PSY 2010 Ch. 1 Learning Check

Use the following data set: 25, 35, 64, 38, 27, 32, 19 In the problem of the data set, calculate ∑X - 1.

239

Use the following data set : 10, 6, 6, 4, 2, 1, 10 What is ∑X2 ?

293

Use the following data set : 10, 6, 6, 4, 2, 1, 10 What is ∑X?

39

Use the following data set : 10, 6, 6, 4, 2, 1, 10 What is N?

7

As a result of a correlational study, it is discovered that a correlation exists between the amount of ice cream sold during the summer and the number of shark attacks at the beach. Which of these is most likely?

A third variable affected both ice cream consumption and shark attacks.

Which of these is the biggest advantage of a correlational design? - It allows researchers to study cause-and-effect relationships. - It allows researchers a great deal of control over their variables of interest. - It allows researchers to study more than two variables at a time. - It allows researchers to study relationships between variables as they exist in real life.

It allows researchers to study relationships between variables as they exist in real life.

Which of the following is true? - Different levels of measurement do not exist. - Researchers treat all numbers in the same way. - Numbers contain the same amount of information. -Numbers vary in how much information they contain.

Numbers vary in how much information they contain.

In which of these designs should one not worry about confounding variables?

One needs to worry about confounding variables in all of these designs.

_____ reveal whether cases possess more or less of some characteristic.

Ordinal-level numbers

Which of these do statistics do?

They bring order to chaos.

The statement "The average American household has $15,950 in credit card debt," is an example of: -an inferential statistic. -statistical bias. -a sample statistic. -a descriptive statistic

a descriptive statistic.

In a study of anxiety, the number that represents the scores of 100 participants from that study would be called _____, and the number that represents the scores of all people who have anxiety would be called _____.

a statistic; a parameter

Ratio-level numbers have all the qualities of interval-level numbers, as well as having:

an absolute zero point.

The subjects of a study, the objects on whom these variables are being measured, are called:

cases

Using a correlational design, a social psychologist examines the relationship between body image satisfaction and the number of magazines women read. She says that she cannot conclude that reading the magazines lowered a reader's body image scores because: - the study did not include any confounding variables. - correlation does not equal causation. - there were too many parameters in this study. - she used the wrong kind of design for the relationship

correlation does not equal causation.

Unlike a correlational design, a researcher will use an experimental design in order to:

draw cause-and-effect conclusions

A researcher brings two groups of senior citizens to the laboratory for a 45-minute study. Both groups are asked to press a red button every time a red light is illuminated. One group is given $50 to do this task and the other group is given $5. At the end of the 45 minutes, both groups are asked to rate how much they enjoyed doing this task. This study could only be considered a "true" experimental design if:

each participant had an equal chance of being assigned to either group

The variable that is controlled or manipulated by an experimenter is the:

independent variable.

A confounding variable can:

influence both X and Y.

In a study, the researcher uses the number 0 to represent men and the number 1 to represent women. In this example, 0 and 1 are:

nominal-level numbers

In a study, the researcher uses the number 0 to represent men and the number 1 to represent women. In this example, 0 and 1 are:

nominal-level numbers.

In a study, questions on a survey used numbers to represent never (0), rarely (1), sometimes (2), and often (3). In this example, the numbers 0, 1, 2, and 3 are:

ordinal-level number

A number that characterizes the population is a(n):

parameter

A(n)_____ is the larger group of cases in which a researcher is interested.

population

A number that characterizes the sample is a:

statistic

Statistics are: -numbers that do not represent all the data in a population. -techniques used to summarize data in order to answer questions. -numbers that describe a way of being. -techniques used to manipulate popular opinion.

techniques used to summarize data in order to answer questions.

Unlike the experimental design, in a quasi-experimental design:

the groups are assigned according to a naturally occurring variable.

One can draw cause-and-effect conclusions with an experimental design when groups differ on the dependent variable and:

the only difference between the groups is the independent variable.

An inferential statistic: -is one that can be rounded past two decimal places. -uses a sample of cases to draw a conclusion about the larger population. -can only come from the population sample. -can only use nominal-level data.

uses a sample of cases to draw a conclusion about the larger population.

Which of these is a characteristic measured by researchers?

variables