Deck 21: Understanding Statistics: Descriptive and Inferential Techniques

Question 1

Problems may arise when statistically unsophisticated users who do not understand the assumptions behind the statistical procedures or their limitations are misled by results obtained from computer software.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following is not an element of descriptive statistical problems?

A)An inference made about the population based on the sample.
B)The population or sample of interest.
C)Tables, graphs, or numerical summary tools.
D)Identification of patterns in the data.

Answer 2

An inference made about the population based on the sample.

Question 3

Compiling the number of registered voters who turned out to vote for the primary in Iowa is an example of descriptive statistics.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Human Resources Director of a large corporation wishes to develop an employee benefit package and decides to select 500 employees from a list of all (N = 40,000)workers in order to study their preferences for the various components of a potential package.In this study, methods involving the collection, presentation, and characterization of the data are called _______.

Question 5

Which of the following is not true about business analytics?

A)It enables you to use statistical methods to analyze and explore data to uncover unforeseen relationships.
B)It enables you to use management science methods to develop optimization models that impact an organization's strategy, planning, and operations.
C)It enables you to use complex mathematics to replace the need for organizational decision making and problem solving.
D)It enables you to use information systems methods to collect and process data sets of all sizes.

Question 6

The collection and summarization of the socioeconomic and physical characteristics of the employees of a particular firm are examples of

A)inferential statistics.
B)descriptive statistics.
C)operational definition.
D)DCOVA framework.

Question 7

Managers need an understanding of statistics to be able to present and describe information accurately, draw conclusions about large populations based on small samples, improve processes, and make reliable forecasts.

Question 8

Most analysts focus on the cost of tuition as the way to measure the cost of a college education.But incidentals, such as textbook costs, are rarely considered.A researcher at Drummand University wishes to estimate the textbook costs of first-year students at Drummand.To do so, she monitored the textbook cost of 250 first-year students and found that their average textbook cost was $600 per semester.Identify the variable of interest to the researcher.

A)The textbook cost of first-year Drummand University students.
B)The year in school of Drummand University students.
C)The age of Drummand University students.
D)The cost of incidental expenses of Drummand University students.

Question 9

Business analytics combine "traditional" statistical methods with methods and techniques from management science and information systems to form an interdisciplinary tool that supports fact-based management decision making.

Question 10

The estimation of the population average family expenditure on food based on the sample average expenditure of 1,000 families is an example of

A)inferential statistics.
B)descriptive statistics.
C)DCOVA framework.
D)operational definition.

Question 11

The Commissioner of Health in New York State wanted to study malpractice litigation in New York.A sample of 31 thousand medical records was drawn from a population of 2.7 million patients who were discharged during 2010.The collection, presentation, and characterization of the data from patient medical records are examples of _______.

Question 12

A study is under way in Yosemite National Forest to determine the adult height of American pine trees.Specifically, the study is attempting to determine what factors aid a tree in reaching heights greater than 60 feet tall.It is estimated that the forest contains 25,000 adult American pines.The study involves collecting heights from 250 randomly selected adult American pine trees and analyzing the results.Identify the variable of interest in the study.

A)The age of an American pine tree in Yosemite National Forest.
B)The height of an American pine tree in Yosemite National Forest.
C)The number of American pine trees in Yosemite National Forest.
D)The species of trees in Yosemite National Forest.

Question 13

Those methods involving the collection, presentation, and characterization of a set of data in order to properly describe the various features of that set of data are called

A)statistical inference.
B)DCOVA framework.
C)operational definition.
D)descriptive statistics.

Question 14

A professor computed the sample average exam score of 20 students and used it to estimate the average exam score of the 1,500 students taking the exam.This is an example of inferential statistics.

Question 15

Using the number of registered voters who turned out to vote for the primary in Iowa to predict the number of registered voters who will turn out to vote in Vermont's primary is an example of descriptive statistics.

Question 16

The Commissioner of Health in New York State wanted to study malpractice litigation in New York.A sample of 31 thousand medical records was drawn from a population of 2.7 million patients who were discharged during 2010.Using the information obtained from the sample to predict population characteristics with respect to malpractice litigation is an example of _______.

Question 17

The process of using data collected from a small group to reach conclusions about a large group is called

A)statistical inference.
B)DCOVA framework.
C)operational definition.
D)descriptive statistics.

Question 18

The oranges grown in corporate farms in an agricultural state were damaged by some unknown fungi a few years ago.Suppose the manager of a large farm wanted to study the impact of the fungi on the orange crops on a daily basis over a 6-week period.On each day a random sample of orange trees was selected from within a random sample of acres.The daily average number of damaged oranges per tree and the proportion of trees having damaged oranges were calculated.In this study, drawing conclusions on any one day about the true population characteristics based on information obtained from the sample is called _______.

Question 19

The Human Resources Director of a large corporation wishes to develop an employee benefit package and decides to select 500 employees from a list of all (N = 40,000)workers in order to study their preferences for the various components of a potential package.In this study, methods that result in decisions concerning population characteristics based only on the sample results are called _______.

Question 20

The oranges grown in corporate farms in an agricultural state were damaged by some unknown fungi a few years ago.Suppose the manager of a large farm wanted to study the impact of the fungi on the orange crops on a daily basis over a 6-week period.On each day a random sample of orange trees was selected from within a random sample of acres.The daily average number of damaged oranges per tree and the proportion of trees having damaged oranges were calculated.In this study, the presentation and characterization of the two main measures calculated each day (i.e., average number of damaged oranges per tree and proportion of trees having damaged oranges)is called _______ .

Question 21

The V in the DCOVA framework stands for "visualize".

Question 22

"Big data" are data being collected in huge volumes and at very fast rates, and they typically arrive in a variety of forms, organized and unorganized.

Question 23

The Excel command used to insert a new worksheet into a workbook is ________________ .

Question 24

The O in the DCOVA framework stands for "operationalize".

Question 25

The C in the DCOVA framework stands for "categorize".

Question 26

An online marketing system that uses customer demand to adjust its item or service pricing is using ________ ________ in its strategy.

Question 27

The V in the DCOVA framework stands for "value".

Question 28

Which of the following is not an attribute of big data?

A)Variegated
B)Velocity
C)Volume
D)Variety

Question 29

The V in the DCOVA framework stands for "verify".

Question 30

"Big data" is a concrete concept with a precise operational definition.

Question 31

Using software, you perform calculations more easily than by hand.This means which of the following:

A)Using software is a guarantee you will not produce inappropriate solutions
B)Memorization of software commands is necessary to using software competently
C)Using the software while understanding the concepts that give the results is more important than having advanced arithmetic skills.
D)Being able to construct statistical software applications from scratch is a necessary skill.

Question 32

The O in the DCOVA framework stands for "organize".

Question 33

If rising temperatures are followed immediately by an increase in crime in urban areas, we would attribute the two events to be an instance of logical causality.

Question 34

The C in the DCOVA framework stands for "collect".

Question 35

The Excel command used to display and review formulas is ______________.

Question 36

The A in the DCOVA framework stands for "apply".

Question 37

In the current data-driven environment of business, the decisions you make will be increasingly based on gut or intuition supported by personal experience.

Question 38

The D in the DCOVA framework stands for "define".

Question 39

The D in the DCOVA framework stands for "data".