so234 ch 1

Below are some items from a survey. For each item, identify the level of measurement and whether the variable will be discrete or continuous. Explain your reasoning for each item. a. In what region of the country were you born? __South __Northeast __Midwest __Far West __Other __Born out of Country b. How many siblings do you have? c. How satisfied are you with the quality of instruction at this institution? __Very satisfied __Satisfied __Dissatisfied __Very Dissatisfied d. How many miles per gallon does your car average? e. People convicted of first degree murder should be executed. __Strongly Agree __Agree __Neither Agree nor Disagree __Disagree __Strongly Disagree

a. nominal - discrete b. interval-ratio - continuous c. ordinal - discrete d. interval-ratio - continuous e. ordinal - discrete

Interval-ratio measurements can be all of the following except: a. nominal. b. continuous. c. discrete. d. observable.

a. nominal.

Prejudice, when measured on a scale ranging from 'most prejudiced' to 'least prejudiced,' is an example of which level of measurement? a. Actual b. Ordinal c. Nominal d. Interval-ratio

b. Ordinal

If a variable is discrete, it cannot be... a. continuous. b. interval-ratio. c. observable. d. ordinal.

b. interval-ratio.

Inferential statistics are usually based on... a. populations b. samples c. individuals d. groups

b. samples

Which of the following is a discrete variable? a. Height b. Age c. Miles per gallon d. Number of children

d. Number of children

Which of the following questions would generate a continuous variable? a. How old are you? b. How many books do you own? c. How many times have you ever changed a flat tire? d. How many degrees do you have?

a. How old are you?

Computation of a mean (or average) is completely justified when a variable is measured at which level? a. Interval-ratio b. Ordinal c. Nominal d. Discrete

a. Interval-ratio

Which of the following is NOT a nominal level variable? a. Level of education b. Zip code c. Occupation d. Make of auto

a. Level of education

If people who habitually drive over the speed limit have more fatal accidents, then speed is... a. an independent variable. b. the dependent variable. c. an effect or result variable. d. none of the above

a. an independent variable.

Select the variable(s) that can be measured at the interval-ratio level... a. different types of crimes. b. number of children in a family. c. attractiveness of a person. d. emotional stability.

b. number of children in a family.

A nominal-level variable like marital status or gender is always... a. discrete. b. continuous. c. ordinal. d. dependent.

a. discrete.

According to the "Wheel of Science," research projects begin... a. with theory. b. with data. c. with an hypothesis. d. at any stage on the Wheel.

d. at any stage on the Wheel.

A researcher wants to know if there is a relationship between region of birth and political party affiliation. She should calculate a... a. univariate descriptive statistic like the mean. b. qualitative measure of influence. c. measure of association. d. statistic that measures the non-relational differentiation between the two variables.

c. measure of association.

In the research process, theory... a. is unnecessary. b. is always fully developed before any data is gathered. c. is developed only after the data have been completely analyzed. d. attempts to explain the relationship between phenomenon.

d. attempts to explain the relationship between phenomenon.

Measures of association allow researchers to quantify the BLANK of a relationship. a. strength b. direction c. strength and direction d. causality

d. causality

In terms of the "Wheel of Science", statistics are central to the research process... a. only between the theory phase and the hypothesis phase. b. only between the hypothesis phase and the observation phase. c. only between the observation phase and the empirical generalization phase. d. only between the empirical generalization phase and the theory phase.

c. only between the observation phase and the empirical generalization phase.

Which of the following mathematical operations are permitted with nominally measured variables? a. addition b. subtraction c. division d. none of these choices are correct

d. none of these choices are correct

Without statistics, BLANK research would be impossible. a. meaningful b. important c. qualitative d. quantitative

d. quantitative

In addition to saying that one case is different from another, the ordinal level of measurement allows us to... a. put cases in general categories. b. measure the distance between high and low. c. say that one case is more or less than another. d. calculate meaningful averages of variables.

c. say that one case is more or less than another.

A discrete variable cannot be... a. added. b. multiplied. c. subdivided. d. observed.

c. subdivided.

