Question

Dr. Rodriquez is considering conducting a study examining whether narcissistic people have poorer romantic relationships than those who are not narcissistic. One of her first tasks is to determine which of her participants are narcissistic and which are not. She decides to use the scale created by a colleague, the Donal scale. Question 1 reads, "I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself." Question 2 reads, "I do not have a high opinion of myself." Question 3 reads, "I think other people think I am really special."

Dr. Rodriquez is concerned whether her measure will really measure narcissism or if it will measure some other related concept. She is concerned about the scale's ______________.
Select one:
a. operational definition
b. reliability
c. convenience
d. validity

Answer 1

Dr. Rodriquez is concerned about the Donal scale's validity; she needs to ensure it accurately measures narcissism. Validity is about a test's accuracy in measuring the intended construct, and it can be assessed by comparing the scale to established measures and examining predictive outcomes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dr. Rodriquez's concerns about whether the Donal scale will accurately measure narcissism or some other related concept is a question of the scale's validity. Validity refers to whether a test measures what it intends to measure. For instance, when the Donal scale asks, "I tend not to think about other people as much as I think about myself," it aims to assess a characteristic associated with narcissism. However, a single item like "I do not have a high opinion of myself" could potentially be counter-indicative of narcissistic traits if interpreted literally, as narcissism often involves inflated self-perception. Therefore, the challenge for Dr. Rodriquez is to ensure that the entirety of the Donal scale provides an accurate representation of narcissistic tendencies, not just related or opposite traits.

To address these concerns, Dr. Rodriquez could employ multiple methods to test the scale's validity, such as comparing the Donal scale's results with other established measures of narcissism or examining the scale's predictive validity in terms of romantic relationship outcomes. It's also crucial to consider how the wording of questions might affect self-reporting, as individuals may lack objectivity about themselves, thereby influencing the test's validity.