Exam 7: Summarizing and Interpreting Data: Using Statistics

The basic measures of central tendency of a distribution are: the mean, the median, and the range.

A graph of the means for different conditions in a study where each mean is graphed as a point and the points are connected in a line to show differences between mean scores is called a ______.

A graph of the means for different conditions in a study where the bar length represents the size of the mean is a bar graph.

The degree of freedom is the most commonly reported measure of central tendency.

A researcher is conducting a study to test the hypothesis that viewing family photos (as compared with viewing photos of strangers) prompts more autobiographical memories. State the null and alternative hypotheses for this study.

For correlational studies with a predictor and outcome, the outcome variable is typically plotted on the x-axis.

The distribution of sample means is used to determine how likely it is that any sample mean will occur for a population.

The most common score in a distribution is the ______.

Reaction-time distributions typically include scores that are clustered around an average score that represents the typical speed of response.

The ______ is the most commonly reported measure of central tendency.

Two-tailed hypotheses are typically made only when a researcher has a logical reason to believe that one particular direction of the effect will occur.

The null hypothesis is the opposite hypothesis to the scientific or alternative hypothesis.

In inferential statistics, we look for evidence against the ______.

A graph of the means for different conditions in a study where the bar height represents the size of the mean is called a ______.

The ______ ignores all the scores between the most extreme scores and therefore is a crude measure of variability.

As researchers, we usually set alpha at .05 because ______.

Discuss why it is important to summarize what a study's data contain before trying to analyze if the sample is representative and our hypothesis supported.

A Type II error is an error made in a significance test when the researcher rejects the null hypothesis when it is actually true.

High or low extreme scores pull the ______ toward the top or bottom of the distribution's range.

Three basic measures are commonly used to indicate the central tendency of a distribution including all but ______.