Deck 1: Introduction to Statistics

Question 1

Statistical analysis allows researchers to

A) collect data.
B) claim that an observation is scientific.
C) evaluate scientific observations.
D) study physical phenomena but not behavior.

Answer 1

evaluate scientific observations.

Question 2

A characteristic (usually numeric)that describes a population is called a

A) sample.
B) sample statistic.
C) population.
D) population parameter.

Answer 2

population parameter.

Question 3

A psychologist reviews her notes for all her patients and determines that on average her patients complete therapy in 24 days.The average time to complete therapy among all her patients is called a(n)

A) population parameter.
B) sample statistic.
C) inferential statistic.
D) time trial.

Answer 3

population parameter.

Question 4

A researcher records the time it takes to complete a memory task in a sample of 25 participants.He finds that the average participant completed the test in 43 s.The average time to complete this task is called a(n)

A) population parameter.
B) sample statistic.
C) inferential statistic.
D) time trial.

Question 5

A therapist observes that spouses are more likely to forgive their partners for lying to them if they find out the truth from their spouses and not from a third party.In this example,the dependent variable is

A) the number of partners.
B) the spouse.
C) lying.
D) forgiveness.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes an independent variable?

A) the sample variable
B) the measured behavior
C) the manipulated variable
D) the population variable

Question 7

A researcher records the number of votes for each of five candidates running for class president.Based on her presentation of the following results,what type of statistics did she use?

A) inferential statistics
B) descriptive statistics
C) population statistics
D) deceptive statistics

Question 8

Suppose that a researcher is interested in a group of 10 million people who paid to see a movie in theaters.In this example,the 10 million moviegoers would be regarded as

A) a sample of moviegoers who paid to see the movie in a theater.
B) a population of moviegoers who paid to see the movie in a theater.
C) an independent variable.
D) a dependent variable.

Question 9

Researchers rarely have access to entire populations.How do researchers resolve this limitation?

A) They do not need to resolve this; it is not a limitation at all.
B) They record data from an entire population of people to make inferences concerning characteristics in a sample.
C) They record data from as many persons in a population as possible to draw conclusions concerning only those individuals.
D) They record data from a sample of people in the larger population in order to make inferences concerning characteristics in that larger population.

Question 10

A characteristic (usually numeric)that describes a sample is called a

A) sample.
B) sample statistic.
C) population.
D) population parameter.

Question 11

Procedures that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were selected best describe

A) inferential statistics.
B) sample statistics.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) population parameters.

Question 12

The use of tables and graphs to summarize data is an example of

A) inferential statistics.
B) interpretation.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) generalization.

Question 13

A population can be ______ group of interest to a researcher.

A) any
B) only one
C) only a small
D) only a large

Question 14

A researcher identifies college students as a group of interest to test her hypothesis.She then identifies a few local college students and selects a small group of local college students to be observed.In this example,the sample is:

A) not clearly identified.
B) all college students.
C) the few local college students.
D) the small group of college students who are observed.

Question 15

______ is the variable that is believed to change in the presence of the independent variable.

A) Independent variable
B) Quasi-independent variable
C) Dependent variable

Question 16

Which of the following best describes a dependent variable?

A) the sample variable
B) the measured behavior
C) the manipulated variable
D) the population variable

Question 17

Descriptive statistics are procedures used to

A) summarize a set of scores or observations.
B) organize a set of scores or observations.
C) make sense of a set of scores or observations.
D) all of these

Question 18

Which of the following describes a descriptive statistic?

A) summarize
B) infer
C) generalize
D) predict

Question 19

Researchers measure data in a ______ to learn more about individuals in the larger ______ of interest.

A) sample; population
B) statistic; inference
C) population; sample
D) inference; statistic

Question 20

______ is the variable in an experiment that is manipulated between conditions being observed.

A) Independent variable
B) Quasi-independent variable
C) Dependent variable

Question 21

A researcher tests whether the dosage level of some drugs (low,high)causes significant differences in health.To do this,the researcher randomly assigns rat subjects to receive a low or high dosage of the drug and records health-related measures in both groups.The type of method described is

A) experimental.
B) quasi-experimental.
C) correlation.
D) operational.

Question 22

Based on the following graphical summary display,what research design was used to record and analyze these data?

