Psychometric Measurement Annotated Bibliography Babbie,

Psychometric Measurement

Annotated Bibliography

Babbie, Earl. (2002) the Basics of Social Research. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Earl Babbie "Basics of Social Research" California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning provided key points pertaining to the measurement process. Babbie discussed the parts of the measurement process. He contends that before you can measure, you need to begin with a concept. You also need to distinguish what you are interested in from other things. The idea that you first need a construct or concept of what is to be measured simply makes sense. Babbie added that the process of measurement involves more than just having an instrument of measurement (e.g. A microscope). In order to measure, the researcher needs three things: a construct, a measurement instrument and an ability to recognize what is one looking for. (Babbie, 2002, pp. 158-159)

Reaves, Celia. (1998) Quantitative Research for Behavioral Sciences. New York: John Wiley Sons Inc.

Research design is the logical structure of the research inquiry the political scientist is engaged upon. It is the plan, the structure and the strategy of the investigation, so conceived as to obtain answers to research questions or problems. Research design thus provides framework for the collection and analysis of data according to the priorities set by the researcher. Research design is the point where questions raised in a theoretical or policy debates are converted into feasible research projects and research programmes that provide answers to these questions. (Reaves, 1998)

Neuman, Lawrence. (1998) Social Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. London: Allyn and Bacon.

Neuman in "Social Research Methods" discussed the characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research. He noted that the origins of qualitative research methods lie in anthropology and sociology. It involves the researcher immersing himself/herself in the social setting in which he or she is interested, observing people in their usual setting and participating in their activities which is in direct contrast to surveys wherein the researcher experience little if any personal contact with those being studied. Neuman contends that quantitative methods are not about complicated statistics but simply about a concern for quantity. Quantitative methods are based upon the fundamental question -- how many of them are here? In itself that question is content free and value free, but the whole point is to apply it to data that are highly social and political in content. (Neuman, 1998, pp. 55-57)

Harrison, Lisa. (2001) Political and Social Research: An Introduction. London: Routledge

Harrison (2001) discussed the concept of reliability in her work Political and Social Research: an Introduction. Harrison argued that a reliable indicator or measure gives you the result each time the same thing is measured (as long as what you are measuring is not changing). Reliability means that the information provided by indicators (e.g. The questionnaire) does not vary as a result of characteristics of the indicator, instrument or measurement device itself. A measurement has high reliability if it gives the same result every time the same property is measured in the same way. Reliability means repeatability, consistency. Harrison contends that no measurement is perfectly reliable, so you will never get exactly the same result every single time, but the more similar the results are, the more reliable the measurement is.