Psychology Research Methods - Chapter 13
One can obtain the mean value of one's distribution by ____. simply subtracting the lowest score of one's distribution from the highest score dividing the sum of scores in one's distribution by the total number of the scores finding the score in the middle of one's distribution simply identifying the most frequent score in one's distribution
dividing the sum of scores in one's distribution by the total number of the scores
Examining data for potentially important patterns and relationships especially through the use of descriptive statistics is known as _____. predictive analytics prescriptive analytics exploratory data analysis statistical data analysis
exploratory data analysis
A _____ consists of a set of mutually exclusive categories into which one sorts the actual values observed in one's data, together with a count of the number of data values falling into each category. line graph positive integer frequency distribution scatter plot
frequency distribution
A relationship in which the value of a dependent variable varies as a function of the value of an independent variable is called a(n) ____ ____.
functional relationship
While organizing survey data, one prepares a "key" or "code sheet" to _____. (Check all that apply.) give a fuller description of the question or variable in each column of the data summary sheet mention the names of individuals who participated in the survey indicate what each dummy code represents in the data summary sheet describe the scale(s) used for the questions in the survey
give a fuller description of the question or variable in each column of the data summary sheet indicate what each dummy code represents in the data summary sheet describe the scale(s) used for the questions in the survey
Before applying any statistic to one's data, one should _____. verify the reliability of the results and examine the techniques used calculate the average mean and apply it to the data make valid inferences to previous studies graph the sample distributions and examine their shapes
graph the sample distributions and examine their shapes
The bars in a _____ are drawn touching to indicate that there are no gaps between adjacent classes. line graph histogram pie graph bar graph
histogram
One can obtain the median of one's distribution by _____. identifying the score in the middle of the distribution subtracting the lowest score of one's distribution from the highest score dividing the sum of scores in one's distribution by the total number of the scores identifying the most frequent score in one's distribution
identifying the score in the middle of the distribution
If one's scores are normally distributed, then the mean, median, and mode will fall at the same point _____. at the beginning of the distribution outside the distribution in the middle of the distribution toward the end of the distribution
in the middle of the distribution
If one's distribution is seriously skewed, one should use the _____. variance mean interquartile range standard deviation
interquartile range
A true statement about a positively accelerated curve on a two-dimensional graph is that it _____. is steep at first but becomes progressively flatter as it moves along the x-axis is relatively flat at first and becomes progressively steeper as it moves along the x-axis "levels off" at some maximum or minimum value changes direction twice by starting off low, rising, falling off, and then rising again
is relatively flat at first and becomes progressively steeper as it moves along the x-axis
A true statement about the variance is that it _____. is the most popular measure of spread is more sensitive than the range to the effects of extreme scores is the average squared deviation from the mean is the simplest and least informative measure of spread
is the average squared deviation from the mean
In the context of bivariate linear regression, the straight line that best fits the data plotted on a scatter plot is the one that minimizes the sum of the squared deviations of each data point from the line, as measured along the y-axis. This line is called the _____. least-squares regression line interquartile range line measure of association line product-moment correlation line
least-squares regression line
A negatively accelerated curve eventually _____ at some maximum or minimum value. levels off grows meets diverges
levels off
A(n) ____ ____ represents data as a series of points connected by a line.
