PYC4804
Assessment 4 questions and answers
2023/2024
, QUESTION 1
Question 1 is formulated correctly if:
(a) the question is formulated in everyday language not using psychological jargon
(b) the question is not leading
(c) the question is not ambiguous
o a. Rate 1 if none of a, b, c
o b. Rate 2 if one of a, b, c
o c. Rate 4 if two of a, b, c
o d. Rate 5 if a + b + c
The question is formulated in everyday language without using psychological jargon. The question is not leading
in any way – respondents are free to indicate whether they are the kind of person who shows a lively interest in
the world around them or whether they pay more attention to their own emotions and experiences – there is no
leading statement in the question that influences respondents to characterize themselves as one or the other. The
question is not ambiguous – all respondents should interpret the question in the same way.
A rating of 5 is assigned for meeting all the criteria pertaining to the question’s formulation.
The correct answer is:
Rate 5 if a + b + c
QUESTION 2
Question 1 is grounded in theory if:
(a) the theory the question is based on is correct
(b) the question implements the theory it is based on correctly
(c) the question operates correctly in terms of the theory it is based on
o a. Rate 1 if not a
o b. Rate 2 if a
o c. Rate 4 if a + b
o d. Rate 5 if a + b + c
The theory the question is based on is indicated correctly in the justification – it is true that introversion refers to
an inner directedness of psychic energy whereas extraversion refers to an outer directedness of psychic energy.
The question, however, incorrectly implements the concepts of introversion and extraversion – introverts source
energy from within and are preoccupied with their own emotions and experiences whereas extraverts direct their
energy towards external reality, showing a lively interest in the world around them (and not the other way around
as is indicated in the justification). Given that the question implements the theory incorrectly it will operate to
classify respondents who indicate that they are preoccupied with their own emotions and experiences as extraverts,
and it will classify respondents who indicate that they have a lively interest in the world around them as introverts.
This is incorrect – respondents who are preoccupied with their own emotions and experiences should be classified
as introverts and respondents who show a lively interest in the world around them should be classified as extraverts
(and not the other way around as indicated in the justification). Note that if a question incorrectly implements the
theory, it necessarily cannot operate correctly (see the hierarchical nature of the rating scale item – sub-criterion
‘a’ is a prerequisite for sub-criterion ‘b’ and sub-criteria ‘a’ and ‘b’ are prerequisites for sub-criterion ‘c)’.
For only meeting sub-criterion ‘a’ pertaining to whether the question is correctly grounded in theory, a rating of
2 is assigned.
The correct answer is:
Rate 2 if a
, QUESTION 3
Question 1 qualifies for practical use if:
(a) the question is comprehensible by those it is intended for
(b) the question serves the purpose of the interview
(c) the question is valid in practice
(d) the question is reliable in practice
o a. Rate 1 if not a + not b
o b. Rate 2 if a or b
o c. Rate 3 if a + b
o d. Rate 4 if a + b + c
o e. Rate 5 if a + b + c + d
The question is comprehensible by those it is intended for – those applying to work as ICT security specialists
should have no trouble comprehending the meaning of the question. The question does not serve the purpose of
the interview: To serve the purpose of the interview the question must (1) elicit information that contributes to the
purpose of the interview and (2) it must operate correctly in terms of the theory (see the ’Notes on the review
criteria’ p. 15 in Assignment 04 procedural booklet for the criteria related to serving the purpose of the
questionnaire/interview). Although the question aims to elicit information about whether applicants are oriented
towards extraversion (which aligns with the purpose of the interview), as indicated, the question does not operate
correctly in terms of theory on which it is based. It therefore does not serve the purpose of the interview. Although
the question is relevant for use in the context of recruiting ICT security specialists (it is relevant to want to know
whether applicants are extraverted as they have to work closely with others and must be able to function well as
part of a team) and although the question is fair to all involved (all respondents are equally able to respond to the
question i.e., the question is not biased towards some respondents whilst disadvantaging others), to be valid in
practice both sub-criteria ‘a’ and ‘b’ must be met (see the hierarchical nature of the practical use criteria). Since
only sub-criterion ‘a’ has been met the question cannot be considered to be valid in practice. Similarly, even
though the question may elicit consistent responses across respondents (all respondents are likely to understand
and respond to the question in the same way) and across time (a respondent is likely to offer the same response
when asked to respond to the question at a later point in time, that is, introversion and extraversion are relatively
enduring orientations) to be reliable in practice, the question needs to meet sub-criteria ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’. In this
case, only sub-criterion ‘a’ has been met, and given the hierarchical nature of the practical use rating criteria,
reliability in practice is not considered if sub-criteria ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’ have not all been met.
A rating of 2 is assigned for meeting sub-criterion ‘a’.
The correct answer is:
Rate 2 if a or b
QUESTION 4
Question 2 is formulated correctly if:
(a) the question is formulated in everyday language not using psychological jargon
(b) the question is not leading
(c) the question is not ambiguous
o a. Rate 1 if none of a, b, c
o b. Rate 2 if one of a, b, c
o c. Rate 4 if two of a, b, c
o d. Rate 5 if a + b + c
