Counteracting Methodological Errors in Behavioral Research

Preface

1 Random and systematic errors in context

1.1 Research objectives

1.2 Random and systematic errors

1.3 Errors in context

1.3.1 Research questions

1.3.2 Literature review

1.3.3 Sampling

1.3.4 Operationalizations

1.3.5 Designs

1.3.6 Implementation

1.3.7 Data analysis

1.3.8 Reporting

1.4 Recommendations

References

2 Probability sampling

2.1 The elements of probability sampling

2.2 Defining the target population

2.3 Constructing the sampling frame

2.4 Probability sampling

2.4.1 Simple random sampling

2.4.2 Sample size

2.4.3 Stratification

2.4.4 Cluster sampling

2.5 Obtaining participation of sampled persons

2.6 Recommendations

3 Nonprobability sampling

3.1 The main elements of nonprobability sampling

3.2 Strategies to control for bias

3.2.1 Representative sampling

3.2.2 Bias reduction by weighting

3.2.3 Generalization across participant characteristics

3.2.4 Comments

3.3 Recommendations

References

4 Random assignment

4.1 Independent and dependent variables

4.2 Association does not mean causation

4.3 Other variable types

4.4 Random assignment
About the Author:

Gideon J. Mellenbergh is emeritus professor of Psychological Methods at the University of Amsterdam, former director of the Interuniversity Graduate School of Psychometrics and Sociometrics (IOPS), and emeritus member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). His research interests are in the construction of psychological and educational tests, psychometric decision making, measurement invariance, and the analysis of psychometrical concepts. His teaching was on a large number of methodological topics (design, measurement, and data analysis) for audiences that vary from freshmen to dissertation students. He (co-) supervised 89 PhD students who successfully defended their thesis. Recently, he taught courses on methodological consultancy for research master and dissertation students. He published in international methodological journals (e.g., Applied Psychological Measurement, Journal of Educational Measurement, Multivariate Behavioral Research, Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Methods, and Psychometrika), contributed to methodological books, and published the introductory textbook A Conceptual Introduction to Psychometrics.