Business Research Methods: Multiple Choice

Here is a set of scores: 5, 3, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5, 3. The mode of this set of scores is ______.

a. 3

Danzell is a purchasing agent for a major grocery store chain. He has noticed over the years that the higher the outdoor temperature, the more likely people are to buy fresh fruit. Based on Danzell's observations, we would say there is ______ relationship between outdoor temperature and buying of fresh fruit.

a. a positive

The abstract is included in the:

a. front matter

The acknowledgments are included in the:

a. front matter

The z-score, or standard score, allows the research to determine:

a. how far a target individual's score is from the group mean.

When writing the research report, the research problem is typically described

a. introduction

When writing the research report, information regarding the study design is typically included in the ______ section.

c. method

A researcher wishes to study developmental changes in the music people prefer to listen to. The researcher locates 50 people who are about 20 years old. She sends these people a questionnaire every year for the next 10 years asking about the types of music they prefer to listen to. This is an example of a ______ design.

a. longitudinal

Dorothy has been surveying the Munchkins to determine their level of life satisfaction. The possible scores on the life satisfaction questionnaire range from 0 to 100. If Dorothy decides to statistically compare the male and female Munchkins on their level of satisfaction, she should use a _______ test.

a. parametric

In descriptive research, the researcher typically studies a______, then draws conclusions about the______.

a. sample; population

Simon Cinema wants to know what the audience thought of tonight's advanced screening of a heralded psychological thriller called "I Can't Sleep." He and his research assistants stand outside the theatre exit and ask every fifth person leaving the theatre to answer several questions about their impression of the movie. Simon is using:

a. systematic sampling

On the basis of statistical findings, Ron determines that the differences between males and females on a test of spatial reasoning are not due merely to chance. If, in fact, there are no gender differences in the population, Ron will have made a:

a. type I error

Correlational research allows the researcher to answer questions such as:

a. what is the relationship between Variable A and Variable B?

Regarding the length of questionnaires to be used in survey research, which of the following statements is most accurate?

b. Keeping the survey short makes it more likely people will be willing to complete it.

"Johnson eliminated three interviews from the data set due to noncompliance on the part of the respondents." This sentence is an example of:

b. active

The reference list is included in the:

b. end matter

Seamus has determined that there is a 95% chance that the number of people visiting the Blarney Stone in the month of June will be between 1,760 and 2,025. This is a/an ______ estimate.

b. interval

Observational research, as a form of descriptive research

b. involves counting or rating of behavior in as objective a manner as possible.

"How unhappy are you with your current salary?" This question violates which rule of good survey writing?

b. it makes unwarranted assumption

When the ____ is the measure of central tendency, the _____ is the most appropriate and informative measure of dispersion.

b. mean; interquartile range

When writing the research report, the descriptions of instruments used for data gathering are typically included in the ______ section.

b. method

Frank Fitness found a correlation coefficient of -.74 between hours of strenuous exercise each week and a standard measure of body mass. He interprets this to mean that there is a ______ and ______ relationship between hours of strenuous exercise and body mass.

b. strong; negative

The measure(s) of central tendency that is/are appropriate for use with nominal data is/are:

b. the mode only

On the basis of statistical findings, Becky determines that the difference between males and females on a test of abstract mathematical reasoning is merely due to chance. If, in fact, there are gender differences in the population, Becky will have made a:

b. type II error

Here is a set of scores: 5, 3, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5, 3. The median of this set of scores is ______.

c. 4

Here is a set of scores: 5, 3, 7, 3, 6, 2, 5, 3. The mean of this set of scores is ______.

c. 4.25

The typical return rate for a survey mailed to strangers is about:

c. 50%

In a normal distribution, what percentage of scores falls between one standard deviation below the mean and one standard deviation above the mean?

c. 68%

An exam was given to two sections of the same course. In Section 1, the exam mean was 51 and the standard deviation was 7. In Section 2, the exam mean was 51 and the standard deviation was 13. Which of the following conclusions is accurate?

c. Section 1 scores were less variable than Section 2.

____ are characteristics of samples, whereas _______ are characteristics of populations.

c. Statistics; parameters

Three of the following factors are associated with a relatively small standard error of the mean. Which one is NOT?

c. The variance in the sample is relatively large.

Copies of the survey instruments are included in the:

c. appendicies

Danny Drive wants to know the relationship between intrinsic motivation and course grade among math students. He contacts a local professor who teaches several general education math classes and asks about the possibility of gathering data in her classes. Danny is using:

c. convenience sampling

A researcher wishes to study developmental changes in people's preference for action movies. The researcher locates 50 people at each of the following ages: 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 years. She asks them to rate their preference for action movies in relation to other sorts of movies. This is an example of a ______ design.

c. cross sectional

Among survey methods, _____ generally generate the highest response rate, and ______ generally generate the lowest response rate.

c. face to face interviews; questionnaires

When summarizing ordinal data, the ______ is the most useful measure of central tendency.

c. median

Paul Pollster, a political psychologist, wants to determine whether rates of voter participation in his home state vary between rural, urban, and suburban voters. He notes that there are more rural voters than suburban or urban voters in the state. Paul should use ______ in this study.

c. proportional stratified samplin

When writing the research report, the findings of statistical analyses are typically reported in the ______ section.

c. results

The scatterplot to the right indicates a ______ relationship between Variable A and Variable B.

c. strong

How are inferential statistics different from descriptive statistics?

d. Inferential statistics allow one to draw inferences from the sample to a target population.

Three of the following procedures or techniques are integral to observational research. Which one is NOT?

d. Observation instruments are intentionally general so not to constrain the observer

Advantages of questionnaires include all of the following EXCEPT:

d. because questions are in written form, they are less likely to be misunderstood by respondents.

When writing the research report, the interpretation of study findings is typically included in the ______ section.

d. discussion

When reporting growth data, the ______ is the most useful measure of central tendency.

d. geometric mean

In a quantitative study, the description of participants (subjects) is included

d. method section

Statistical hypothesis testing involves testing the:

d. null hypothesis.

The style manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) suggests that ____ tense be used when writing the method section and ______ tense be used when presenting conclusions.

d. past; present

Edward Ethics is studying public opinion regarding prayer in public schools. He plans to gather survey data from a number of churches on Sunday mornings. He also wants to include a number of people who are not associated with an organized religion in his sample. Edward is using:

d. purposive sampling

Polly Petunia is Chief Horticulturalist for the Southwest region, encompassing Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. She wants to survey amateur gardeners in her region to determine what, if any, water conservation practices they employ in their home gardening. Polly sends her survey to 150 randomly selected gardeners in each state. Polly is using:

d. stratified random sampling

The percentile rank allows the researcher to determine:

d. what percentage of individuals in the sample scored below the target individual.

"The third subscale was dropped from further consideration due to problems with internal consistency." This sentence is an example of:

passive