line graph
One can illustrate functional relationships among variables through _____. pie graphs bar graphs line graphs scatter plots
line graphs
The formula M = ΣX/n is used to compute the _____. median range mean mode
mean
When one's scores are normally distributed, one should use the _____ as one's measure of center because it is based on the most information. mode variance median mean
mean
In a boxplot, the first and third quartiles form the ends of the box that encloses a line marking the _____. median third quartile first quartile minimum
median
With a positively skewed distribution and a negatively skewed distribution, the _____ provides a more representative picture of the distribution's center than does the mean, because it is much less affected by skew. mode range graph median
median
The most frequent score in a distribution is the _____. mode range mean median
mode
The most common measures of center are the _____. (Check all that apply.) mode median range mean
mode median mean
The stacked format for organizing experimental or quasi-experimental designs works better than the unstacked format when one's data includes _____. a single independent or dependent variable multiple independent or dependent variables multiple extraneous variables a single quasi-independent variable
multiple independent or dependent variables
A curve that is steep at first but becomes progressively flatter as it moves along the x-axis is known as a(n) _____. uniformly accelerated curve orderly accelerated curve positively accelerated curve negatively accelerated curve
negatively accelerated curve
An accurate statement about scatter plots is that they _____. present one's data as lines extending away from an axis that represents one's independent variable often include a "best-fitting" straight line to indicate the general trend of the data points shown in the plot are most appropriate when one wants to illustrate functional relationships among variables often show the variability of scores around the estimate and display error depicting the standard error of the mean
often include a "best-fitting" straight line to indicate the general trend of the data points shown in the plot
The Spearman rank-order correlation is used when one's data are scaled on a(n) _____ scale. nominal interval ordinal ratio
ordinal
Once a researcher has conducted his or her research, the next step is to _____. organize the data review the data collect the data interpret the data
organize the data
In the context to data distribution, extreme scores that lie far from the others, well outside the overall pattern of data are called ____.
outliers
Multivariate analyses include _____. (Select all that apply.) part and partial correlation canonical correlation rank correlation discriminant analysis multiple regression
part and partial correlation canonical correlation discriminant analysis multiple regression
If one's data are in the form of proportions or percentages, then one should use a _____ to represent the value of each category in the analysis. pie graph bar graph line graph scatter plot
pie graph
If one variable in an experiment is continuous and the other dichotomous, an individual should apply the _____ as a measure of association. Pearson correlation coefficient phi coefficient Spearman rank-order correlation point-biserial correlation
point-biserial correlation
For _____, researchers must assign an arbitrary number to each level at the time of submitting the study data for computer analysis. quantitative independent variables qualitative independent variables qualitative extraneous variables quantitative dependent variables
qualitative independent variables
A true statement about outliers with respect to data distribution is that they _____. should not be deleted from one's analysis are perfectly invalid scores do not affect the validity of one's analysis represent mistakes made in data collection or transcription
represent mistakes made in data collection or transcription
The method of organizing one's data depends on one's _____. research subject research design research hypothesis research objective
research design
The difference between the actual values and the predicted values of a variable is a ____.
residual
In the context of the five-number summary, the three center values (the first quartile, median, and third quartile) are _____. constant measures variable measures recurring measures resistant measures
resistant measures
In research using a correlational strategy, the data from two dependent measures are often plotted as a ____ ____.
scatter plot
A measure of center characterizes one's distribution by providing information about the _____. subjects used in one's experimental study score at or near the middle of the distribution direction and degree of relationship between the scores in two distributions difference among scores in the distributions
score at or near the middle of the distribution
The range for a distribution can be obtained by _____. simply identifying the most frequent score in the distribution finding the score in the middle of the distribution dividing the sum of the scores in the distribution by the total number of the scores simply subtracting the lowest score of the distribution from the highest score
simply subtracting the lowest score of the distribution from the highest score
A distribution that has a long tail trailing off in one direction and a short tail extending in the other is a _____. binomial distribution normal distribution bimodal distribution skewed distribution
skewed distribution
With respect to least-squares regression line, b in Y^ = a + bX is the _____. x-intercept mean for the X scores y-intercept slope of the regression line
slope of the regression line
If researchers are organizing experimental data by creating one column for the participant IDs, one column for the treatment levels (dummy-coded), and one column for each dependent variable in a data summary sheet, they are using a(n) _____. unstacked format outline format stacked format balance sheet format
stacked format
