Question 1

Which of the following is the alpha level accepted by most in psychological research as indicating significance?
A).05
B).06
C).10
D).15

Accepted Answer

The alpha level accepted by most in psychological research as indicating significance is 0.05 (or .05). This means that there is a 5% chance of the observed results being due to chance, and a 95% confidence level that the results are actually significant.

Question 2

Tamara has just finished collecting her data for her research methods final project.Her results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups.In this situation, Tamara should __________.
A)fail to reject the null hypothesis.
B)reject the null hypothesis.
C)Both A and B
D)None of the above

Accepted Answer

When there is a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups, the null hypothesis is typically rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis. Therefore, Tamara should reject the null hypothesis.

Question 3

with a summary of research conducted by Dunn, Huntsinger, Lun, and Sinclair 2008).For this study, what would be the null hypothesis?
A)Men and women will not be different in how they respond to good and bad gifts.
B)Men and women will be different in how they respond to good and bad gifts.
C)Men and women will be different in how they respond to good gifts.
D)Men and women will be different in how they respond to bad gifts.

Accepted Answer

The null hypothesis is generally the statement that there is no significant difference between the groups being compared. In this case, the null hypothesis would be that men and women will not be different in how they respond to good and bad gifts.

Question 4

with a summary of research conducted by Dunn, Huntsinger, Lun, and Sinclair 2008).For this study, what would be the research hypothesis?
A)Men and women will not be different in how they respond to good and bad gifts.
B)Men and women will be different in how they respond to good and bad gifts.
C)Men and women will be different in how they respond to good gifts.
D)Men and women will be different in how they respond to bad gifts.

Accepted Answer

The study's general research hypothesis is that men and women differ in their responses to good and bad gifts. This hypothesis suggests that there will be a significant interaction between gender and the valence of the gift, meaning that the response to the gift will be different for men and women depending on whether the gift is good or bad. Therefore, option B is the best choice.

Question 5

When do you reject the null hypothesis?
A)p < .05
B)p > .05
C)p = .05
D)p > .01

Accepted Answer

The most common threshold for rejecting the null hypothesis is when the p-value is less than .05 (or 5%). This means that there is less than a 5% chance that the results were due to chance alone, and more likely due to the relationship being tested. Therefore, choice A is the best answer.

Question 6

When do you fail to reject the null hypothesis?
A)p < .05
B)p > .05
C)p = .05
D)p > .01

Accepted Answer

When the p-value is greater than .05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Question 7

A researcher hypothesizes that men will consume more caffeine than women.After the study has concludes, the researcher finds that there is no difference between men and women p >.05).What decision should the researcher make?
A)reject the null hypothesis
B)fail to reject the null hypothesis
C)accept the null hypothesis
D)accept the research hypothesis

Accepted Answer

A p-value greater than .05 indicates that the results are not statistically significant and we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the researcher should choose option B and fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Question 8

You want to know whether typed or handwritten papers are graded differently by professors.You hope to show that there is a difference in the way typed and handwritten papers are evaluated.After the study has concluded, you find that there is a difference between the typed and handwritten papers in the grades received p < .05).What decision should you make?
A)reject the null hypothesis
B)fail to reject the null hypothesis
C)accept the null hypothesis
D)accept the research hypothesis

Accepted Answer

Since there was a statistically significant difference found between the typed and handwritten papers, with a p-value of less than .05, we can reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference in grades between the two types of papers. Instead, we can accept the research hypothesis that there is a difference in how typed and handwritten papers are evaluated.

Question 9

Which of the following is a correct decision?
A)reject the null hypothesis when it is false
B)reject the null hypothesis when it is true
C)fail to reject the null hypothesis when it is false
D)none of the above

Accepted Answer

The correct decision in statistical hypothesis testing is to reject the null hypothesis when it is false. This means that the sample data provides evidence that the alternative hypothesis is true and the null hypothesis is not true. The goal of hypothesis testing is to make a decision that minimizes the probability of making a Type I error (rejecting a true null hypothesis) while also minimizing the probability of making a Type II error (failing to reject a false null hypothesis). Rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false helps achieve this goal.

Question 10

Tamara has just finished collecting her data for her research methods final project.Her results indicate that there is not a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups.In this situation, Tamara should __________.
A)fail to reject the null hypothesis.
B)reject the null hypothesis.
C)Both A and B
D)None of the above

Accepted Answer

If there is not a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups, Tamara cannot reject the null hypothesis, which states that there is no difference between the groups. Therefore, the correct choice is to fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Question 11

Of the following terms, which term fits least well?
A)level of significance
B)alpha level
C)assumption that the null is true
D)assumption that the null is false

Accepted Answer

The assumption that the null is false is a fundamental component of hypothesis testing, as it allows for the possibility of rejecting the null hypothesis and concluding that there is evidence supporting the alternative hypothesis. Therefore, it fits well with the concept of level of significance and alpha level, which both relate to the criteria for rejecting or retaining the null hypothesis. However, the assumption that the null is true contradicts the objective of hypothesis testing and does not fit well with the other terms.

