Experimental Psychology Exam 3 (Chapter 12: Quiz)

Which of the following is a common manipulation used by scientists and advertisers when representing data on a bar graph? a. Data are presented using only bar graphs and histograms to exaggerate the difference between the variables. b. The distance between points on the measurement scale is exaggerated to make the results appear more dramatic than they really are. c. The dependent variable is represented on the horizontal axis instead of the vertical axis. d. The independent variable is represented on the vertical axis instead of the horizontal axis.

b. The distance between points on the measurement scale is exaggerated to make the results appear more dramatic than they really are.

Maria had to take an aptitude test before starting graduate school. In this scenario, the criterion variable will be Maria's a. score on the aptitude test. b. expected performance as a student in graduate school. c. expected ability to get along with her fellow students. d. appearance and personality.

b. expected performance as a student in graduate school.

In the context of effect size, the r2 value is sometimes referred to as the a. range of possible values that is restricted. b. percent of shared variance between the two variables. c. difference between the highest and the lowest scores. d. magnitude of the correlation coefficient.

b. percent of shared variance between the two variables.

Which of the following is not warranted when using a mediation model for research? a. a predictor variable b. strong causal statements in explaining the results c. an intervening variable between x and y d. nonexperimental methods

b. strong causal statements in explaining the results

A teacher displays her students' test grades on a notice board. According to the results, 7 students received the grade of A, 10 students received the grade of B, 18 students received the grade of C, 4 students received the grade of D, and 1 student received the grade of E. In statistical terms, this is a a. correlation table. b. measure of central tendency. c. frequency distribution. d. measure of variability.

c. frequency distribution.

Samira took an aptitude test when applying for a position with Accountants Unlimited. She was hired the following week. In this scenario, the predictor variable is Samira's a. expected ability to get along with her fellow employees. b. appearance and personality. c. score on the aptitude test. d. expected performance as an accountant.

c. score on the aptitude test.

The general form of a regression equation is Y = a + bX. In this equation, Y is the score we wish to predict and X is the known score. What is a? a. It is the difference between X and Y. b. It is the slope of the line created with this equation. c. It is a weighting adjustment factor that is multiplied by X. d. It is a constant.

d. It is a constant.

In which of the following ways does restricting the range of a variable affect the correlation coefficient? a. It has no effect on the correlation coefficient. b. It improves the correlation coefficient. c. It changes the direction of the correlation coefficient. d. It reduces the magnitude of the correlation coefficient.

d. It reduces the magnitude of the correlation coefficient.

Which of the following is true of path coefficients? c or d a. They determine how much variability exists in a set of scores. b. They indicate the number of individuals who receive a specific score on a variable. c. They indicate the strength of a relationship on the −1.00 to +1.00 scale. d. They define how variables are causally related to one another.

d. They define how variables are causally related to one another.

Jaquan examines the effect of different genres of music, such as jazz, rock, and rap, on task performance. Which type of measurement scale do the genres of music represent? a. an ordinal scale b. an interval scale c. a ratio scale d. a nominal scale

d. a nominal scale

The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) does not detect a. instances of no relationship. b. positive linear relationships. c. negative linear relationships. d. curvilinear relationships.

d. curvilinear relationships.

Variables with ________ scale levels exhibit minimal quantitative distinctions. a. interval b. random c. ratio d. ordinal

d. ordinal

The grades received by 10 college students on a test are A, B, D, A, A, A, C, B, C, and A. From this data, it can be inferred that the mode is a. A. b. D. c. C. d. B.

a. A.

A professor at a university ranks subjects based on students' preferences identified through a survey. Science is ranked first, mathematics second, and management third. In this scenario, which of the following types of measurement scale has the professor employed? a. an ordinal scale b. a nominal scale c. a ratio scale d. an interval scale

a. an ordinal scale

The ________ is a measure of variability that is simply the difference between the highest score and the lowest score. a. range b. median c. standard deviation d. variance

a. range

In the context of correlation coefficients, which of the following problems occurs when the individuals in a sample are very similar on the variable being studied? a. restriction of range b. measurement error c. temporal precedence d. central tendency

a. restriction of range

In assessing the relationship between variable x and variable y, the squared value of the correlation coefficient (r2) is sometimes reported. This value represents a. the percent of variance in y that can be accounted for by x. b. the degree of variability in variable x. c. the degree of variability in variable y. d. the effect size of the variables.

a. the percent of variance in y that can be accounted for by x.

The scores obtained by five college students on a test are 25, 25, 30, 35, and 40. What is the mean for this set of scores? a. 25 b. 31 c. 40 d. 34

b. 31

Which of the following is true of standard deviation? a. It is simply the difference between the highest score and the lowest score. b. It tells one what the sample as a whole, or on an average, is like. c. It is calculated by multiplying the variance of the given data with its range. d. It becomes larger as more people have scores that lie farther from the mean value.

b. It tells one what the sample as a whole, or on an average, is like.

_______________ variables have both equal intervals and an absolute zero point that indicates the absence of the variable being measured. a. Interval scale b. Ratio scale c. Ordinal scale d. Nominal scale

b. Ratio scale