At what point in the Wheel of Science does statistics become relevant? a. at the very beginning b. in the middle c. towards the end d. at any point the researcher chooses

c. towards the end

Measures of association are a type of descriptive statistics that allow us to... a. investigate the causal influence of some variables on others. b. predict the score on one variable from the score on another. c. know the strength and direction of a relationship between two or more variables. d. All of the above

d. All of the above

A researcher has numbered all 50 states from 1 to 50 and has calculated a mean of 17.43 for the variable "state of birth." a. Since the variable is nominal, the mean makes no sense. b. Since the variable is ordinal, we should treat the value of the mean with great caution. c. The variable is interval-ratio and the mean is an appropriate and useful statistic in this case. d. Since this variable is discrete, the mean should not be computed.

a. Since the variable is nominal, the mean makes no sense.

The data reduction process of descriptive statistics... a. allows a few meaningful numbers to summarize a large amount of data. b. eliminates incorrect data. c. simply lists all available information in order. d. is rarely used.

a. allows a few meaningful numbers to summarize a large amount of data.

In the language of science, a variable that is thought to be causal is called... a. an independent variable. b. a hypothetical variable. c. a primary variable. d. a dependent variable.

a. an independent variable.

Data is the same thing as... a. information collected in numerical form. b. information collected in any form. c. statistics. d. proof.

a. information collected in numerical form.

An hypothesis differs from a theory in that... a. it is "testable." b. it is true. c. it is more speculative. d. it is more abstract.

a. it is "testable."

On a test, the numbers used to identify the questions would be BLANK in level of measurement while the number of correct responses would be BLANK. a. nominal, interval-ratio b. interval-ratio, nominal c. continuous, discrete d. ordinal, nominal

a. nominal, interval-ratio

Interval-ratio relationships can be all of the following except... a. nominal. b. continuous. c. discrete. d. observable.

a. nominal.

Some research situations are summarized below. For each situation, identify all variables and characterize them in terms of level of measurement and whether they are discrete or continuous. If applicable, identify which variables are dependent and which are independent. Explain your reasoning. What statistical application is being used? a. A group of one hundred students are asked for their High School and college GPAs. The GPAs are then compared to see if there is any relationship between them. b. A candidate for student body president telephones a randomly selected sample of students and asks about their opinion of the system used for course evaluation. Each student is asked if they strongly support, moderately support, or do not support the system. The candidate then uses this information to characterize the opinions of the entire student body c. From what regions of the nation does the college football program recruit players? A researcher ascertains the hometowns of every member of the team for the past ten years. d. Which sport on campus has the players with the highest GPAs? The academic records of randomly selected samples of athletes from all sports are compared to answer this question e. Is academic achievement associated with any "background" variables? Information on a sample of students is collected. The information includes GPA, age, sex, major, years of schooling completed by both parents, and marital status of the student.

a. ordinal - discrete b. ordinal - discrete c. nominal - discrete d. ordinal - discrete e. nominal - discrete

An hypothesis states, in part, that "income increases as education increases". In this statement, income is... a. the dependent variable. b. the independent variable. c. the hypothetical variable. d. the secondary variable.

a. the dependent variable.

During which stage does the Wheel of Science begin for a researcher undertaking a new study? a. theory b. hypotheses c. observations d. empirical generalizations

a. theory

The problem with "push polls" is that... a. they do not use the scientific method. b. they rely too much on scientific sampling. c. they rarely have hypotheses. d. they require very large samples.

a. they do not use the scientific method.

Which of the following survey items would generate a discrete variable? a. How old are you? b. How long does it take you to commute to work? c. How much did you pay in taxes last year? d. How many cars do you own right now?

d. How many cars do you own right now?

A researcher has calculated the mean for a variable that is ordinal in level of measurement. a. This operation is a violation of level of measurement criterion and the results should be disregarded. b. This violation of level of measurement criterion is common and results should be treated with caution. c. No violation has occurred, this is a perfectly acceptable application of statistics. d. This is a mistake: means should never be calculated for ordinal variables because they are always continuous.

b. This violation of level of measurement criterion is common and results should be treated with caution.

Which of the following is a continuous variable? a. Number of children b. Time spent watching TV c. Number of times you have changed residences within the last five years d. Number of meals you consumed yesterday

b. Time spent watching TV

Addition and subtraction are completely justified only when variables are... a. discrete. b. continuous. c. ordinal. d. interval-ratio.

b. continuous. OR d. interval-ratio.

Categories of nominal level variables should be everything except... a. mutually exclusive to avoid ambiguity in classifying cases. b. exhaustive so that every case fits into a category. c. relevant to the research goals. d. All of the above

b. exhaustive so that every case fits into a category.