Question 12

In psychological research, you reject the null hypothesis when __________.
A)the group means are equal.
B)the group means are close to equal.
C)the group means are different.
D)None of the above

Accepted Answer

In psychological research, the null hypothesis states that there is no significant difference between groups or variables being compared. The alternative hypothesis is that there is a significant difference. Therefore, you reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis when the group means are significantly different.

Question 13

Alpha is __________.
A)the level of significance.
B)the probability of obtaining data assuming the null is true.
C)the probability of obtaining data assuming the null is false.
D)Both A and B.

Accepted Answer

Alpha is the level of significance, which is the threshold for rejecting the null hypothesis. It also represents the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis given that it is actually true, thus leading to a Type I error. Therefore, both A and B are correct descriptions of alpha.

Question 14

In psychological research, you fail to reject the null hypothesis when __________.
A)The group means are equal.
B)The group means are not different.
C)The group means are different.
D)Both A and B

Accepted Answer

Failing to reject the null hypothesis means that there is not enough evidence to suggest that the group means are different, which could be due to the fact that the group means are equal or not different. Therefore, both options A and B are correct.

Question 15

There are _____ possible outcomes to a study.
A)two
B)three
C)four
D)unknown

Accepted Answer

The answer of There are _____ possible outcomes to a...

Question 16

Tom is an undergraduate psychology major.He is conducting his first experiment and wants to know when he should determine the alpha level.What would you recommend to Tom?
A)Tom, the alpha level should be determined by your teacher.
B)Tom, the alpha level should be set prior to the experiment.
C)Tom, the alpha level should be set after you have collected data and examined the means.
D)Tom, the field of psychology determines the alpha level for all experiments.

Accepted Answer

The alpha level should be set prior to conducting the experiment. This is because the alpha level determines the acceptable level of risk for making a Type I error (rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true). It is important to determine the alpha level before collecting data to prevent any chances of bias towards rejecting the null hypothesis.

Question 17

Which of the following statements below inaccurately describes alpha?
A)The lower the p-value, the less likely the obtained differences are due to chance.
B)The lower the p-value, the more likely the obtained differences are due to the IV.
C)The lower the p-value, the more likely the obtained differences are due to chance.
D)Both A and B.

Accepted Answer

A lower p-value indicates that there is evidence of a statistically significant difference between groups, and that the likelihood of the results being due to chance is low. Therefore, choices A and B are accurate descriptions of alpha. However, choice C is inaccurate as it suggests that a lower p-value indicates a higher likelihood of chance, which is not the case.

Question 18

When conducting research, psychologists test the __________ hypothesis.
A)research
B)null
C)alternative
D)directional

Accepted Answer

The null hypothesis is the hypothesis that psychologists test during research, aiming to disprove it to support the alternative hypothesis. It typically states that there is no effect or no difference, serving as a default position until evidence suggests otherwise.

Question 19

Kathryn has completed a study and rejected the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis was in fact true.Kathryn has made a __________.
A)correct decision.
B)a type I error.
C)a type II error.
D)a type III error.

Accepted Answer

Kathryn has rejected the null hypothesis when it was true, which means she has made a type I error.

Question 20

Which of the following is a correct decision?
A)Fail to reject the null hypothesis when it is true
B)reject the null hypothesis when it is true
C)fail to reject the null hypothesis when it is false
D)none of the above

Accepted Answer

Failing to reject the null hypothesis when it is true is the correct decision in a statistical hypothesis test. This indicates that there is not enough evidence to suggest that the alternative hypothesis is true and that any observed differences are due to chance or random variation.

Quiz 14: Hypothesis Testing Revisited and Interpreting Results

Which of the following is the alpha level accepted by most in psychological research as indicating significance?

Tamara has just finished collecting her data for her research methods final project.Her results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups.In this situation, Tamara should __________.

with a summary of research conducted by Dunn, Huntsinger, Lun, and Sinclair 2008) .For this study, what would be the null hypothesis?

with a summary of research conducted by Dunn, Huntsinger, Lun, and Sinclair 2008) .For this study, what would be the research hypothesis?

When do you reject the null hypothesis?

When do you fail to reject the null hypothesis?

A researcher hypothesizes that men will consume more caffeine than women.After the study has concludes, the researcher finds that there is no difference between men and women p >.05) .What decision should the researcher make?

Which of the following is a correct decision?

Tamara has just finished collecting her data for her research methods final project.Her results indicate that there is not a statistically significant difference between the means of the groups.In this situation, Tamara should __________.

Of the following terms, which term fits least well?

In psychological research, you reject the null hypothesis when __________.

Alpha is __________.

In psychological research, you fail to reject the null hypothesis when __________.

There are _____ possible outcomes to a study.

Tom is an undergraduate psychology major.He is conducting his first experiment and wants to know when he should determine the alpha level.What would you recommend to Tom?

Which of the following statements below inaccurately describes alpha?

When conducting research, psychologists test the __________ hypothesis.

Kathryn has completed a study and rejected the null hypothesis when the null hypothesis was in fact true.Kathryn has made a __________.

Which of the following is a correct decision?