The formula used to calculate the Pearson correlation coefficient uses the _____ for each set of scores. standard deviation interquartile range variance range
standard deviation
Graphing data is important because graphs allow one to evaluate one's data for the application of an appropriate _____. coding statistic theorem hypothesis
statistic
To simplify the job of displaying distributions, statistician John Tukey invented a graph called a _____. pie chart stemplot boxplot line graph
stemplot
Graphing data is important because a graph brings out _____ that may not be apparent from inspecting a table. information regarding the research frequencies of an event subtleties in the relationships the characteristics of data
subtleties in the relationships
The mean is the most sensitive measure of center because it _____. is used in qualitative phenomena like intelligence or beauty, which are not quantified can be obtained by inspection in some cases takes into account all scores in a distribution when it is calculated may not exist in a data distribution
takes into account all scores in a distribution when it is calculated
One can convert the variance to the standard deviation by _____. taking the square root of the variance of a distribution adding the mean in the variance of a distribution squaring the variance of a distribution subtracting the mean from the variance of a distribution
taking the square root of the variance of a distribution
The most widely used measure of association is _____. the point-biserial correlation the Spearman rank-order correlation the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient the phi coefficient
the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient
One should use _____ when both of one's variables are measured along a continuous scale. the Spearman rank-order correlation the point-biserial correlation the Pearson r the phi coefficient
the Pearson r
In a correlation matrix, the numbers along the diagonal are omitted from the table because _____. the diagonal positions represent the correlations of each variable with itself correlations below the diagonal are not required for further analysis they simply duplicate the correlations already given below the diagonal correlations above the diagonal are important for an analysis
the diagonal positions represent the correlations of each variable with itself
In cases in which one's distribution has one or more outliers, one should use _____ as a measure of spread. the interquartile range the range the variance the standard deviation
the interquartile range
In a bar graph, the length of each bar along the y-axis represents _____. the mean score obtained on the independent variable nothing and is chosen to provide a pleasing appearance the variability of scores around estimates of population values based on sample data the mean score obtained on the dependent variable
the mean score obtained on the dependent variable
The mean can be used if one's data are scaled on an interval or a ratio scale because _____. the actual distance between the points is unknown on these scales one cannot assume that scores equally distant in terms of rank order are equally far apart the numerical distances between values are meaningful quantities on these scales the mean is sensitive to the distance between the scores
the numerical distances between values are meaningful quantities on these scales
In experimental or quasi-experimental designs, researchers organize data by creating a separate column for the scores from each treatment in a data summary sheet. This method of organizing data is called a(n) _____. unstacked format outline format questionnaire format balance sheet format
unstacked format
The asymptote of a curve on a two-dimensional graph is the point beyond which no further change in the _____ is expected. number of subjects value of the dependent variable estimates of population values based on sample data value of the independent variable
value of the dependent variable
The location of the center of a distribution along the scale of measurement on a histogram tells researchers _____. the overall shape of the distribution if their analysis is valid or not how variable the scores of the distribution are where the scores tended to cluster along the scale of measurement
where the scores tended to cluster along the scale of measurement
If the number of participants in each of the dichotomous variable category is equal, then the maximum value the point-biserial can attain is _____. ±1.0 ±2.0 less than ±1.0 more than +2.0
±1.0
With respect to the least-squares regression line, in the formula b = SP/SSX, SP is equal to _____. Σ(Y - MY)2 Σ(X - MX)2(Y - MY)2 Σ(X - MX)(Y - MY) Σ(X - MX)2
Σ(X - MX)(Y - MY)
The value of the Pearson r can range from _____. +1.5 through 0 to -1.5 +1 through 0 to -1 +2 through 0 to -2 +2.5 through 0 to -2.5
+1 through 0 to -1
If a researcher has two sets of scores on Tests X and Y and they correlate at .90, then the coefficient of determination is _____. 3.6 .81 1.8 .45
.81
The mode in the given series, 13, 18, 13, 14, 13, 16, 14, 21, 13, is _____. 21 13 14 18
13
Find the median in the given set of numbers: 2, 3, 2, 1, 4, 2, 5, 7. 6 2.5 2 3.25
2.5
What is the median of the following distribution: 7, 5, 2, 9, 4, 8, 1? 8 5.15 0 5
5
What presents data as boxes extending away from the axis representing one's independent variable? A bar graph A pie chart A line graph A scatter plot
A bar graph
With respect to a way of graphing statistical data, what makes the arbitrary ordering of categories apparent? A scatter plot A line graph A pie graph A bar graph
A bar graph
What gives one a single score that represents the general magnitude of scores in a distribution? A measure of spread A measure of center A measure of correlation A measure of regression
A measure of center
Match the following types of skewed distribution (in the left column) to their respective characteristics (in the right column). A. Positively skewed distribution B. Negatively skewed distribution 1. The long tail of the distribution goes off to the right. 2. The long tail of the distribution goes off to the left.
