Question 1

Which of the following statistical tests is used to determine whether the observed relationships among a set of variables conforms to a theoretical prediction about how those variables should be related?

Accepted Answer

Structural equation analysis is used to test whether observed data fit a hypothesized theoretical model, allowing researchers to assess the relationships among multiple variables and their conformity to theoretical predictions.

Question 2

After testing the F value in an ANOVA, the researcher may want to follow up with

Accepted Answer

Post hoc or a priori contrast analyses are typically conducted after an ANOVA if the F value is significant, to further investigate where the differences between groups lie.

Question 3

Natalie is interested in predicting interpersonal attraction from knowledge about proximity and physical attractiveness. She first enters these two variables in her analysis. Then, after obtaining preliminary results, she adds the predictor variables of income and status. Natalie is using which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Natalie is using hierarchical multiple regression because she is adding predictor variables in steps to see how the prediction of the outcome (interpersonal attraction) changes with the inclusion of additional predictors (income and status) after initially including proximity and physical attractiveness.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the goal of a structural equation analysis?

Accepted Answer

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a multivariate statistical analysis technique that is used to analyze the structural relationships between measured variables and latent constructs. This approach is focused on testing hypotheses about the relationships among latent variables, which are not directly observed but are inferred from the observed variables.

Question 5

One of the advantages of a structural equation analysis is that

Accepted Answer

Structural equation modeling allows for the analysis of relationships among latent (unobserved) variables, which are inferred from observed variables, enabling researchers to understand complex causal relationships.

Question 6

A researcher has conducted a structural equation analysis. Which of the following will she use to test how well the collected data fit the hypothesized relationship?

Accepted Answer

The goodness of fit statistic is used in structural equation modeling to assess how well the observed data fit the hypothesized model. It helps in determining the extent to which the specified model reproduces the covariance matrix observed in the data.

Question 7

Which of the following is a type of structural equation analysis?

Accepted Answer

Confirmatory factor analysis is a type of structural equation analysis used to test hypotheses or theories that specify relationships among observed variables and latent constructs.

Question 8

To decrease the likelihood of making a Type 1 error during the means comparison process, a researcher could

Accepted Answer

Conducting pairwise comparisons only if the F value is significant helps control the overall Type 1 error rate in the context of multiple comparisons, such as in ANOVA. This approach ensures that more detailed tests are only performed when there is initial evidence of a difference among the groups, thus reducing the likelihood of incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis (Type 1 error).

Question 9

Factors in a factor analysis are equivalent to __________ in a structural equation analysis.

Accepted Answer

Factors in a factor analysis are equivalent to latent variables in a structural equation analysis, as both represent unobserved variables that are inferred from observed variables.

Question 10

A(n) ________ is used to analyze the underlying pattern of correlations among a set of measured variables and to reduce the number of variables by extracting a smaller set of factors.

Accepted Answer

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to uncover the underlying structure of a relatively large set of variables. EFA is a technique within factor analysis whose overarching goal is to identify the underlying relationships between measured variables. It is used to reduce data by identifying a smaller set of factors or components that explain most of the variance observed in a much larger number of manifest variables.

Question 11

Loglinear analysis is a better statistical test than ANOVA when predicting a nominal dependent variable because

Accepted Answer

ANOVA requires the dependent variable to have an approximately normal distribution, whereas loglinear analysis does not have this requirement, making it more suitable for nominal dependent variables.

Question 12

In which of the following cases would a MANOVA analysis be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) is most appropriate when there is more than one dependent variable and the researcher wants to understand the effect of independent variables on these multiple dependent variables simultaneously.

Question 13

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a MANOVA analysis?

Accepted Answer

MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) increases the likelihood of a Type 1 error, which is the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis, because it tests multiple hypotheses simultaneously.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a post hoc means comparison?

Accepted Answer

A contrast analysis is not a post hoc means comparison because it is planned before the data is collected, whereas post hoc tests like the Fisher least significant difference test, the Scheffé means comparison test, and the Tukey honestly significantly difference test are conducted after an ANOVA indicates significant differences among group means.

Question 15

What statistical analysis would be best used to predict levels of overall aggression from knowledge about blood pressure and eating habits?

Accepted Answer

Multiple regression is the best statistical analysis for predicting a dependent variable (overall aggression) from multiple independent variables (blood pressure and eating habits). It allows for the examination of the effect of each independent variable on the dependent variable while controlling for the effects of other independent variables.

Question 16

Which of the following means comparison analyses is the most conservative, in the sense that it most reduces the likelihood of making a Type 1 error?

Accepted Answer

The Scheffé means comparison test is the most conservative among the options listed. It is designed to control the overall Type I error rate when comparing multiple groups, making it less likely to incorrectly reject the null hypothesis (thus reducing the likelihood of a Type 1 error) compared to other, less conservative methods.

Question 17

A researcher wants to use scores on a measure of self-esteem to predict a group of outcome measures, including marital satisfaction and employment satisfaction. Which of the following procedures would be most useful?

Accepted Answer

Canonical correlation is the most appropriate statistical procedure when the goal is to examine the relationships between two sets of variables, in this case, self-esteem scores (a set of predictor variables) and a group of outcome measures such as marital satisfaction and employment satisfaction (a set of criterion variables).

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT considered a multivariate statistic?

Accepted Answer

Chi-square analysis is not considered a multivariate statistic because it is typically used to analyze the frequency counts within categories and tests relationships between categorical variables, not involving multiple dependent variables simultaneously.

Question 19

Which of the following designs would be most likely to utilize an exploratory factor analysis?

Accepted Answer

Exploratory factor analysis is used to identify underlying relationships between measured variables, such as personality characteristics, to see if they can be grouped into factors. This makes it suitable for a study that has measured a number of personality characteristics related to helping, as it aims to explore the structure of these characteristics without a prior hypothesis.

Quiz 18: Multivariate Statistics