Chapter 10

Cards (104)

  • Business and marketing concepts can often be measured in more than one way
  • Measurement
    The process of describing some property of a phenomenon, usually by assigning numbers in a reliable and valid way
  • Concept
    A generalized idea that represents something of meaning
  • Operationalization
    The process of identifying scale devices that correspond to properties of a concept involved in a research process
  • Scale
    A device providing a range of values that correspond to different characteristics or amounts of a characteristic exhibited in observing a concept
  • Correspondence Rules

    Indicate the way that a certain value on a scale corresponds to some true value of a concept
  • Variable
    Anything that varies or changes from one instance to another; can exhibit differences in value, usually in magnitude or strength, or in direction
  • Construct
    A term used to refer to concepts measured with multiple variables
  • Nominal Scales
    • Represent the most elementary level of measurement in which values are assigned to an object for identification or classification purposes only
  • Ordinal Scales

    • Ranking scales allowing things to be arranged based on how much of some concept they possess
  • Interval Scales
    • Scales that have both nominal and ordinal properties, but that also capture information about differences in quantities of a concept from one observation to the next
  • Ratio Scales

    • Represent the highest form of measurement in that they have all the properties of interval scales with the additional attribute of representing absolute quantities; characterized by meaningful absolute zero
  • Ratio Scales

    Represent the highest form of measurement in that they have all the properties of interval scales with the additional attribute of representing absolute quantities; characterized by meaningful absolute zero
  • Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Scales Provide Different Information
  • Facts About the Four Levels of Scales

    • Nominal
    • Ordinal
    • Interval
    • Ratio
  • Discrete Measures

    Measures that take on only one of a finite number of values
  • Discrete measures are most often used to represent a classificatory variable, do not represent the intensity of measures, and the central tendency is best captured by the mode
  • Continuous Measures

    Measures that reflect the intensity of a concept by assigning values that can take on any value along some scale range
  • Ratio measures are continuous measures, and marketing researchers generally treat interval scales with five or more categories as continuous
  • Errors in judgment can be made when interval measures are treated as ratios, as an attitude of 0 means nothing as attitude only has meaning in a relative sense
  • The means and standard deviation may be calculated from continuous data, and using the actual quantities from arithmetic operations is permissible with ratio scales
  • Attribute
    A single characteristic or fundamental feature of an object, person, situation, or issue
  • Index Measure

    An index that assigns a value based on how much of the concept being measured is associated with an observation, often formed by putting several variables together
  • Composite Measures

    Assign a value to an observation based on a mathematical derivation of multiple variables
  • Summated Scale

    A scale created by simply summing (adding together) the response to each item making up the composite measure
  • Reverse Coding

    Means that the value assigned for a response is treated oppositely from the other items
  • Reliability is an indicator of a measure's internal consistency, and a measure is reliable when different attempts at measuring something converge on the same result
  • Internal Consistency

    Represents a measure's homogeneity or the extent to which each indicator of a concept converges on some common meaning
  • Split-half Method

    A method for assessing internal consistency by checking the results of one-half of a set of scaled items against the results from the other half
  • Coefficient Alpha (α)

    The most commonly applied estimate of a multiple item scale's reliability, representing the average of all possible split-half reliabilities for a construct
  • Test-retest Method

    Administering the same scale or measure to the same respondents at two separate points in time to test for stability
  • Reliability is a necessary but insufficient condition for validity, as a reliable scale may not be valid, and a reliable but invalid instrument will yield consistently inaccurate results
  • Good measures should be both precise (i.e., reliable) and accurate (i.e., valid), and validity is the accuracy of a measure or the extent to which a score truthfully represents a concept
  • Reliability
    The degree to which measures are free from random error and therefore yield consistent results
  • Validity
    The accuracy of a measure or the extent to which a score truthfully represents a concept
  • A reliable but invalid instrument will yield consistently inaccurate results
  • Good measures should be both precise (i.e., reliable) and accurate (i.e., valid)
  • Face (Content) Validity

    A scale's content logically appears to reflect what was intended to be measured
  • Criterion Validity
    The ability of a measure to correlate with other standard measures of similar constructs or established criteria
  • Construct Validity

    Exists when a measure reliably measures and truthfully represents a unique concept; consists of several components including face validity, convergent validity, criterion validity, and discriminant validity