A. 1., B. 2.
Match the types of scale (in the left column) with the types of measures used to calculate data (in the right column). A. Nominal scale B. Ordinal scale C. Interval scale 1. Mode 2. Mean 3. Mode or Median
A. 1., B. 3., C. 2.
Match the axes of a graph (in the left column) to their respective names (in the right column). A. Horizontal axis B. Vertical axis 1. Ordinate 2. Abscissa
A. 2., 1. B.
_____ identify category values as numbers in a data summary sheet for survey data. Descriptive codes Alphabetic codes Number codes Dummy codes
Dummy codes
What does the length of a bar on a histogram represent? Mean score Frequency Class size Class interval
Frequency
Identify important features that one should look for when examining a histogram or stemplot of one's data. (Check all that apply.) The total number of observations made while conducting the experiment Gaps, or outliers The center of the distribution along the scale of measurement The overall shape of the distribution The spread of the scores The means from multifactor experiments
Gaps, or outliers The center of the distribution along the scale of measurement The overall shape of the distribution The spread of the scores
Your most challenging concepts:
Identify a disadvantage of the stacked format. Recall the importance of descriptive statistics. Recall that a researcher should make out a single "key" or "code sheet" along with a data summary sheet for survey data.
Identify the true statements about the range as a measure of spread. (Check all that apply.) It does not take into account the magnitude of the scores between the extremes. It is very sensitive to outliers in the distribution. It is expressed in units different from those of the summarized data. It is the most informative measure of spread.
It does not take into account the magnitude of the scores between the extremes. It is very sensitive to outliers in the distribution.
Identify the true statements about the coefficient of determination. (Check all that apply.) It indicates how much of the variability in one of the scores can be "explained" by the variability in the other score. It is the square of the correlation coefficient. It minimizes the squared differences between the predicted and obtained values of a variable. It gives the proportion of variance in one variable not accounted for by variance in the other variable. It provides a measure of the amount of variance that two variables being tested share.
It indicates how much of the variability in one of the scores can be "explained" by the variability in the other score. It is the square of the correlation coefficient. It provides a measure of the amount of variance that two variables being tested share.
Identify true statements about a normal distribution. (Select all that apply.) It is also known as bell curve. It is hill shaped. It is symmetric in nature. It is skewed toward left on the scale of measurement.
It is also known as bell curve. It is hill shaped. It is symmetric in nature.
Identify a true statement about the coefficient of nondetermination. It provides a measure of the amount of variance that two variables being tested share. It helps one to estimate values of a variable based on knowledge of the values of others. It is a measure of the distance between one's data points and one's computed regression line. It is in effect unexplained variance caused by unmeasured factors.
It is in effect unexplained variance caused by unmeasured factors.
Identify a limitation of the mode as a measure of center. It is limited because the values of scores outside of the most frequent score are not represented. It can be located only by inspection in ungrouped data and discrete frequency distribution. It is simple to calculate. It is not affected by extreme large or small scores.
It is limited because the values of scores outside of the most frequent score are not represented.
Identify the true statement about a line graph. It is most appropriate when the independent variable is categorical or qualitative. It can be used to represent data from a multifactor design. It is most appropriate when the independent variable is continuous and quantitative. It presents data as bars extending away from the axis representing the independent variable.
