I'd choose c, although I'm not exactly sure why except that I had always been told by those with whom I took statistics (Downey - ugrad and Winer - grad) that the operational definition was something that was critical in establishing an hypothesis. With two different measures of the concept stress, it would seem that the possibility of getting different results is increased. If my interpretation of the problem is correct, I would guess that your students answered "a."
On Mar 14, 2008, at 9:52 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Either I am losing my mind or something is wrong. I used the > following item on an exam. Not one student picked the answer I > thought was "correct". I believe originally the item came from a > test bank (which I no longer have) that accompanies the Cozby > research methods text. Every single one of my students picked the > same answer and it's not the answer I thought was best. > > Can I call on tipsters to tell me which answer they think is correct > and why? I will later tell you which answer I thoughtw as correct > and why. > > 1. Two researchers tested the hypothesis that college students’ > grades and stress are related. One researcher operationally defined > stress as the number of minutes spent arguing with others. The other > researcher defined stress as the amount of tension at any point in > time measured on a 10-point scale. Which of the following statements > is accurate? > a. Because their hypotheses are identical, the two > researchers should have similar results. > b. The only valid definition is the number of minutes > spent arguing with others because it is the only > objective measure. > c. The difference in operational definitions of stress > could lead to quite different results. > > Thanks > > Annette > Bob Wildblood Lecturer in Psychology Indiana University Kokomo 2300 S Washington St PO Box 9003 Kokomo, IN 46904-9003 765-455-9483 [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight D. Eisenhower "The time is always right to do what is right." Martin Luther King, Jr. "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin, 1775 "We are what we pretend to be, so we better be careful what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
