Assessment, Statistics, and Research

  READING EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH: QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR ANALYSIS Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D.   Use the following questions to help you read psychological experiments. With experience, the questions should become a natural part of your analysis.   Who are the authors? When was the study published? Where do the authors write? How do you contact the lead author? Which journal published the article? How was the research funded? What might the above situation suggest about the research? What was studied (variables)? Why was it studied (need, importance)? What theory or theories provide the context for the study? What have previous studies found? What was expected (purpose, hypotheses)? Whom (describe the participants)? Age Gender Ethnicity Other key variables How did the authors operationally define their variables? How to (what procedures were followed)? How did they control for possible confounding effects (internal validit...

  Scale name: Self-Censorship Orientation (SCO) Scale overview: The Self-Censorship Orientation (SCO) is a 14-item scale designed to measure self-censorship, which the authors define as “intentionally and voluntarily withholding information from others in absence of formal obstacles.” Authors: Keren Sharvit et al. See the 2018 reference for the list of authors. Response Type: Items are rated on a scale of agreement from 1 = disagree to 4 = agree and 5 = undecided. Subscales and items   The authors identified two factors or subscales. 1. Self-censorship “ The first dimension, labeled “self-censorship”, reflects the tendency to conceal information that is seen as threatening.” (p. 347) Example: 1 I f I would encounter problematic conduct among my group members, I would feel responsible to bring that information to light. 2. Disclosure “ The second dimension, labeled “disclosure”, reflects the tendency to disseminate critical information.” Example: 9. Peo...

  Scale name: Christian Sociomoral Values Index Scale overview: This 13-item rating scale aims to measure the importance of select moral values commonly held among conservative Christians.   Response Type: Items are rated on a scale of agreement as follows: 1 = strongly disagree 2 = disagree 3 =   Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly agree Scale items = 13 1. All forms of birth control are sinful. 2. Birth control methods are acceptable if they do not cause an abortion. 3. Abortion is always sinful. 4. Premarital sex is always sinful. 5. Cohabitation is always sinful. 6. A biblical marriage is between one man and one woman. 7. Same-sex marriage is sinful. 8. Divorce is sinful. 9. Sexual orientation is a choice. 10. In a Christian marriage, a man and a woman submit to each other, but the man is always the head of the marriage. 11. Women have a vital role in Christian ministry, but they should not be priests or pastors. 12. Women have an i...