Exam 8: Comparison Values, Contrast Sizes, and Standards

Standard patterns of a topic or phenomena are usually calculated from sample data for a particular time point.

The values of a numeric independent variable that influences a dependent variable falls within a range of 0.2 and 0.5, with the 50th percentile falling within 0.25. Analyzing the effect of a 1-unit change in the independent variable to the dependent variable would lead to which type of problem?

The financial budget of a government stated the intention of improving GDP growth from 1.2% in the year 2020 to 7% in 2025. What is the 1.2% value termed as?

98.6°Fwas, until recently, taken as the normal temperature of a human body. What is this temperature termed as, in research?

When conducting a comparison of an outcome to several independent variables, which of the following is considered good practice?

List the main criteria in selecting a comparison group. Provide an example to illustrate one of these criteria.

In studies that compare monetary values across time periods, for example, years, what type of conversion of the values need to be done?

A study was undertaken to compare house prices of Hong Kong to those in Houston. Other than converting currency rates to a common unit, what else needs to be considered to make a valid comparison?

Design a research study on employee churn or attrition in a telecommunications company. Choose three independent variables that would have an association with the outcome of churn. Make sure that at least one of these variables is a quantitative variable. Discuss the process you would follow to define standards and benchmarks for the independent variables you chose. Illustrate with an example.

A comparison of values of a variable across time periods, must choose which primary common factor for the comparison to be valid?

Which are the two primary criteria for choosing a contrast size in a research study?

What does the term "cutoff' refer to?

Values of a continuous independent variable must be in the same units and may or may not be at the same level of aggregation, in order to do a comparison of its values.

Which of the following statements best defines a target?

An independent variable containing census blocks of customers' residences has the highest frequency of customers (30%) residing in a particular census block. This census block could be considered as a reference category for comparison between census blocks.

A researcher studying the rate of poverty in Southeast Asian countries, defines a threshold value of household income to identify poverty, based on the data. She uses this threshold on the data collected for further analysis and conclusions. Which factor did the researcher not consider in her study?

Describe the difference between a standard and a threshold used in research studies. Provide an example to illustrate this difference.

For the study you designed in Question 2, discuss the process of identifying suitable contrast sizes for each of your quantitative independent variables.

A retail bank requires a minimum of $1,000 to be maintained in their premier savings account. The value of $1,000 could be termed as a threshold.

The value of $100 in the year 1980 is valued at $339.81 in the year 2021, after accounting for inflation rates in the United States. What term is used to refer to the amount of US$339.81?