Question 1

A researcher records the change in weight (gain or lost) during the first semester of college for each individual in a group of 25 freshmen, and calculates the average change in weight.The average is an example of a _______.

Accepted Answer

A) parameter 
B) statistic 
C) variable 
D) constant

Question 2

Using the average score to describe a sample is an example of inferential statistics.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

A characteristic, usually a numerical value, that describes a sample is called a _______.

Accepted Answer

A) parameter 
B) statistic 
C) variable 
D) constant

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a continuous variable?

Accepted Answer

A) the gender of each student in a psychology class 
B) the number of males in each class offered by the college 
C) the amount of time to solve a problem 
D) number of children in a family

Question 5

A recent report concluded that children with siblings have better social skills than children who grow up as an only child.This is an example of an experimental study.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

What is the value of Σ(X + 1) for the following scores? Scores: 2, 4, 7.

Accepted Answer

A) 10 
B) 11 
C) 13 
D) 16

Question 7

The average verbal SAT score for the entire class of entering freshmen is 530.However, if you select a sample of 20 freshmen and compute their average verbal SAT score you probably will not get exactly 530.What statistical concept is used to explain the natural difference that exists between a sample mean and the corresponding population mean?

Accepted Answer

A) statistical error 
B) inferential error 
C) sampling error 
D) parametric error

Question 8

You are instructed to subtract four points from each score, square the resulting value, and find the sum of the squared numbers.How would this set of instructions be expressed in summation notation?

Accepted Answer

A) ΣX - 42 
B) (ΣX - 4)2 
C) Σ(X - 4)2 
D) ΣX2 - 4

Question 9

For the following scores, Σ(X - 1) = 10.Scores: 1, 3, 7

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a discrete variable?

Accepted Answer

A) the age of each student in a psychology class 
B) the gender of each student in a psychology class 
C) the amount of time to solve a problem 
D) the amount of weight gained for each freshman at a local college

Question 11

A discrete variable must be measured on a nominal or an ordinal scale.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

For an experiment comparing two methods for teaching social skill training to autistic children, the independent variable is _______ and the dependent variable is _______.

Accepted Answer

A) teaching methods, the autistic children 
B) the autistic children, the social skills that are learned 
C) the social skills that are learned, the autistic children 
D) teaching methods, the social skills that are learned

Question 13

What is the value of ΣX + 1 for the following scores? Scores: 1, 6, 3

Accepted Answer

A) 10 
B) 11 
C) 13 
D) 16

Question 14

The average score for a population is an example of a statistic.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

A recent report concluded that college graduates have higher life-satisfaction scores than individuals who do not receive college degrees.For this study, graduating versus not graduating is an example of a quasi-independent variable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

If a researcher measures two individuals on a nominal scale, it is impossible to determine which individual has the larger score.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Determining a person's reaction time (in milliseconds) would involve measurement on a(n) _____ scale of measurement.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

To determine how much difference there is between two individuals, you must use either an interval or a ratio scale of measurement.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

For a research study comparing attitude scores for males and females, participant gender is an example of what kind of variable?

Accepted Answer

A) an independent variable 
B) a dependent variable 
C) a quasi-independent variable 
D) a quasi-dependent variable

Question 20

A researcher is interested in the average income for registered voters in the United States.The entire group of registered voters is an example of a population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 1: Introduction to Statistics

A researcher records the change in weight (gain or lost) during the first semester of college for each individual in a group of 25 freshmen, and calculates the average change in weight.The average is an example of a _______.

Using the average score to describe a sample is an example of inferential statistics.

A characteristic, usually a numerical value, that describes a sample is called a _______.

Which of the following is an example of a continuous variable?

A recent report concluded that children with siblings have better social skills than children who grow up as an only child.This is an example of an experimental study.

What is the value of Σ(X + 1) for the following scores? Scores: 2, 4, 7.

You are instructed to subtract four points from each score, square the resulting value, and find the sum of the squared numbers.How would this set of instructions be expressed in summation notation?

For the following scores, Σ(X - 1) = 10.Scores: 1, 3, 7

Which of the following is an example of a discrete variable?

A discrete variable must be measured on a nominal or an ordinal scale.

For an experiment comparing two methods for teaching social skill training to autistic children, the independent variable is _ and the dependent variable is _.

What is the value of ΣX + 1 for the following scores? Scores: 1, 6, 3

The average score for a population is an example of a statistic.

A recent report concluded that college graduates have higher life-satisfaction scores than individuals who do not receive college degrees.For this study, graduating versus not graduating is an example of a quasi-independent variable.

If a researcher measures two individuals on a nominal scale, it is impossible to determine which individual has the larger score.

Determining a person's reaction time (in milliseconds) would involve measurement on a(n) _____ scale of measurement.

To determine how much difference there is between two individuals, you must use either an interval or a ratio scale of measurement.

For a research study comparing attitude scores for males and females, participant gender is an example of what kind of variable?

A researcher is interested in the average income for registered voters in the United States.The entire group of registered voters is an example of a population.