A) correlational
B) experimental
C) quasi-experimental
D) either experimental or quasi-experimental

Question 23

State the four scales of measurement in order from least informative to most informative.

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

Question 24

A researcher compares the amount of college debt (in dollars)that undergraduate students incur up to their 4-year degree.College debt is on what scale of measurement?

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

Question 25

A consultant ranks the five most needed areas of improvement for a local business.What scale of measurement are the rankings?

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

Question 26

Which of the following research designs is used to determine the causes of behavior that help to explain why the behavior occurs?

A) correlational
B) experimental
C) quasi-experimental
D) all of these

Question 27

Interval scales of measurement

A) have equidistant scales.
B) have a true zero.
C) have equidistant scales and a true zero.

Question 28

An education counselor records the number of high school graduates enrolled in community colleges,4-year colleges,and universities.What scale of measurement is the type of college?

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

Question 29

Recording whom students study with describes ______ types of data,whereas recording the number of hours spent studying per week describes ______ types of data.

A) qualitative; quantitative
B) continuous; discrete
C) quantitative; qualitative
D) discrete; continuous

Question 30

Three key elements of control that allow researchers to draw cause-and-effect conclusions are

A) randomization, manipulation, and variation.
B) assignment, manipulation, and comparison/control.
C) randomization, manipulation, and comparison/control.
D) randomization, condition, and comparison/control.

Question 31

______ refer(s)to how the properties of numbers can change with different uses.

A) Measurability
B) Operational definition
C) Scales of measurement
D) Coding

Question 32

The procedure of converting a categorical variable to numeric values is called:

A) deteriorating.
B) piloting.
C) coding.
D) constructing.

Question 33

A researcher measures the body temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit)of participants immediately before and immediately following sleep.Temperature is on what scale of measurement?

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

Question 34

Each of the following are interval scale measurements,except

A) duration of sleep (in hours).
B) scores on an SAT (scholastic assessment test).
C) the latitude and longitude of birth for those suffering from schizophrenia.
D) the body temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) increase during exercise.

Question 35

A movie critic rates a movie on a scale from one (lowest)to four (highest)stars.What scale of measurement are the ratings?

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

Question 36

______ data describe numeric aspects of phenomena,whereas ______ data describe nonnumeric aspects of data.

A) Quantitative; qualitative
B) Qualitative; quantitative
C) Continuous; discrete
D) Discrete; continuous

Question 37

Which of the following measures of attraction is an example of a ratio scale measurement?

A) a rating of attraction from most attractive to least attractive
B) a 6-point rating scale from 1 (attractive) to 6 (unattractive)
C) the status of the relationship (acquaintance, dating, married)
D) the physical proximity (in feet and inches) between two romantic partners

Question 38

Three research methods common to research in the behavioral sciences are

A) experimental, transferable, and correlation.
B) experimental, variable, and correlational.
C) experimental, operational, and quasi-correlational.
D) experimental, quasi-experimental, and correlational.

Question 39

Each of the following is an example of quantitative data,except

A) weight in ounces.
B) income in dollars.
C) political affiliation.
D) age in years.

Question 40

An animal researcher measures the number of times a rat presses a lever located at the right,center,and left of a cage for a food reward.What scale of measurement is the location of lever pressing?

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

Question 41

______ are measured along a continuum at any place beyond the decimal point.

A) Continuous data
B) Discrete data
C) Qualitative data
D) Open-ended data

Question 42

Qualitative data vary by ______; quantitative data vary by ______.

A) level; value
B) value; level
C) amount; class
D) class; amount

Question 43

Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics are used for precisely the same purposes.

Question 44

Researcher A measures academic preparedness as the percent correct responses on an entrance exam; Researcher B measures academic preparedness as the current class rank of students.Which researcher measured academic preparedness as discrete data?

A) Researcher A
B) Researcher B
C) both researchers
D) no researchers

Question 45

To understand chimpanzee behavior in general,a scientist observes the hierarchy or dominance behavior of a family of male chimpanzees in a naturalistic setting.In this example,the scientist observes the behavior of a population of chimpanzees.

Question 46

Most scientists have limited access to the behavioral phenomena they study.

