Assignment – Week 4 (Reliability and Validity)

Points: 50

Q1 (40 points): Open the attached article titled, “Similarity Mindset Matters on Social Media”

Please scroll down to the section “Measurement” on p. 6.

In this study, the researchers used measurements, “Physical Appearance Self-Evaluation,” “Financial Status Self-Evaluation,” “Interpersonal Liking,” and “Life Satisfaction.”

Identify Cronbach’s α for each measurement and describe whether it is a reliable measure based on the rule of thumbs we discussed.

Q2 (10 points): 

Two members of a research team are designing a survey of people’s fitness activities, but end up arguing over the formulation of one of the questions to be included. Researcher A feels that the item “Do you participate regularly in an exercise program?” is a good way to measure subjects’ level of physical activity. Researcher B disagrees and points out that walking, running, or swimming on your own are also forms of physical activity, though typically they do not require enrollment in a structured program. Is researcher B worried about validity or reliability? Specify which type of validity or reliability the researcher B is worried about.