MRA Research Design & Reporting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of validity assesses whether a measurement instrument covers all dimensions of the concept being measured?
- Criterion validity
- Construct validity
- Content validity (Correct answer)
- Concurrent validity
Correct answer: Content validity
Content validity evaluates whether the measure adequately represents all facets and dimensions of the concept under study.
Question 2: A researcher conducting focus groups notices participants tend to agree with the most vocal member. This illustrates:
- Social desirability bias
- Groupthink or conformity bias (Correct answer)
- Acquiescence bias
- Halo effect
Correct answer: Groupthink or conformity bias
Groupthink or conformity bias occurs when group members suppress dissenting views and align with dominant opinions, distorting qualitative findings.
Question 3: What distinguishes a hypothesis from a research question?
- A hypothesis is always qualitative; a research question is quantitative
- A hypothesis is a testable prediction about the relationship between variables (Correct answer)
- A research question requires an experimental design
- A hypothesis is used only in secondary research
Correct answer: A hypothesis is a testable prediction about the relationship between variables
A hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction that can be confirmed or refuted through data collection, unlike a broader research question.
Question 4: In which scenario would a researcher use stratified random sampling over simple random sampling?
- When the population is perfectly homogeneous
- When subgroups exist that must be proportionally represented (Correct answer)
- When cost is the primary constraint
- When the population list is unavailable
Correct answer: When subgroups exist that must be proportionally represented
Stratified sampling ensures proportional or purposive representation of key subgroups, improving precision when the population has meaningful segments.
Question 5: Which element of a research report describes how data was collected, from whom, and by what method?
- Executive summary
- Appendix
- Methodology section (Correct answer)
- Findings section
Correct answer: Methodology section
The methodology section details the research design, data collection methods, sampling approach, and analytical procedures used in the study.
Question 6: What is the primary risk of using a convenience sample in market research?
- It is always too small to detect significance
- Results may not be generalizable to the broader target population (Correct answer)
- It prevents the use of inferential statistics
- It eliminates non-response bias
Correct answer: Results may not be generalizable to the broader target population
Convenience samples are subject to self-selection and accessibility biases, making it difficult to generalize findings to the full target population.
Question 7: A researcher uses multiple methods (surveys, interviews, observation) to study the same phenomenon. This practice is called:
- Replication
- Triangulation (Correct answer)
- Saturation
- Randomization
Correct answer: Triangulation
Triangulation uses multiple methods or data sources to cross-validate findings, increasing confidence in the results.
MRA Research Design & Reporting 3
Which type of validity assesses whether a measurement instrument covers all dimensions of the concept being measured?