Psychology week 3 assignment poly
2
Psychology
Barbara Maclure
Keiser University
Dr. Kelly Schmitt
3/23/2025
Psychology
The decision about measuring constructs of self-esteem and emotional intelligence through new or existing instruments in my dissertation requires evaluation of their respective benefits and drawbacks. The decision about new or existing measures in research affects multiple aspects of the research process including data quality and both time requirements and goal achievement problems.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Creating Your Own Measure
Advantages:
1. Substance measurement offers researchers the chance to develop specific assessment tools based on precise definitions of their research constructs. Specific measures become essential when current available measures are unable to detect the subtle characteristics or special elements of the constructions you are examining. A more detailed approach to self-esteem measurement could use resilience or academic self-concept rather than general self-esteem assessments which traditional scales do not completely assess.
2. Establishing a new evaluation method represents an authentic addition to scientific knowledge. Valid and reliable measurement would strengthen current self-esteem and emotional intelligence assessment tools while providing useful research information to investigators.
3. Your instrument maintains higher validity when it encompasses precise operational definitions of your constructions because it directly aligns with their stated measurements. Your instrument will effectively measure emotional intelligence because it specifically detects self-regulation and social abilities based on your intended conceptualization of the construct.
Disadvantages:
1. The development process for creating new measurement tools takes considerable amounts of time as well as effort. The entire process for instrument development extended through considerable duration because of the need for conceptualization together with construction and pilot testing and instrument refinement. The progress of dissertation research could be delayed by instrument validation which includes item tests and reliability checks and factor analysis.
2. You face possible failure from a new measurement because it might not deliver the anticipated results. The inability of your instrument to capture construct accuracy and reliability will force you to modify it and perform further testing. The instrument's failure to measure the construct accurately will slow down research operation and might damage the validity of the complete project.
3. The use of newly created assessment tools reduces your ability to examine your data alongside current research when other scientists employ standardized measurement methods. The external validity as well as generalizability of your study may decrease due to this situation.
Using Pre-existing Measures
In contrast, utilizing established instruments has several benefits, but also some limitations.
Advantages:
1. Multiple validation tests have verified the reliability and validity of pre-established measurement methods. These measures have undergone multiple validity tests over time which proves that they deliver precise and reliable results. Psychological research makes wide use of established measures including the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale along with the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Goleman which have developed strong scientific credibility.
2. Efficiency: Pre-existing measures save time. Research data collection and analytical work will have your full attention since you avoid expending significant efforts on developing and validating a brand-new instrument. Research with precise deadlines can benefit especially from the use of pre-existing measures.
3. Established measurement methods enable research comparability with existing literature which helps interpret results better and thus increases study external validity. Due to their widespread usage the results obtained from these standardized scales can be applied across similar demographic groups.
Disadvantages:
1. The present measures do not match exactly with the theoretical constructs you are examining. Your current methodology might encounter problems because using standardized instruments prevents deeper evaluation of constructs that differ from Goleman's definition or use original methods to measure self-esteem.
2. Pre-existing measurement methods typically employ standardized scales and set formats that might restrict researchers from detecting the detailed data they need in their study. Important valuable information may escape detection due to strict data collection protocols.
Constructs Discussed
Self-esteem along with emotional intelligence serves as the academic focus of the week 1 assignment. The definition of self-esteem describes the way people judge their personal skills and worth which affects their mental state and social relationships. EI represents the capacity for a person to detect emotional states while managing their personal emotions and the feelings of those around them. The constructs play essential roles in studying psychological health together with social relationships. Established assessment tools exist to measure both constructs which include the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale for self-esteem together with the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Goleman for emotional intelligence. Professional psychologists approve these assessment methods because they demonstrate dependable accuracy in psychological research, hence making them beneficial to use according to professionals looking for dependable testing tools.
Conclusion
The dissertation research design depends on your goals because pre-existing instruments provide benefits as well as self-developed measures. Creating your own assessment tool becomes essential if you want to investigate self-esteem and emotional intelligence in a way which existing measurement methods do not offer. Research studies which need to evaluate established theories and compare them against previous analyses will find pre-existing validated measures to be more practical and efficient than developing new instruments. The assessment process should follow the requirements of your study's needs together with the accessible resources and project time constraints.
References
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ? Bantam Books.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton University Press.