Deck 16: Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life

Question 1

A lopsided distribution of scores in which the mean is much larger than both the mode and median is said to be

A) statistically significant.
B) extrapolated.
C) a standard deviation.
D) skewed.

Answer 1

skewed.

Question 2

When Mr.Adams calculated his students' algebra test scores,he noticed that two students had extremely low scores.Which measure of central tendency is affected most by the scores of these two students?

A) mean
B) standard deviation
C) mode
D) median

Answer 2

mean

Question 3

When you read a bar graph,it is most important for you to

A) mentally transform the data into a normal curve.
B) identify the value of the standard deviation.
C) note the range and size of the scale values.
D) identify the correct measure of central tendency.

Answer 3

note the range and size of the scale values.

Question 4

The mean of a distribution of scores is the

A) most frequently occurring score.
B) arithmetic average of all the scores.
C) least frequently occurring score.
D) score exceeded by 50 percent of all the scores.

Question 5

When an arithmetic average is reported in the news,it is most important for readers to

A) determine whether it is statistically significant.
B) consider whether it is distorted by a few extreme cases.
C) be sure that it represents a standard deviation.
D) assume that it is the midpoint of a normal curve.

Question 6

Median is to range as central tendency is to

A) skewed distribution.
B) mode.
C) correlation.
D) variation.

Question 7

Which of the following is a measure of the degree of variation among a set of scores?

A) mean
B) mode
C) standard deviation
D) range

Question 8

In the process of summarizing his data,Professor Stevenson notices that the distribution of scores is lopsided because of a few extreme scores.This means that his distribution

A) is representative of the population.
B) is unbiased.
C) forms a bell-shaped curve.
D) is skewed.

Question 9

In a group of five individuals,two report annual incomes of $10,000,and the other three report incomes of $14,000,$15,000,and $31,000,respectively.The mode of this group's distribution of annual incomes is

A) $10,000.
B) $15,000.
C) $16,000.
D) $31,000.

Question 10

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution is the

A) mean.
B) range.
C) median.
D) standard deviation.

Question 11

Seven members of a boys' club reported the following individual earnings from their sale of cookies: $2,$9,$8,$10,$4,$9,and $7.In this distribution of individual earnings

A) the median is greater than the mean and greater than the mode.
B) the median is less than the mean and less than the mode.
C) the median is greater than the mean and less than the mode.
D) the median is less than the mean and greater than the mode.

Question 12

Stan believes that humans use only 10 percent of their brain.He can't remember where he learned this information but is convinced that it is accurate.What would you suggest Stan do to confirm or disconfirm this information?

A) conduct his own study on this to confirm the information
B) try to find the source of the information so that he can quote it when sharing the information with others
C) make sure that he shares this valuable information with others
D) use critical thinking when presented with such round,undocumented numbers

Question 13

Professor Schmidt has just finished collecting data on the relationship between weather changes and depression.What will she use to organize her data?

A) inferential statistics
B) the correlation coefficient
C) descriptive statistics
D) measures of variation

Question 14

Which measure of central tendency is used to calculate the average of your school grades?

A) standard deviation
B) median
C) mean
D) mode

Question 15

Which measure of variation is affected most by a few extreme scores?

A) standard deviation
B) mean
C) median
D) range

Question 16

Seven members of a Girl Scout troop report the following individual earnings from their sale of candy: $4,$1,$7,$6,$8,$2,and $7.In this distribution of individual earnings

A) the mean is less than the mode and equal to the median.
B) the mean is equal to the mode and greater than the median.
C) the mean is greater than the mode and greater than the median.
D) the mean is less than the mode and less than the median.

Question 17

Central tendency is to variation as ________ is to ________.

A) bar graph;normal curve
B) range;skewed distribution
C) mean;standard deviation
D) median;mode

Question 18

The average price for different brands of toothpaste could be visually displayed in a(n)

A) normal curve.
B) extrapolation.
C) standard deviation.
D) bar graph.

Question 19

The most frequently occurring score in a distribution of scores is the

A) mode.
B) median.
C) standard deviation.
D) mean.

