
• skin conductance
• eye tracking
• web tracking

Question 7

What is web tracking?

Answer 7

• records subject’s clicks and time spent on sites
• captures search queries and navigation paths
• records real time internet usage

Question 8

What is thought listing?

Answer 8

• technically self-report but subject not always aware of topic of research
• measures thought processes
• can be in real time

Question 9

What is think aloud measuring?

Answer 9

• subjects speak and researchers record
• unobtrusive questions are asked

Question 10

What are unobtrusive questions?

Answer 10

• don’t allow subjects to leave answers that are socially desirable
• ‘no wrong answers’

Question 11

What is observational research?

Answer 11

• where researchers watch subjects behave under manipulation
• mostly used in qualitative studies
• very useful in experiment

Question 12

What is Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment?

Answer 12

• toddler left alone in a room with a stranger, mother returns
• DVs: observer noted the child’s willingness to explore while mother was gone, separation anxiety, reunion behaviour
• secure, resistant and avoidant attachments

Question 13

What is inter-observer reliability?

Answer 13

• need to ensure observers are measuring things the same way
• perform inter-observer reliability checks

Question 14

What are oddball measures?

Answer 14

• visiting random locations to see what people are doing
• going to group-specific places for observations