Deck 12: Data Analysis in Quantitative Research

Question 1

Outliers are best detected by examining the

A) frequency distribution.
B) mean.
C) standard deviation.

Answer 1

frequency distribution.

Question 2

A one-tailed test of significance should be used if the research hypothesis is

A) directional.
B) positive.
C) negative.

Answer 2

directional.

Question 3

If a distribution of scores is characterized by very few extremely high or extremely low values, with most values clustering around the mid-range, this distribution would be described as

A) negatively skewed.
B) positively skewed.
C) normal.

Answer 3

normal.

Question 4

If the distribution of values for a data set is characterized by very few high values and a preponderance of low values, it would be described as

A) negatively skewed.
B) positively skewed.
C) normal.

Question 5

The distribution for the variable "number of days hospitalized in a general hospital" would most likely be

A) normally distributed.
B) negatively skewed.
C) positively skewed.

Question 6

In a skewed distribution of values, the mean will be

A) the middle value.
B) pulled in the direction of the skew.
C) the same as the modal value.

Question 7

A sampling distribution of means is

A) based on actual data values from a sample.
B) based on actual data values from a population.
C) theoretical, based on data values from a population.

Question 8

A researcher collects data on education and codes it as follows:
1 = less than high school
2 = high school completion or GED
3 = some post-high school education
4 = AA degree or completion of trade school
5 = BA or equivalent
6 = graduate education
The most appropriate measure of central tendency for these data would be the

A) mean.
B) median.
C) mode.

Question 9

Which of the following statistical indices is best for describing the heterogeneity of values in a data set?

A) Mean.
B) Range.
C) Standard deviation.

Question 10

Which of the following distributions of scores is most homogeneous?

A) Mean = 50, range = 0 to 95, standard deviation = 5.
B) Mean = 50, range = 10 to 100, standard deviation = 10.
C) Mean = 50, range = 30 to 75, standard deviation = 25.

Question 11

Which of the following pairs of measures would indicate the most heterogeneous set of normally distributed scores?

A) Mean = 100, standard deviation = 5.
B) Mean = 100, standard deviation = 10.
C) Mean = 100, range = 50.

Question 12

The mean test scores for three groups are 22.35, 25.75, and 30.35. The researcher examines these scores using ANOVA; results are F = 3.16 (2, 57), p = 0.04. Based on these results, the researcher can conclude

A) there is a difference in the mean scores for these three groups.
B) there is no difference in the mean scores for these three groups.
C) groups 1 and 2 are significantly different from group 3.

Question 13

A researcher wants to compare differences in hospital length of stay for preterm infants who are randomly assigned to four different methods of stimulation. Which statistical test should be used in this situation?

A) ANCOVA.
B) Factorial ANOVA.
C) One-way ANOVA.

Question 14

A researcher wants to compare NCLEX scores for students from ADN and BSN programs in two states. The most appropriate statistical test for this situation would be

A) Chi-squared.
B) factorial ANOVA.
C) independent t-test.

Question 15

The relationship between gender and specialty area among nurses could be described by using which of the following procedures?

A) Contingency table.
B) Pearson's r.
C) t-test.

Question 16

A researcher wants to test the difference between average weights of a group of nursing home residents before and after a new food service program is put in place. Which statistical test should be used in this situation?

A) Chi-squared.
B) Dependent samples t-test.
C) Repeated measures ANOVA.

Question 17

A researcher hypothesizes that pain intensity levels of postoperative cardiovascular surgery patients will be higher when they are walking on a treadmill than when walking in their own home. The appropriate statistical test for examining this hypothesis is

A) ANCOVA.
B) factorial ANOVA.
C) a t-test.

Question 18

What does a researcher's level of significance represent?

A) Likelihood of committing a Type I error.
B) Likelihood of committing a Type II error.
C) Likelihood of detecting clinically significant differences.

Question 19

A researcher commits a Type I error when

A) a null hypothesis that is false is rejected.
B) a null hypothesis that is true is rejected.
C) there is failure to reject a false null hypothesis.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Decreased risk of a Type I error is associated with a decreased risk of a Type II error.
B) Risk of a Type I error is lower with a 0.01 level of significance than with a 0.05 level of significance.
C) Statistically nonsignificant results mean that the null hypothesis is true.

Question 21

Results of statistical tests that achieve the level of significance allow a researcher (and readers) to _____________ a study's null hypothesis.

A) Accept.
B) Prove.
C) Reject.

Question 22

If a researcher sets the level of significance at 0.05, the null hypothesis can be rejected if the p value associated with the test statistic is

A) 0.04.
B) 0.06.
C) 0.10.

Question 23

The relationship between systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure would be

A) negative.
B) perfect.
C) positive.

Question 24

What does a correlation coefficient describe?

A) Central tendency of a distribution.
B) Direction and strength of a relationship.
C) Variability of a distribution.

Question 25

A researcher found that people with more negative life events had lower scores on overall health status than people with fewer negative life events. The researcher can conclude that

A) negative life events lead to deterioration in health.
B) poorer health leads to more negative life events.
C) there is a relationship between negative life events and health status.

Question 26

Which of the following correlation coefficients denotes the strongest relationship?

A) -0.50.
B) 0.05.
C) 0.25.

Question 27

A correlation coefficient of -0.20 for the variables weight and age would indicate a slight tendency for

A) older individuals to weigh more.
B) younger individuals to weigh more.
C) younger individuals to weigh less.

Question 28

The power of a statistical test refers to the

A) degree to which the null hypothesis is false.
B) likelihood that the research hypothesis is true.
C) probability that the test will detect a difference or relationship if one exists.

Question 29

A researcher wants to determine the relationship between 24-hour calorie intake and stress, which is measured on a visual analog scale. The appropriate statistic for determining this relationship would be

A) ANOVA.
B) Chi-squared.
C) Pearson's r.

Question 30

Which of the following statistical tests cannot be used to examine differences between groups?

A) ANOVA.
B) Chi-squared.
C) Pearson's r.

Question 31

In a research article, r is reported as 0.48. This indicates what type of relationship?

A) Relatively weak.
B) Moderate.
C) Statistically significant.

Question 32

Which value for Pearson's r is most likely to be clinically significant?

A) r = -0.20, p = 0.06.
B) r = 0.25, p = 0.05.
C) r = 0.50, p = 0.01.

Question 33

Multiple regression could be used to examine which of the following?

A) Effect of age and preoperative stress level on patients' heart rate.
B) Effect of age and preoperative stress on the presence versus absence of surgical complications.
C) Effect of preoperative stress on heart rate and blood pressure readings.

Question 34

A researcher wants to predict the score on a job satisfaction scale using knowledge of an individuals' age, years in his or her profession, and annual salary. The appropriate statistical procedure for this situation would be

A) multi-factor ANOVA.
B) multivariate ANOVA.
C) multiple regression.

Question 35

A researcher performs multiple regression analysis and obtains an r value of 0.70. How should this value be interpreted?

A) The independent variables will be 70% accurate in predicting the outcome variable.
B) The independent variables explain 70% of the variability in the outcome variable.
C) There is a fairly strong relationship between the independent variables and the outcome variable.

Question 36

A researcher uses analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare dependency scores of men and women in different jobs, holding constant their age. Which variable is the covariate in this situation?

A) Age.
B) Gender.
C) Job.

Question 37

The statistical procedure that can be used to control for differences in the characteristics of groups is

A) analysis of covariance.
B) factorial ANOVA.
C) repeated measures ANOVA.