Question 47

Recording the number of dreams recalled is an example of ______ data,whereas recording the time (in minutes)spent in a dream stage of sleep is an example of ______ data.

A) qualitative; quantitative
B) continuous; discrete
C) quantitative; qualitative
D) discrete; continuous

Question 48

Descriptive statistics can be used to describe populations and samples.

Question 49

Which of the following terms is least likely to be used to describe qualitative data?

A) nominal
B) descriptive
C) categorical
D) numeric

Question 50

A health practitioner measures the heart rate (in number of beats per minute)of patients under low,moderate,and high stress levels.Heart rate can be best described as

A) continuous data.
B) discrete data.
C) a qualitative variable.
D) the independent variable.

Question 51

You are interested in measuring the construct,reinforcement.Which of the following measures for this construct is quantitative and continuous?

A) the number of rewards received
B) the type of reward (food, money)
C) the size of a reward in grams
D) the rating of a reward on a scale from 1 (not reinforcing) to 7 (very reinforcing)

Question 52

______ are measured in whole units or categories that are not distributed along a continuum.

A) Continuous data
B) Discrete data
C) Quantitative data
D) Open-ended data

Question 53

Descriptive statistics is a branch of mathematics used to make inferences about populations given samples of data.

Question 54

Researchers often measure sample statistics to estimate or learn more about parameters in populations from which the sample statistics were measured.

Question 55

Quantitative measures can be

A) discrete data.
B) continuous data.
C) both discrete data and continuous data.

Question 56

A social psychologist interested in the expression of love toward a significant other among American family members selects a few American family members for a study.In this example,the few American family members is the sample.

Question 57

You are interested in measuring the construct,work expertise.Which of the following measures for this construct is quantitative and discrete?

A) the total time in hours spent working at a company
B) the job title a person holds in a company
C) the percent of correct responses on a work expertise survey
D) the number of employees who work under an employer

Question 58

Inferential statistics is used to determine if observations made in a sample are likely to also be observed in the population from which the sample was selected.

Question 59

Descriptive statistics are typically presented graphically,in tabular form (in tables),or as summary statistics (single values).

Question 60

Two branches of statistics are independent and dependent statistics.

Question 61

The number of students in a class is an example of discrete,quantitative data.

Question 62

A rating scale measurement from 1 (completely disagree)to 7 (completely agree)is an example of continuous,qualitative data.

Question 63

Continuous data are only distributed in discrete units.

Question 64

Children received grapefruit juice mixed with 2%,5%,or 10% sugar to test whether higher concentrations of sugar can enhance liking for the taste of grapefruit juice.In this example,the sugar mixtures are the independent variable.

Question 65

The political affiliation of participants (Democrat,Republican)is an example of discrete,qualitative data.

Question 66

Only an experiment can demonstrate cause-and-effect relationships between variables.

Question 67

A student's letter Grade (A,B,C,D,F)is a nominal scale measurement.

Question 68

The size of a reward (in grams)is an example of continuous,quantitative data.

Question 69

The duration of attention (in seconds)is a ratio scale measurement.

Question 70

Researchers who measure qualitative variables can also measure those that are quantitative in the same study.

Question 71

A score on a multiple-choice exam (0-100 points)is a ratio scale measurement.

Question 72

A researcher observes the number of tasks completed by male and female participants during a multitasking observation period.In this example,sex (male,female)is the quasi-independent variable.

Question 73

In some cases,the number of participants in a sample can be greater than the number of persons in the population from which the same was selected.

Question 74

A categorical variable is an example of discrete data.

Question 75

The weight (in pounds)of a newborn infant is an interval scale measurement.

Question 76

Children are randomly assigned to complete a low,moderate,or high difficult task.The time (in seconds)it takes them to complete the task is recorded.In this example,the level of task difficulty is the dependent variable.

Question 77

A researcher records the number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week by students living on campus in rural and urban colleges.In this example,the number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week is the dependent variable.

Question 78

Qualitative data are nonnumeric data.

Question 79

A professor measures the number of review sessions attended per week and GPA in a sample of college freshmen and concludes that increased attendance for review sessions is related to higher grades.This research design is an example of an experimental design.

Question 80

An interval scale of measurement is generally more informative than an ordinal scale of measurement.