Measured numerically, 70-75%

If consistent 7/10 times, accept it.

Does not imply validity.

NOT measured, estimated

Implies reliability (accuracy)

To measure consistency, observe how many times something happens.

Random

Simple

Systematic

Stratified

Cluster

Convenience

Volunteer

Quota

Purpose

Network (Snowball)

Entire pop has an equal chance of selection

1) Construct a list of all members of the pop.

2. Use a method (dice or coins) to randomly select from list

(must set up some process or procedure that assures that the different units in your population have equal probabilities of being chosen)

·      All subsets of the frame are given equal probability

·         Relies on arranging the target population according to some ordering scheme and then selevting elements at regular intervals through the ordered list.

Population embraces a number of distinct categories

Selecting respondents from certain areas or time periods only. “two-stage sampling” the first stage a sample of areas is chosen; the second stage a sample of respondents within those areas is selected.

Another way of saying self selected sampling. Happens when volunteer become party of the study when they are asked.

Method for selecting participants

First segmented into mutually exclusive subgroups

Judgment is used to select the subjects

Researcher chooses sample based on who they think would be appropriate for the study; used when there's a limited # of people that have expertise in the area being researched

Subjects recruit more subjects to the sample; first respondent refers a friend, then he refers a friend etc.

Done only for marketing purposes or to promote something, product service

Done for something already established

The most common method for assessing reliability is calculating the percentage of agreement between or among the observations of independent coders

Concerns the generalizability of the findings from a research study. Asks whether the conclusions from a specific study can be applied to other people/texts/places/times.

Concerns the accuracy of the conclusions drawn from a particular research study. Asks whether a study is designed and conducted such that it leads to accurate findings about the phenomena being investigated for the particular group of people or texts studied.

Demonstrate the highest degree of control because the I.V.  is manipulated by the researcher (as opposed to being observed) and research participants are randomly assigned to create two or more conditions.

Either manipulate or observe the I.V. and may have one or more conditions. If multiple conditions, research participants are not randomly assigned to them so full equivalence is not achieved. Quasi-equivalent conditions are created using pretests.  In one condition cases, quasi-experiments use multiple pre and posttests as baseline. We are less confident of the conclusions drawn from quasi-experiments.

Demonstrate the least amount of control. Manipulate or observe the I.V. and have one or more conditions. LIKE quasi-experiments (with multiple conditions), research participants are not randomly assigned to them. UNLIKE quai-experiments, initial differences between conditions are NOT assessed by using pretests which means conditions must be assumed nonequivalent. . With one condition, preexperiments use a single pretest.

Guarantees a professor a lifetime faculty appointment at an institution. Awarded only after a faculty member has demonstrated over 7 years competence as an educator and researcher and made appropriate and valuable service contributions. The tenure decision is a mandatory “up or out” decision; either a person moves up or is asked to leave the university.

Research participants answer questions that are given to them (yes/no, agree/disagree, etc.)

Research participants answer questions freely and in their own words.

Questions that lead people to respond in a certain way. An example would be a question that leads with, “Don’t you think that…”

Asks about several issues at once and makes it confusing for the researcher to understand the participants responses (when answering a survey).

Not good, should be avoided.

Established in 1974 by Congress after the National Research Act was passed. IRB’s are “expected to ensure that research investigators had considered both potential risks and benefits to subjects…”

Refers to the process of helping subjects deal with new information about themselves acquired as a consequence of the behaviors they exhibited during the experiment.

Refers to the process of convincing subjects who had just been deceived that the information they had just been given was in fact fraudulent. Dehoaxing is a viable technique for eliminating misinformation that subjects acquire as a consequence of deception

Percentage of phone calls that result in contact with an English-speaking interviewee.

Percentage of phone calls in which interviewees agree to participate.

Respondents had been surveyed too frequently, not eligible to participate in the survey.

Regardless of how a sample is obtained and the sampling unit of analysis, survey researchers have to be concerned about this rate. # of usable responses divided by total # of people sampled. This is crucial for evaluating survey research. Important differences between those who did and did not respond, the results of the survey may not be valid.

Describes the characteristics of a sample at one point in time are relatively easy to do and used most often. Very effective for describing the status quo. Take into account the particular point in time when the survey was conducted. The results of a cross-sectional survey are time-bound in the sense that they may be quite different if conducted at a different point.

Help to overcome the limitations of cross-sectional surveys. Gathers data from respondents at several points in time, researchers assess enduring beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of a population as well as the impact of unusual environmental events on a population. More effective than cross-sectional surveys at capturing the processual nature of communication. Though they take more time to conduct.

Trend

Panel

Cohort

changes in peoples behavior over long time terms

Responses from specific subgroups of population, usually divided on age, and compared over time.

Used most often for communication, obtain responses from the same people over time to learn how their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors change.

Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal study

question selection

question phrasing

question format

think that past events occurred longer ago than they actually did 

 question appears on screen, with possible response. The interviewer reads out question and enter the response and the next question appears automatically.

Selecting and calling respondents automatically

  Computer assisted telephone interviewing techniques don’t require a human interviewer at all

  Facilitator leads a small group of people in relatively open discussion about specific product or program.

Provides numerical indicator that tells the percentage of time a measurement is reliable, or free of error. Are phased as a number equivalent to a percentage, ranging from .00 to 1.00. the reliability of measurements ranges between 0-100%.