Deck 2: Norms and Basic Statistics for Testing

Question 1

When you assert that it is improbable that the mean intelligence test score of a particular group is 100,you are using ____.

A) descriptive statistics
B) scale
C) reliability
D) inferential statistics

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following evaluates data against rigid statistical rules?

A) confirmatory data analysis
B) tests of statistical significance
C) factor analysis
D) psychometrics

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What do the rules used in measurement do?

A) Transform the qualities of attributes into numbers.
B) Identify and correct for potential sources of bias.
C) Relate individual scores to those of the normative populations.
D) Allow for the determination of reliability and validity.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The speedometer on your car is an example of what kind of scale measurement?

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 5

Which type of scale simply ranks observations?

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 6

An equal interval is found in which of the following?

A) telephone numbers
B) rulers
C) National Football League team standings
D) ethnicity distribution

Question 7

Statistical procedures that summarize and describe a series of observations are called

A) inferential statistics.
B) descriptive statistics.
C) scales.
D) ratios.

Question 8

When the relationship between the unit of measurement of a scale (strength)and an outcome (pounds lifted)can be described by a linear equation Y = a + bX,the scale is said to have what property?

A) magnitude
B) equal intervals
C) absolute zero
D) nominal

Question 9

Scales of measurement differ from one another in terms of

A) magnitude,absolute measurement,and equal intervals.
B) magnitude,relative zero,and equal intervals.
C) numbers,relative zero,and equal intervals
D) magnitude,absolute zero,and equal intervals.

Question 10

A scale that allows one to determine only if there is more,less,or an equal amount of the attribute in comparison to another observation is called a(n)____ scale.

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 11

Trial by judge and jury is to criminal investigation and prosecution as confirmatory data analysis is to

A) theoretical assumptions
B) reliability and validity
C) underlying constructs
D) exploratory data analysis

Question 12

Which of the following scales has the properties of magnitude,absolute zero,and equal intervals?

A) ordinal
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ratio

Question 13

In which scales can you make meaningful interpretation of an arithmetic operation such as addition?

A) nominal scale and ordinal scale
B) ordinal scale and interval scale
C) interval scale and nominal scale
D) ratio scale and interval scale

Question 14

A property of a scale that implies the complete absence of the measured attribute is called a(n)

A) magnitude.
B) absolute zero.
C) equal interval.
D) ratio.

Question 15

Many feel that the difference between an IQ of 100 and 105 is not the same as the difference between an IQ 70 and 75.These people feel that IQ tests lack ____.

A) absolute zeroes
B) magnitudes
C) ratios
D) equal intervals

Question 16

The Fahrenheit scale of temperature (32°F= freezing;212°F= boiling)is best described as

A) nominal.
B) ordinal.
C) interval.
D) ratio.

Question 17

If a scale allows one to say whether a particular instance has more,less,or the same amount of an attribute as another instance,the scale is said to have

A) cross validity
B) measurement
C) magnitude
D) comparativity

Question 18

Statistical procedures that allow one to make inferences about large groups by examining a smaller sample are called

A) populations.
B) descriptive statistics.
C) inferential statistics.
D) ratios.

Question 19

A scale that allows us to rank individuals or objects,but not to say anything about the meaning of the differences between the ranks,is a(n)

A) nominal scale.
B) ordinal scale.
C) interval scale.
D) ratio scale.

Question 20

Which of the following scales would be used when the information is qualitative rather than quantitative?

A) ordinal
B) interval
C) nominal
D) ratio

Question 21

A measure of how much scores within a distribution differ among themselves is the

A) mean.
B) frequency.
C) variance.
D) median.

Question 22

Which of the following is an accurate description of percentile ranks?

A) They are the ratio of the number of cases below a score of interest to the total number of cases.
B) They are a measurement of the extent to which scores are normally distributed.
C) They must be computed in order to use most statistical analysis techniques.
D) While they are useful in describing nominal scales,they cannot be used with interval and ratio scales.

Question 23

Which of the following is a permissible operation for nominal data?

A) multiplication by transform equations
B) creation of frequency distributions
C) comparison of scores to determine relative quantities
D) identification of construct validity

Question 24

A Z score of 1.0 is associated with approximately the

A) 16th percentile.
B) 50th percentile.
C) 75th percentile.
D) 84th percentile.

Question 25

In order to rank group members in relationship to the number of other members of groups of arbitrary size,you would use the

A) class interval.
B) simple rank.
C) percentile rank.
D) mean.

Question 26

In a frequency distribution,the scores,from lowest to highest,are typically arranged

A) on the horizontal axis.
B) on the vertical axis.
C) in the legend.
D) in the title.

Question 27

The standard deviation

A) reflects the similarity among a set of scores.
B) equals the sum of all scores minus the mean squared.
C) is an approximation of the average deviation around the mean.
D) always equals 0.

Question 28

A percentile rank is a measure of

A) actual performance.
B) relative performance.
C) absolute performance.
D) peak performance.

Question 29

Suppose you are in the 87th percentile on a test.This means

A) you are among the top 13 students in the class.
B) 87% of the students got a score lower than yours.
C) you got 87% of the test items correct.
D) 87% of the students got a score higher than yours.

Question 30

There are more people with incomes on the low end as compared to the high end.What kind of distribution does this illustrate?

A) normal
B) positively skewed
C) negatively skewed
D) bell curve

Question 31

Which type of scale does not have magnitude,does not have equal intervals,and does not have an absolute zero?

A) ordinal
B) nominal
C) ratio
D) interval

Question 32

Which of the following is true of percentiles?

A) They are the inverse of percentile ranks.
B) They indicate what percentage of scores fall below a given score.
C) They describe the relationship of test scores to the hypothesized constructs.
D) They divide the total frequency for a set of observations into hundredths.