It is most appropriate when the independent variable is continuous and quantitative.
Which of the following is true of a pie graph? A pie graph should have at least seven categories to display. It represents data as points on the graph. A pie graph is most appropriate when the independent variable is continuous and quantitative. It represents the data as slices of a circular pie.
It represents the data as slices of a circular pie.
Which distribution produced by many variables encountered in psychology follows more or less a mathematical form? Skewed distribution Binomial distribution Normal distribution Bimodal distribution
Normal distribution
What should one do while entering one's data for computer analysis? (Check all that apply.) One should make a backup copy of one's data on another disk. One should avoid adding a date to the file name. One should save any data that one has entered frequently. One should save one's file with a descriptive file name that uniquely identifies the data.
One should make a backup copy of one's data on another disk. One should save any data that one has entered frequently. One should save one's file with a descriptive file name that uniquely identifies the data.
Arrange the following steps involved in the calculation of the median in the correct sequence. Count Identify Order
Order Count Identify
Arrange the steps involved in obtaining the interquartile range of a distribution in the correct order. (Place the first step at the top.) Divide Find Order Subtract
Order Divide Find Subtract
Although there is a special formula for the point-biserial correlation, in practice one uses the formula for the _____ to compute it, by dummy-coding the dichotomous variable in one's experiment as 0 for one response and 1 for the other. Pearson r coefficient of variation Spearman rank-order correlation phi coefficient
Pearson r
Phi is usually calculated by dummy-coding the responses as 1s and 0s and then plugging the resulting scores into the formula for the _____. Pearson r factorial design Spearman rank-order correlation point-biserial correlation
Pearson r
Identify the parts into which one breaks the numbers in one's data to create a stemplot. Line and plot Stem and root Mode and mean Stem and leaf
Stem and leaf
Which measure of association should be used to determine the monotonic relationship between variables in an experiment? The phi coefficient The Spearman rank-order correlation The Pearson coefficient correlation The point-biserial correlation
The Spearman rank-order correlation
Which of the following is a limitation of using group averages to analyze one's data? The average score is expressed in units different from those of the summarized data. It does not provide a simple way to display treatment summary statistics. It does not take into account the magnitude of the scores between the extremes in the distribution of data. The average score may not represent the performance of individual subjects in a group.
The average score may not represent the performance of individual subjects in a group.
In the context of measuring the variance shared by two variables being tested, which of the following gives the proportion of variance in one variable not accounted for by variance in the other variable? The correlation coefficient The coefficient of nondetermination The coefficient of determination The interquartile range
The coefficient of nondetermination
Which is the most widely used measure of center? The mode The mean The median The range
The mean
Which measure of center should one prefer for one's strongly skewed distribution? The mean The median The mode The range
The median
Which measure of center should one prefer for one's strongly skewed distribution? The mode The median The mean The range
The median
Which of the following are included in the five-number summary? (Check all that apply.) The median The minimum The first quartile The third quartile The range The mean The maximum
The median The minimum The first quartile The third quartile The maximum
Which measure of center is suitable if one's distribution is bimodal? The mean The variance The mode The median
The mode
Which of the following factors affect the point-biserial correlation as a measure of association? (Check all that apply.) The proportion of participants falling into each of the dichotomous variable categories The restriction of the range over which the variables vary The nonlinear relationship between the variables The limited variation of the dichotomous variable
The proportion of participants falling into each of the dichotomous variable categories The limited variation of the dichotomous variable
Identify the disadvantages of the mean. (Check all that apply.) The sensitivity to individual score values makes the mean susceptible to the influence of outliers. The value of the mean is not affected by the magnitude of each score in the distribution. It does not take into account the values of scores outside of the most frequent score. The influence of outliers may cause the mean to be artificially high or low.
The sensitivity to individual score values makes the mean susceptible to the influence of outliers. The influence of outliers may cause the mean to be artificially high or low.
