Exam 5: Creating New Variables

What is the lowest level of measurement for which it is permissible to calculate Z-scores?

Which value of Cronbach's alpha indicates the greatest reliability?

A variable has a mean of 1000 and a standard deviation of 200. All 500 values for this variable are converted into z-scores. What is now the value of the mean? What is now the value of the standard deviation? A) mean: __________ B) standard deviation: __________

To divide the cases in a data set into separate subgroups in order to perform a particular statistical procedure on each subgroup, you would use which SPSS procedure?

Write out a Select If condition that would limit the analysis to persons with a value of 1 on GROUP or a value of 3 on COHORT. (Variables: GROUP, COHORT) _____________________________________

The variable GENDER is coded 0 for males and 1 for females. EDUC is a person's years of schooling and SPEDUC is their spouse's years of schooling. The following Select If condition would limit the analysis to which persons? GENDER = 1 and EDUC > SPEDUC

"A set of items all assumed to be of approximately equal importance in measuring a single underlying concept that are then combined to yield a single overall score on the underlying concept" defines what the text calls a(n)

Which of the following Select If conditions would limit the analysis to persons with less than 12 years of schooling who have 3 or more children?

To limit an analysis to just a subset of the cases in a data set which meet a particular condition, you would use which SPSS procedure?

Which of the following z-scores is closest to the mean?

Which of the following is correct about the order of arithmetic operations used by SPSS?

A survey includes 10 political statements. For each statement, respondents are asked to indicate their extent of agreement using a scale from 0 to 5. Half the statements are very liberal in nature, half are very conservative. The researcher wants to add up the scores on the 10 items to obtain an overall index of political liberalism. Before adding up the 10 scores, the researcher should do what with the conservative statement items?

You are computing a new variable called CRIMEALL. It is the average of four variables already in your data set: CRIMESA, CRIMESB, CRIMESC, and CRIMESD. Write the numeric expression (formula) for a compute command that averages these four variables but only if at least three of the CRIME variables being averaged have valid values. _____________________________________

You want to reverse the coding scheme for a variable that is currently coded 1 through 5. The new codes will still go from 1 through 5. Indicate below what the new values are for each of the old values.  

You want to collapse the coding scheme for a variable that is currently coded 1 through 5. The first two categories of the variable get combined and the last two categories of the variable get combined. The new codes will go from just 1 to 3. Indicate below what the new values are for each of the old values. 

A researcher uses the Compute procedure to create two new variables. The two new variables are called NEW1 and NEW2. The first case in the data set has a value of 10 on VARA and 2 on VARB. What values will that first case have on the two new variables? A) if NEW1 = VARA − 8 / VARB then for the 1^st case NEW1 = _____ B) if NEW2 = VARA / 5 * VARB then for the 1^st case NEW2 = _____

Which of the following Select If conditions would limit the analysis to cases between the ages of 30 and 49?

You want to Compute a new variable that multiplies a person's hourly wage by their hours worked per week by their weeks worked per year. Write out the numeric expression that would accomplish this. (Variables: hourlyWage, hoursPerWeek, weeksPerYear) _____________________________________

You are computing a new variable called CRIMEALL. It is the average of four variables already in your data set: CRIMESA, CRIMESB, CRIMESC, and CRIMESD. Write the numeric expression (formula) for a compute command that averages these four variables as long as at least one of the CRIME variables being averaged has a valid value. _____________________________________

Which of the following Compute numerical expressions correctly calculates the white percent of a population? (WHITE is the number of persons white; NONWHITE is the number of persons not white.)