Question 20

For which of the following distributions of scores would the median most clearly be a more appropriate measure of central tendency than the mean?

A) 10,22,8,9,6
B) 12,6,8,5,4
C) 12,15,12,9,12
D) 23,7,3,27,16

Question 21

Correlation is a measure of the extent to which two variables

A) are related.
B) are random samples.
C) influence each other.
D) are dependent variables.

Question 22

When we ask,for example,how closely related are the personality scores of identical twins,we are asking how strongly two ________ are related.

A) experimental groups
B) control groups
C) variables
D) scatterplots

Question 23

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels,researchers would most likely make use of

A) case studies.
B) correlational research.
C) experimentation.
D) naturalistic observation.

Question 24

If a set of standardized test scores is normally distributed,having a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10,approximately 68 percent of the group members receive scores somewhere between

A) 50 and 60.
B) 45 and 55.
C) 40 and 60.
D) 35 and 65.

Question 25

If IQ scores are normally distributed,having a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15,approximately what percentage of people have IQ scores somewhere between 70 and 130?

A) 34
B) 50
C) 68
D) 95

Question 26

An inverse relationship in which scores for one variable increase as scores for another variable decrease represents

A) a confounding variable.
B) a positive correlation.
C) a normal curve.
D) a negative correlation.

Question 27

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of

A) explanation.
B) prediction.
C) control.
D) replication.

Question 28

Although Dominick's psychology class is sometimes longer or shorter than usual,on average each class is 50 minutes.If the lengths of these classes form a normal curve,which statistic would enable Dominick to estimate the probability that any single class will last somewhere between 47 and 53 minutes?

A) mode
B) median
C) range
D) standard deviation

Question 29

A graphed cluster of dots,each of which represents the values of two factors,is called a

A) normal curve.
B) scatterplot.
C) standard deviation.
D) correlation coefficient.

Question 30

Approximately what percentage of the cases represented by the normal curve fall between ‒3 and +3 standard deviations from the mean?

A) 34
B) 68
C) 95
D) 100

Question 31

A direct relationship in which two sets of scores increase together or decrease together represents

A) a dependent variable.
B) replication.
C) a positive correlation.
D) a confounding variable.

Question 32

The symmetrical bell‑shaped figure used to represent the distribution of many physical and psychological characteristics is called a

A) bar graph.
B) normal curve.
C) range.
D) standard deviation.

Question 33

To discover the extent to which economic status can be used to predict political preferences,researchers are most likely to use

A) standard deviations.
B) measures of central tendency.
C) correlational measures.
D) the means.

Question 34

The standard deviation is the square root of the average squared deviation of scores from the

A) normal curve.
B) median.
C) mean.
D) range.

Question 35

Evelyn wants to know how consistent her bowling scores have been during the past season.Which of the following measures would tell her what she wants to know?

A) mean
B) median
C) standard deviation
D) range

Question 36

Approximately what percentage of the cases represented by the normal curve fall between -1 and +1 standard deviations from the mean?

A) 16
B) 34
C) 68
D) 95

Question 37

Displaying data in a scatterplot can help us see the extent to which two variables are

A) random samples.
B) located on the normal curve.
C) correlated.
D) related to the mean.

Question 38

Approximately 95 percent of the cases represented by the normal curve fall within ________ standard deviation(s)from the mean.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5

Question 39

Which of the following is a statistical measure of both the direction and the strength of a relationship between two variables?

A) a correlation coefficient
B) the descriptive method
C) an operational definition
D) a theory

Question 40

A normal curve would approximate the distribution of

A) males and females in the total American population.
B) American children enrolled in each of the first through sixth grades.
C) the physical heights of all American women.
D) all of these data.

Question 41

Colette received an unusually high grade of A on her first biology test and a B+ on the second,even though she studied equally for both tests.Which of the following best explains Colette's deteriorating pattern of performance?

A) illusory correlation
B) the illusion of control
C) the random sampling effect
D) regression toward the mean

Question 42

Regression toward the mean refers to the tendency for

A) changes in one factor to predict changes in another factor.
B) unusual events to be followed by more ordinary events.
C) pessimistic thinking to trigger episodes of depression.
D) a placebo pill to reduce suffering.