Question 33

Calculate the mean for the following set of scores: 4,8,3,7.

A) 3.0
B) 4.5
C) 5.5
D) 6.0

Question 34

A Z score

A) is the difference between a score and the mean,divided by the standard deviation.
B) tells us how many standard deviations the score is below the average score.
C) tells us how many standard deviations the score is below the mean.
D) is the standard deviation of a population.

Question 35

In order to calculate a percentile rank,you need to know

A) how many cases are below the score of interest.
B) whether the distribution is normal or skewed.
C) the standard deviation of the scores.
D) the nature of the underlying scale.

Question 36

In a symmetrical binomial probability distribution,the greatest frequency of scores is near the

A) ends of the distribution.
B) center of the distribution.
C) top of the distribution.
D) bottom of the distribution.

Question 37

Which type of scale has magnitude and equal intervals,but does not have an absolute zero?

A) ordinal
B) nominal
C) ratio
D) interval

Question 38

In statistics,the Roman letter S refers to

A) the variance of a population.
B) the variance of a sample.
C) the standard deviation of a population.
D) the standard deviation of a sample.

Question 39

If the relationship between a scale's measured units and some outcome can be described by a straight line or linear equation,the scale is said to have

A) predictive validity
B) magnitude
C) linear significance
D) equal intervals

Question 40

If a score is equal to the mean,its Z score will be

A) < 0.
B) exactly 0.
C) > 0.
D) impossible to calculate.

Question 41

A score at the 98th percentile is approximately how many standard deviations above the mean?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 98

Question 42

A score at the 50th percentile is approximately how many standard deviations above the mean?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 50

Question 43

A raw score is also called a(n)

A) estimated score.
B) predicted score.
C) sigma.
D) obtained score.

Question 44

If you score in the upper quartile,

A) you scored in the 25th percentile or higher.
B) you scored in the 75th percentile or higher.
C) you scored better than 1/4 of all people.
D) you scored better than 40% of all people.

Question 45

McCall's T scores have

A) a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
B) a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of 2.
C) a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 2.
D) a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

Question 46

The square root of the variance is the

A) true variance.
B) standard deviation.
C) mean.
D) variability of the population.

Question 47

A Z score of 3 is approximately how many standard deviations above the mean?

A) 0
B) 3
C) 6
D) 99

Question 48

In the standard normal distribution,

A) most of the scores cluster on the ends of the distribution.
B) more scores fall above the mean than below the mean.
C) more scores fall below the mean than above the mean.
D) approximately 95% of all scores fall between plus and minus two standard deviations from the mean.

Question 49

The performance by a defined group on a particular test is called a(n)

A) quartile.
B) median.
C) norm.
D) tracking score.

Question 50

Distributions of scores can be divided into how many equal deciles?

A) 5
B) 9
C) 10
D) 25

Question 51

A Z score of 0 would correspond to approximately what percentile?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 16
D) 50

Question 52

Within the quartile system,the 2nd quartile is the

A) 20th percentile.
B) 50th percentile.
C) 75th percentile.
D) 80th percentile.

Question 53

Three fourths of all scores in a distribution fall

A) below Q2.
B) above Q2.
C) below Q3.
D) above Q3.

Question 54

Interquartile range is bounded by the

A) bottom 25% of the distribution.
B) middle 25% of the distribution.
C) middle 50% of the distribution.
D) top 50% of the distribution.

Question 55

What system is standardized to have a mean of 5 and a standard deviation of approximately 2?

A) decile
B) McCall's T
C) stanine
D) quartile

Question 56

Suppose that a doctor weighs your child and finds her to be in the 25th percentile for weight at age 2.The doctor rechecks your child every few months to be sure that she is staying near the 25th percentile.This is an example of

A) tracking.
B) leafing.
C) quartiles.
D) percentile monitoring.

Question 57

A Z score of -1 would correspond to approximately what percentile?

A) 0
B) 16
C) 50
D) 84

Question 58

One advantage of using Z scores is that

A) you do not need to know the mean.
B) they can show the effects of test bias.
C) they are easier to interpret.
D) you don't need to know the standard deviation.

Question 59

Approximately what percentage of scores falls below the mean in a standard normal distribution?

A) 1%
B) 16%
C) 34%
D) 50%

Question 60

The mean of a standardization sample

A) is zero.
B) is a norm.
C) never changes.
D) is always a Z score.

Question 61

Compute the percentile rank for each of the following scores.Show your work.
17,42,36,9,11,24,23,44,41,29

Question 62

Explain why the mean of a distribution of Z scores is equal to 0.

Question 63

Comparing an individual's test score only with members of his/her own racial group is an example of

A) tracking.
B) within-group norming.
C) norm monitoring.
D) criterion monitoring.

Question 64

In the Civil Rights Act of 1991,Section 106,

A) within-group norming was made legal.
B) employers were prohibited from using test scores in hiring decisions.
C) within-group norming was made illegal.
D) employers were prohibited from transforming test scores.

Question 65

The Triple ZZZ Corporation had 87% black male employees.However,only 50% of the applicant pool was comprised of black males.This is an example of

A) translocation.
B) normalization.
C) overselection.
D) representativeness.

Question 66

Jennifer took a test in school that indicated that she was doing very well in reading but was having trouble with assignments that involved writing papers.She probably took what kind of test?

A) criterion-referenced
B) norm-referenced
C) personality
D) projective

Question 67

Develop an example of each of the following scales: nominal,ordinal,interval,and ratio.

Question 68

A test that compares each person with a norm is called

A) a transformed test.
B) a criterion-referenced test.
C) a norm-referenced test.
D) a within-group norming test.

Question 69

Compare and contrast norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests.