Business Research Methods

William G. Zikmund

Chapter 13: Measurement

ConceptA generalized idea about a class of objects, attributes, occurrences, or processes

Operational DefinitionSpecifies what the researcher must do to measure the concept under investigation

Media Skepticismconceptual definition

Media skepticism - the degree to which individuals are skeptical toward the reality presented in the mass media. Media skepticism varies across individuals, from those who are mildly skeptical and accept most of what they see and hear in the media to those who completely discount and disbelieve the facts, values, and portrayal of reality in the media.

Media Skepticism Operational Definition

Please tell me how true each statement is about the media. Is it very true, not very true, or not at all true?1.The program was not very accurate in its portrayal of the problem.2.Most of the story was staged for entertainment purposes.3.The presentation was slanted and unfair.

ScaleSeries of items arranged according to value for the purpose of quantification A continuous spectrum

Scale PropertiesUniquely classifiesPreserves orderEqual intervalsNatural zero

Nominal Scale PropertiesUniquely classifiesSammy Sosa # 21Barry Bonds # 25

Ordinal Scale PropertiesUniquely classifiesPreserves orderWin, place, & show

Interval Scale PropertiesUniquely classifiesPreserves orderEqual intervalsConsumer Price Index (Base 100)Fahrenheit temperature

Ratio Scale PropertiesUniquely classifiesPreserves orderEqual intervalsNatural zeroWeight and distance

Index MeasuresATTRIBUTES A single characteristic or fundamental feature that pertains to an object, person, or issueCOMPOSITE MEASURE A composite measure of several variables to measure a single concept; a multi-item instrument

Reliability

The degree to which measures are free from random error and therefore yield consistent results

Reliability

Validity

The ability of a scale to measure what was intended to be measured

Validity

Old Rifle New Rifle New Rifle Sun glare Low ReliabilityHigh ReliabilityReliable but Not Valid (Target A) (Target B) (Target C)Reliability and Validity on Target

SensitivityA measurement instruments ability to accurately measure variability in stimuli or responses.

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