Question 43

A correlation between physical attractiveness and dating frequency of +0.60 would indicate that

A) physical attractiveness has no causal influence on dating frequency.
B) more frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.
C) it is impossible to predict levels of physical attractiveness based on knowledge of dating frequency.
D) less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.

Question 44

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85,this would indicate that

A) there is very little statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children.
B) low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children.
C) better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children.
D) body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children.

Question 45

Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship between two variables?

A) -0.12
B) -0.99
C) +0.25
D) -0.50

Question 46

To determine whether a difference between groups is reliable and statistically significant,you would use

A) representative samples.
B) data observations.
C) increased number of participants.
D) inferential statistics.

Question 47

Which of the following provides the best guidance on the significance of an observed difference between two research samples?

A) a skewed distribution
B) percentile scores
C) inferential statistics
D) bar graphs

Question 48

Illusory correlation refers to

A) the perception of a relationship between two variables that does not exist.
B) a correlation that exceeds the value of +1.00.
C) a random cluster of points on a scatterplot.
D) the belief that the correlation of two variables proves causation.

Question 49

Jenn earned a 72 on her first psychology exam,a 70 on the second exam,and a 71 on the third exam.What can be said about her exam scores?

A) They are a reliable representation of her performance in the class.
B) She needs to take more exams in order to determine a reliable idea of her class performance.
C) They do not represent her class performance.
D) They demonstrate variations in variability and reliability.

Question 50

Gamblers often throw dice gently for low numbers and hard for high numbers.This most directly illustrates

A) an illusion of control.
B) a scatterplot.
C) random assignment.
D) regression toward the mean.

Question 51

If the points on a scatterplot are clustered in a pattern that extends from the upper left to the lower right,this would suggest that the two variables depicted are

A) operationally defined.
B) positively correlated.
C) negatively correlated.
D) not correlated.

Question 52

The illusion that uncontrollable events are correlated with our actions is facilitated by a phenomenon known as

A) regression toward the mean.
B) the correlation coefficient.
C) the normal curve.
D) the standard deviation.

Question 53

A researcher would be most likely to discover a positive correlation between

A) intelligence and academic success.
B) poverty and physical health.
C) self-esteem and depression.
D) school grades and school absences.

Question 54

Which of the following correlations between self-esteem and body weight would enable you to most accurately predict body weight from knowledge of level of self-esteem?

A) +0.60
B) +0.01
C) -0.10
D) -0.06

Question 55

James,a graduate student,is working on his thesis.He is examining factors that may be related to academic achievement among college students and wants to ensure that his results describe the larger population.To accomplish his goal,he should use

A) inferential statistics.
B) a correlation.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) a score distribution.

Question 56

If the correlation between children's intelligence and their creativity is +1.00,this would indicate that

A) there is very little statistical relationship between the two variables.
B) lower intelligence has a negative effect on creativity level.
C) among children,increased creativity is associated with higher intelligence.
D) level of intelligence has no causal influence on the creativity of children.

Question 57

Which statement is true regarding representative samples?

A) Generalizations based on a few unrepresentative cases are unreliable.
B) Exceptional cases are the best for drawing conclusions that can be generalized to the population.
C) Research usually samples from the entire human population.
D) Fewer cases from an unrepresented sample are better than many cases from a represented sample.

Question 58

Statistical reasoning can help us to generalize correctly from a

A) range to a standard deviation.
B) standard deviation to a mean.
C) sample to a population.
D) bar graph to a skewed distribution.

Question 59

If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are,this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are

A) causally related.
B) negatively correlated.
C) independent variables.
D) positively correlated.

Question 60

After sports magazines give cover-story attention to the recent outstanding performances of an athlete,the individual often suffers a real decline in performance.This may be at least partially explained in terms of

A) illusory correlation.
B) the illusion of control.
C) the placebo effect.
D) regression toward the mean.

Question 61

The maximum height of a normal curve corresponds to the ________ of a normal distribution.