Identify the factors that affect the magnitude and sign of the Pearson r. (Check all that apply.) The shapes of the score distributions The absence of skew and outliers Linear relationship between variables Restricting the range over which the variables vary
The shapes of the score distributions Restricting the range over which the variables vary
Which of the following is a measure of the distance between one's data points and one's computed regression line? The standard error of estimate The coefficient of determination A raw score regression weight The standardized regression weight
The standard error of estimate
Identify the major advantage of the mean as a measure of center. The mean tends to ignore some scores in a distribution. The mean is influenced by extreme scores and skewed distributions. The value of the mean is directly affected by the magnitude of each score in the distribution. One cannot calculate the mean for nominal or nonnominal ordinal data.
The value of the mean is directly affected by the magnitude of each score in the distribution.
Which measure of spread can be calculated by using the defining formula, s2 = Σ(X-M)^2/n-1? The standard deviation The interquartile range The variance The range
The variance
Identify the true statements about descriptive statistics. (Check all that apply.) They help researchers discover important but hidden patterns in the data that may shed light on the problems they are interested in resolving. They come in two broad classes: parametric statistics and nonparametric statistics. They let researchers infer the characteristics of a population from the characteristics of the samples comprising the data. They allow researchers to summarize the properties of an entire distribution of scores with just a few numbers. They are commonly used to address the specific questions that researchers had in mind when they designed their study.
They help researchers discover important but hidden patterns in the data that may shed light on the problems they are interested in resolving. They allow researchers to summarize the properties of an entire distribution of scores with just a few numbers. They are commonly used to address the specific questions that researchers had in mind when they designed their study.
Which of the following is true of dummy codes used in data summary sheets? They describe the scale(s) used for the questions. They represent estimates of population values based on sample data. They simplify the job of displaying distributions. They help simplify data entry.
They help simplify data entry.
Which of the following is true of stemplots? They preserve all the actual values present in a data distribution. They are difficult to construct and display. They are especially useful for large data sets. They allow one the freedom to choose the class widths in a data distribution.
They preserve all the actual values present in a data distribution.
True or false: An important advantage of the stacked format is that, unlike the unstacked format, it provides a simple way to display treatment summary statistics.
This is false. A disadvantage of the stacked format is that, unlike the unstacked format, it does not provide a simple way to display treatment summary statistics.
True or false: Unlike the mode and the median, the value of the mean is not affected by the magnitude of each score in the distribution.
This is false. The major advantage of the mean is that its value is directly affected by the magnitude of each score in the distribution.
True or false: The mode represents a distribution very well and, thus, is the best measure to use when comparing distributions.
This is false. The mode may not represent a distribution very well and would not be the best measure to use when comparing distributions as it does not take the values of other data in the distribution into account.
True or false: It is difficult to convert the variance into a measure of spread expressed in the same unit of measurement as the original scores.
This is false. The variance can be easily converted into a measure of spread expressed in the same unit of measurement as the original scores: the standard deviation (s).
True or false: When the relationship between scores is nonlinear, the Pearson r is the best choice to estimate the degree of relationship between the variables.
This is false. When the relationship between variables is nonlinear, the Pearson r underestimates the degree of relationship between the variables.
True or false: One should check for errors after entering one's data for computer analysis.
This is true. After one has entered one's data, one should check for errors. Because the computer cannot detect incorrectly entered data, it is up to individuals to catch any mistakes if they are to avoid invalid results.
True or false: True or false: In the context of descriptive statistics, distributions that have two modes are called bimodal distributions.
This is true. In the context of descriptive statistics, a distribution that has two modes is called a bimodal distribution. A bimodal distribution has two peaks.
True or false: Multivariate analysis allows one to evaluate complex relationships among three or more variables.
This is true. Multivariate analysis is a family of statistical techniques that allow one to evaluate complex relationships among three or more variables.
