Deck 14: Data Analysis: Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Question 1

The nurse researcher is interested in estimating how reliably data can be used to generalize the findings of a study.Which type of data analysis should be used to allow this to occur?

A) Inferential statistics
B) Descriptive statistics
C) Nonparametric statistics
D) Mathematical statistics

Answer 1

Inferential statistics

Question 2

What conclusion can be drawn from statistics that indicate the mean nursing salary in a specific city is $55,000,the range is $38,000 to $78,000,the median salary is $58,000,and the mode is $56,000?

A) The standard deviation ( SD ) is small.
B) The mode can be calculated from the median.
C) The average nursing salary in this city is $55,000.
D) The mean does not reflect the true salary for nurses in this city.

Answer 2

The average nursing salary in this city is $55,000.

Question 3

When would a nurse researcher opt to use measures of central tendency?

A) When there is a need to describe how reliably the findings can be generalized
B) When there is a need to describe how much dispersion is in the sample
C) When there is a need to describe the accuracy of predictions made
D) When there is a need to describe the average member of the sample

Answer 3

When there is a need to describe the average member of the sample

Question 4

The nurse researcher is using a nursing degree as a variable in a research study.What level of measurement would be most appropriate in this case?

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Question 5

The nurse researcher is using a research study that involved categories of patient weights.What level of measurement would be most appropriate in this study?

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Question 6

The nurse researcher opts to use ratio-level data.What will be the researcher's primary concern if this level of data is used?

A) Categories must be mutually exclusive.
B) Intervals between data categories must be equal.
C) The rank of zero (0) represents the absence of the measured variable.
D) Variance between assigned categories is qualitative rather than quantitative.

Question 7

The nurse researcher opts to use interval-level data.What will be the researcher's primary concern if this level of data is used?

A) Categories must be mutually exclusive.
B) Intervals between data categories must be equal.
C) The rank of zero (0) represents the absence of the measured variable.
D) Variance between assigned categories is qualitative rather than quantitative.

Question 8

What term represents the most frequent score in a frequency distribution?

A) Mean
B) Mode
C) Median
D) Percentile

Question 9

How can the nurse researcher know when to report the mean,mode,and median of a variable in a research study?

A) They should be reported when the distribution is uneven.
B) They should be reported when the distribution is wide.
C) They should be reported when the distribution is narrow.
D) They should be reported when the distribution is symmetrical.

Question 10

In a study of women's adjustment to breast cancer,the youngest participant was 23 years old and the oldest participant was 89 years old.How should the nurse researcher interpret this data?

A) This is the mean age.
B) This is the modal age.
C) This is the median age.
D) This is the range in age.

Question 11

The nurse researcher is using the percentage of nurses holding various nursing degrees as a variable in a research study.What type of statistics would be most appropriate in this case?

A) Inferential statistics
B) Descriptive statistics
C) Nonparametric statistics
D) Mathematical statistics

Question 12

The nurse researcher opts to group frequency data using large interval widths in a research study.What problem should the researcher recognize might be encountered by using this type of interval widths?

A) Overlap can occur.
B) Patterns can be obscured.
C) Means cannot be determined.
D) Some data may not fit into any category.

Question 13

The nurse researcher's data contain extremes of high and low scores.Which measure of central tendency should the researcher plan to use in order to be least affected by extremes of high and low scores?

A) Mean
B) Mode
C) Median
D) Percentile

Question 14

The nurse researcher is interested in describing and summarizing the characteristics of the sample used in the research study.Which type of data analysis should be used to allow this to occur?

A) Inferential statistics
B) Descriptive statistics
C) Nonparametric statistics
D) Mathematical statistics

Question 15

The nurse researcher is using respiratory rate as a variable in a research study.What level of measurement would be most appropriate in this case?

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Question 16

How can a nurse researcher determine the assignment of a number to an object for measurement?

A) The object must vary within a narrow range to meet category requirements.
B) All objects assigned a specific measurement number must be similar to all other objects assigned the same number.
C) The objects assigned to one specific number must be positively related to the dependent variable of the study.
D) The objects assigned to one specific number must be positively related to the independent variable of the study.

Question 17

The nurse researcher is interested in having the greatest flexibility possible in choosing statistical procedures.Which level of measurement should be used to achieve this?

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Question 18

The nurse researcher opts to use a measure of variability.Which measure of variability does the researcher recognize as being the most unstable?

A) Mean
B) Median
C) Range
D) Semiquartile range

Question 19

The nurse researcher is interested in using nominal level data.Which object or event could be used if nominal-level data are of primary interest?