Choose the nominal level variable below: a. size of family unit b. eye color of students in statistics class c. speed of travel of a jet d. your weight

b. eye color of students in statistics class

A public opinion poll that gauges the popularity of the President of the United States is an example of... a. descriptive statistics. b. inferential statistics. c. analytical statistics. d. reductionist statistics.

b. inferential statistics.

A survey administered to a sample drawn from a local community finds that a person's political party affiliation is related to whether or not they favor an increase in local sales tax (the headline of a newspaper story based on this poll reads: "Republicans support proposed tax increase"). This is an example of the use of... a. univariate descriptive statistics. b. inferential statistics. c. multivariate descriptive statistics. d. reductionist statistics.

b. inferential statistics.

In the research process, the role of statistics is limited because... a. numbers don't prove anything. b. of possible flaws in research design or method. c. the researcher may not be a mathematician. d. people lie when answering questionnaires.

b. of possible flaws in research design or method.

The variable socioeconomic status ranges from upper class to lower class and is an example of the... a. nominal level of measurement. b. ordinal level of measurement. c. interval-ratio level of measurement. d. ratio level of measurement.

b. ordinal level of measurement.

Inferential statistics are usually based on: a. populations. b. samples. c. individuals. d. groups.

b. samples.

Inferential statistics are necessary in social research because... a. it may be impossible to find all members of a certain population. b. social scientists don't have the time or money to test an entire population. c. some of the population might not cooperate. d. samples are sometimes accurate representations of the population but can't always be used to generalize.

b. social scientists don't have the time or money to test an entire population.

An hypothesis states, in part, that "income increases as education increases". In this statement, education is... a. the dependent variable. b. the independent variable. c. the hypothetical variable. d. the secondary variable.

b. the independent variable.

"Ninety percent of dorm residents approved a proposed ban on smoking". This statement is an example of the use of... a. inferential statistics. b. univariate descriptive statistics. c. multivariate descriptive statistics. d. inductive statistics.

b. univariate descriptive statistics.

The statement "Eight out of ten elderly residents fear victimization" is an example of... a. inferential statistics. b. univariate descriptive statistics. c. multivariate descriptive statistics. d. inductive statistics.

b. univariate descriptive statistics.

Which of the following can be treated as an interval-ratio variable? a. Social security number b. Zip code c. Age d. Hair color

c. Age

Variables measured at the ordinal level are limited to which of the following mathematical operations? a. Addition and subtraction b. Multiplication c. Ranking cases as higher or lower, more or less d. Counting the number of cases per category

c. Ranking cases as higher or lower, more or less

If people who eat at fast food restaurants become obese, obesity is... a. an independent variable. b. a causal variable. c. a dependent variable. d. None of the above

c. a dependent variable.

If a researcher summarizes the age of 1,000 people by calculating the average age, she is using... a. a qualitative technique. b. an incorrect hypothesis. c. data reduction. d. non-empirical reasoning.

c. data reduction.

When using interval-ratio data, the distance between the scores is... a. always two units. b. unequal. c. exactly defined. d. not always clear.

c. exactly defined.

A theory differs from an hypothesis in that it is more... a. testable. b. specific. c. general. d. concrete.

c. general.

In time, the BLANK variable precedes the BLANK variable. a. hypothetical, theoretical b. discrete, continuous c. independent, dependent d. dependent, independent

c. independent, dependent

The number of years that a couple has been happily married is an example of... a. nominal level data. b. ordinal level data. c. interval-ratio level data. d. ordinary level data.

c. interval-ratio level data.

In social research the purpose of statistics is to... a. prove that the research theory is correct. b. validate the research project design. c. manipulate and analyze data. d. ensure acceptance by the scientific community.

c. manipulate and analyze data.

You ask a sample of 27 students in a particular dorm on campus about their religious beliefs and use this information to make generalizations about all students in the dorm. In this research situation... a. the 27 students questioned are a population. b. the dorm is a sample. c. this is an example of descriptive statistics. d. the sample is the 27 students who were questioned.

d. the sample is the 27 students who were questioned.

6. In terms of the Wheel of Science, an hypothesis is derived from BLANK and leads to BLANK. a. statistics, observation b. theory, generalizations c. observation, generalizations d. theory, observation

d. theory, observation