Identify the situation in which the interquartile range may be preferred over the range as a measure of spread. When one has used a large number of subjects in one's experiments When one wants a relatively simple, rough measure of spread that is resistant to the effects of skew and outliers When one's data are measured on nominal scale at the time of designing one's experiment When one wants to detect skewness of one's distribution
When one wants a relatively simple, rough measure of spread that is resistant to the effects of skew and outliers
Which of the following formulas describes the regression line mathematically? a = MY - bMX s^2= Σ(X-M)2 / n-1 Y^ = a + bX Y^= SP/SSx
Y^ = a + bX
One of the limitations of using group averages to analyze research data is that _____. a curve resulting from plotting averaged data may not reflect the true nature of the psychological phenomenon being studied it does not take into account the magnitudes of the scores above and below the midvalue of groups it does not represent the values of scores from individual groups outside of the most frequent scores a curve resulting from plotting averaged data may not be directly affected by the magnitude of each treatment in an experiment
a curve resulting from plotting averaged data may not reflect the true nature of the psychological phenomenon being studied
A disadvantage of the stacked format is that it does not provide _____. any information regarding the participants a simple way to display treatment summary statistics new methods to evaluate behavior advanced techniques for statistical analysis
a simple way to display treatment summary statistics
The mode for the series 1, 2, 4, and 7 is 0 because _____. the number of scores is even all the scores are different the number of scores is less than 5 there is not much difference between the lowest and the highest scores
all the scores are different
Most software for data analysis look for a numeric or alphabetic code to determine the levels or values of the independent and dependent variables. Researchers can code their independent variables by _____. creating new independent variables at the time of input assigning values to corresponding levels doing data transformations such as a log transformation manipulating data in a variety of ways
assigning values to corresponding levels
A(n) _____ function of a curve on a two-dimensional graph increases or decreases until it approaches some fixed value at which point it levels off. transient asymptotic amortized exponential
asymptotic
The dimensions of a graph are defined by two lines intersecting at right angle, called the _ ___ of the graph.
axes
The best method of graphing when one's independent variable is categorical is a _____. bar graph pie graph scatter plot line graph
bar graph
With a _____ distribution, both the mean and the median as measures of center underrepresent one large cluster of scores and overrepresent the other. bimodal normal negatively skewed positively skewed
bimodal
The idea behind _____ is to find the straight line that best fits the data plotted on a scatter plot. the coefficient of nondetermination bivariate nonlinear regression bivariate linear regression the coefficient of determination
bivariate linear regression
Positive acceleration can occur _____ along the y-axis. only in the upward direction both in the right and left directions only in a horizontal direction both in the upward and downward directions
both in the upward and downward directions
The phi coefficient is used as a measure of association when _____. data are measured on an ordinal scale one variable is measured on nominal and another is measured on interval scale both of the variables being correlated are measured on a dichotomous scale one wants to determine if the relationship between variables is monotonic
both of the variables being correlated are measured on a dichotomous scale
One can discern the general shape of the distribution from the boxplot by noting the position of the median within the box. In a symmetric distribution, the position of the median will be _____. closer to the middle of the box in the corner of the box pushed toward the bottom of the box pushed toward the top of the box
closer to the middle of the box
In addition to a data summary sheet for survey data, one should also make out a(n) _____. flow diagram code sheet answer sheet flow chart
code sheet
While organizing experimental or quasi-experimental data in a data summary sheet, researchers should reserve space at the bottom for _____. fuller description of the questions or variables used in the experiment in each column references used in the experiment the names of subjects involved in the experiment column summary statistics
column summary statistics
One can make the relationships among the variables easier to comprehend by displaying the correlation coefficients in a table called a(n) ____ ____.
correlation matrix
One of the first steps to perform when analyzing data is to _____. depict experimental data in graphical form summarize experimental data collect experimental data by conducting research create a frequency distribution of experimental data
create a frequency distribution of experimental data
If distribution A contains the scores 5, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 25 and distribution B contains the scores 5, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 20, 75, their mean will _____. be the same differ greatly gradually increase become standard
differ greatly