A) Test scores
B) Education level
C) Marital status
D) Weight

Question 20

The nurse researcher is interested in describing the assignment of numbers to objects or events.How can this be best achieved?

A) Through use of prediction
B) Through use of dispersion
C) Through use of variability
D) Through use of measurement

Question 21

Why would a nurse researcher opt to use factor analysis?

A) It is used to control statistically for a variable and measures differences among group means.
B) It is used to take a large number of variables and group them into a smaller number of factors.
C) It is used to test the relationship between two variables measured at interval or ratio level data.
D) It is used to measure the relationship between one outcome or dependent variable and several dependent variables.

Question 22

Which statements regarding measures of central tendency are accurate? (Select all that apply.)

A) This classification of levels of measurement is scientifically inaccurate.
B) Having the mean, mode, and median exactly the same indicates the measures have been correctly applied.
C) They have great flexibility with regard to the amount of mathematical manipulation possible.
D) They vary from sample to sample, even when the same trait or characteristic is measured.

Question 23

Which data measurement scales typically use nonparametric tests of significance? (Select all that apply.)

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Question 24

Which characteristic is an essential criterion for categorizing an object,event,or fact as nominal level data? (Select all that apply.)

A) The degree of the characteristic must be positively related to the number assigned.
B) Rank orders must be calculated for meaningful interpretation.
C) Categories must be mutually exclusive.
D) Category ranges cannot overlap.

Question 25

Which measures of central tendency allow for rank ordering with equal intervals? (Select all that apply).

A) Mode
B) Range
C) Median
D) Mean
E) Semiquartile range
F) Percentile
G) SD

Question 26

The change in heart rate in a group of patients was reported as 10.95 ± 9.21.A patient who had a change in heart rate score of 23 is how many SD from the mean?

A) 1 SD
B) 2 SD
C) 3 SD
D) 4 SD

Question 27

A measure of anxiety produced a mean score of 5.4 with an SD of 1.6.Where would 68% of the scores fall?

A) Between 2.2 and 8.6
B) Between 3.8 and 7.0
C) Between 3.8 and 5.4
D) Between 5.4 and 7.0

Question 28

Which of the following alpha levels should be interpreted by the nurse researcher as a highly statistically significant result?

A) p = 0.20
B) p = 0.02
C) p = 0.002
D) p = 0.0002

Question 29

The nurse researcher determines that a correlation exists between two variables.How should the researcher interpret this information?

A) The correlation describes the most frequently occurring score.
B) The correlation describes the variability of scores from the mean.
C) The correlation describes the range of the middle 50% of the scores.
D) The correlation describes the magnitude and direction of the relationship between variables.

Question 30

In a study of nurses' willingness to care for patients with a contagious disease,it was found that the greater the nurses' spirituality,the greater the willingness to provide care.Which type of correlation does this finding represent?

A) No correlation
B) Perfect correlation
C) Positive correlation
D) Negative correlation

Question 31

Which measures of variability allow for rank ordering with equal intervals? (Select all that apply.)

A) Mode
B) Range
C) Median
D) Mean
E) Semiquartile range
F) Percentile
G) SD

Question 32

The nurse researcher finds that the data include a score reported to be in the 75th percentile.How should the researcher interpret this?

A) The score is at the median.
B) The score has exceeded the mode.
C) The score is exceeded by only 25% of the cases.
D) The score represents the average of all scores measured at this time.

Question 33

Which parametric statistical test( s )compares the difference between mental status scores for patients with dementia ( Group 1 )and patients with confusion from dehydration ( Group 2 )? (Select all that apply.)

A) The t test
B) Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient
C) Chi-square
D) Analysis of variance ( ANOVA )

Question 34

What could a nurse researcher conclude about a variable of nominal level data that shows a high modal percentage?

A) Increased variability; homogeneous sample
B) Increased variability; heterogeneous sample
C) Decreased variability; homogeneous sample
D) Decreased variability; heterogeneous sample

Question 35

Which measures of central tendency allow for relative rankings? (Select all that apply.)

A) Mode
B) Range
C) Median
D) Mean
E) Semiquartile range
F) Percentile
G) SD

Question 36

An instrument produced a correlation coefficient: r = 0.49,p = 0.04.How would a nurse researcher interpret the magnitude of this correlation?

A) Very low
B) Low
C) Moderate
D) High

Question 37

Which statistical tests can have a range of correlation coefficients in values from -1.0 to +1.0? (Select all that apply.)

A) Pearson product moment correlation coefficient
B) Kendall's tau
C) Spearman rho
D) ANOVA