A) range
B) mean
C) standard deviation
D) statistical significance

Question 62

Lee believes that if someone walks under a ladder,they will have bad luck.His belief is based on his experience with people walking under a ladder and then having bad luck.Lee's belief is an example of

A) a negative correlation.
B) illusory correlation.
C) regression toward the mean.
D) a positive correlation.

Question 63

A negative correlation between people's work-related stress and their marital happiness would indicate that

A) work-related stress has a negative impact on marital happiness.
B) marital unhappiness promotes work-related stress.
C) higher levels of marital happiness are associated with lower levels of work-related stress.
D) marital happiness has no causal influence on work-related stress.

Question 64

Which of the following events is the most probable?

A) flipping 6 or more heads in 10 coin flips
B) flipping 60 or more heads in 100 coin flips
C) flipping 600 or more heads in 1000 coin flips
D) All these events are equally probable.

Question 65

Jwa would like to display the descriptive statistics for a study he has just completed.The simplest and most visual way of this would be for him to construct a

A) normal curve.
B) range.
C) bar graph.
D) skewed distribution.

Question 66

Differences between two sample averages are most likely to be statistically significant if

A) the difference between the samples is large.
B) the standard deviations of the samples are large.
C) both samples are drawn from the same population.
D) the sample means are larger than the sample medians.

Question 67

Ahmed has five sisters who are 3,3,5,9,and 10 years of age.The number "5" represents the ________ of the sisters' ages.

A) mode
B) median
C) mean
D) range

Question 68

In a data set of 10,10,9,9,8,7,7,7,6,5,5,and 4,what is the mode?

A) 4
B) 6
C) 7
D) 10

Question 69

When people's negative moods are at their worst,whatever they do to try to alleviate the condition is likely to be followed by an improvement in their mood rather than further worsening.This is best explained in terms of

A) random assignment.
B) illusory correlation.
C) informed consent.
D) regression toward the mean.

Question 70

Which measure of central tendency is Dr.Smith likely to use to summarize his data if his goal is to examine the average scores?

A) median
B) mode
C) standard deviation
D) mean

Question 71

In a single day,45 babies were born in hospital X,65 babies in hospital Y,and 25 babies in hospital Z.At which hospital is there the greatest probability that more than 60 percent of the babies are of the same sex?

A) hospital X
B) hospital Y
C) hospital Z
D) The probability is the same at all three hospitals.

Question 72

Researchers organize data using

A) inferential statistics.
B) the correlation coefficient.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) measures of variation.

Question 73

A statistically significant difference between two sample groups is NOT likely to be

A) a reflection of differences between the populations they represent.
B) due to chance variation within and between the sample groups.
C) observed more than 5 percent of the time the groups are compared.
D) observed when the two groups are very large.

Question 74

A sample average can be used to estimate a population average with greater precision if the sample is

A) large.
B) a skewed distribution.
C) highly variable.
D) vivid and memorable.

Question 75

One person in a 10-person group is 10 times older than anyone else in the group.With respect to age,it is most likely that the majority of group members are younger than the group's

A) mode.
B) median.
C) mean.
D) standard deviation.

Question 76

________ means that the observed differences between scores is probably not due to chance variation between the samples.

A) Standard deviation
B) Statistical significance
C) The range
D) The normal curve

Question 77

If a negative correlation between two sets of scores is displayed in a scatterplot,the points are clustered in a pattern that

A) resembles a bell-shaped curve.
B) extends from the lower left to the upper right.
C) resembles a U-shaped curve.
D) extends from the upper left to the lower right.

Question 78

To decide whether observed differences between samples reflect actual differences between populations,you should determine the ________ of the observed differences.

A) mean
B) median
C) standard deviation
D) statistical significance

Question 79

Mrs.Smith is measuring the height of all the children in her class and notices that the scores form a symmetrical,bell-shaped distribution.This is also known as the

A) central tendency.
B) range.
C) normal curve.
D) standard deviation.

Question 80

Random samples provide ________ estimates of population averages if the samples have small ________.

A) good;means
B) good;variability
C) poor;means
D) poor;variability