CRS Data Collection & Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups before sampling primarily to:
- Reduce data collection costs
- Ensure representation of all key subgroups (Correct answer)
- Speed up the analysis process
- Eliminate interviewer bias
Correct answer: Ensure representation of all key subgroups
Stratification ensures that important subgroups are proportionally or adequately represented in the final sample.
Question 2: In a Likert scale, asking 'I find this software easy to use' with responses from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree produces what level of data?
- Nominal
- Ratio
- Ordinal (Correct answer)
- Interval
Correct answer: Ordinal
Likert scales produce ordinal data because the categories have a meaningful order but the intervals between them are not necessarily equal.
Question 3: Which qualitative data collection method involves in-depth conversation with a single participant guided by broad, open topics?
- Focus group
- Unstructured interview (Correct answer)
- Standardized test
- Cross-sectional survey
Correct answer: Unstructured interview
Unstructured interviews use open-ended questions and flexible conversation flow to explore a participant's perspectives in depth.
Question 4: Content analysis is best described as a method for:
- Testing causal hypotheses under controlled conditions
- Systematically analyzing patterns in text or media (Correct answer)
- Measuring physiological responses to stimuli
- Randomly assigning participants to conditions
Correct answer: Systematically analyzing patterns in text or media
Content analysis involves coding and categorizing text, images, or other media to identify patterns or themes systematically.
Question 5: A correlation coefficient of -0.85 between two variables indicates:
- A weak positive relationship
- A strong positive relationship
- A strong negative relationship (Correct answer)
- No relationship
Correct answer: A strong negative relationship
A coefficient near -1 indicates a strong inverse relationship: as one variable increases, the other decreases.
Question 6: Which error occurs when a researcher's survey questions lead respondents toward a particular answer?
- Sampling error
- Response bias from leading questions (Correct answer)
- Measurement invariance
- Attrition bias
Correct answer: Response bias from leading questions
Leading questions embed assumptions or suggest a desired answer, causing response bias that distorts the true distribution of opinions.
Question 7: In hypothesis testing, a Type II error occurs when a researcher:
- Rejects a true null hypothesis
- Accepts a false null hypothesis (Correct answer)
- Uses too large a sample
- Misclassifies interval data as nominal
Correct answer: Accepts a false null hypothesis
A Type II error (false negative) occurs when the null hypothesis is not rejected even though it is actually false.
CRS Data Collection & Analysis 3
Stratified random sampling divides the population into subgroups before sampling primarily to: