Question 1

You find a positive relationship between mothers' education and respondents' income at age 40. The relationship remained after controlling for family social class. This means
A) social class does not have an effect on the relationship.
B) social class is really the causal variable.
C) income is caused by neither mothers' education level nor social class.
D) the original relationship is spurious.

Accepted Answer

Controlling for family social class and still finding a positive relationship between mothers' education and respondents' income suggests that the relationship is not confounded by social class, indicating that social class does not affect this specific relationship.

Question 2

Refer to the information provided in Table 12.1 below to answer the questions that follow.
Table 12.1:
2001 survey of 1,000 randomly selected adult residents of Seattle, Years of schooling by whether or not one agrees with the statement,
"Seattle should require the registration of hand guns with the city police department."
 $$\begin{array} { l | c c c c c c } 
\text { Years }& \text { Strongly } && &{ \text { Strongly } } \
 \text { of School }&\text { Agree } & \text { Agree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Total } & ( \mathrm { N } ) \
\hline \text { Under } 8 & 30 \% & 25 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
8 - 11 & 35 \% & 20 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
12 & 40 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
13 - 15 & 50 \% & 25 \% & 20 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 300 ) \
16 & 60 \% & 25 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
17 \text { or more } & 80 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 )
\end{array}$$
-After examining the bivariate relationship between years of schooling and knowledge about politics, Dr. Bushhead controls for hair color. He finds that the relationship in partial tables is identical to the bivariate tables. In the elaboration paradigm, this is
A) replication pattern.
B) identification pattern.
C) specification pattern.
D) explanation pattern.

Accepted Answer

When the relationship between two variables remains the same after controlling for a third variable, it is referred to as a replication pattern in the elaboration paradigm. This indicates that the original relationship is consistent across different levels of the control variable.

Question 3

Professor Doner asked you to interpret a Pearson product's moment correlation coefficient of .93. You say
A) it indicated an error in calculations.
B) it indicated an exceedingly strong relationship.
C) it indicated a moderate relationship.
D) it indicated a weak relationship.

Accepted Answer

A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of .93 indicates an exceedingly strong relationship between two variables. The coefficient ranges from -1 to 1, where values close to 1 or -1 signify strong relationships, and a value of .93 suggests a very strong positive correlation.

Question 4

An example of multivariate analysis would be
A) an analysis of the relationship between type of offense and length of prison sentence.
B) an analysis of the relationship between undergraduate majors and level of position held in a major corporation.
C) an analysis of the relationship between age, sex, and type of restaurant frequented in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
D) an examination of the ages of all women who are corporate executives.

Accepted Answer

Multivariate analysis involves examining the relationships among three or more variables. Choice C is an example of this, as it looks at the relationship between age, sex, and type of restaurant frequented, involving more than two variables.

Question 5

In reading a table someone else has constructed, the rule of thumb is
A) if the table is percentaged down, read down.
B) if the table is percentaged across, read across.
C) if the table is percentaged down, read across, and if the table is percentaged across, read up and down.
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The answer of In reading a table someone else has...

Question 6

Susan weighs 140 pounds. You learn the mean weight is 130 pounds for the women in her sorority and the standard deviation is 10 pounds. What is Susan's z-score in the distribution weight in the sorority?
A) zero
B) 1.5
C) 1
D) 2

Accepted Answer

Susan's z-score is calculated by subtracting the mean from her weight and dividing by the standard deviation: $z = \frac{140 - 130}{10} = 1$.

Question 7

A researcher wants to express the middle of a distribution of numbers, such that half the cases are higher and half lower than a value. What statistical measure should he use?
A) median
B) mean
C) mode
D) standard deviation

Accepted Answer

The median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, thus directly addressing the researcher's need to express the middle of a distribution where half the cases are higher and half are lower.

Question 8

A "codebook" is
A) a document that tells the researcher where variables are located in the data file and what numbers go with what variable attributes.
B) the set of instructions that tells interviewers or experimenters how to treat respondents or subjects.
C) an unnecessary part of data analysis since computers were invented.
D) only used in existing statistics research.

Accepted Answer

A codebook is essential for understanding the structure of a dataset, as it provides detailed information on the location of variables within the data file and the coding scheme used for different variable attributes. This makes it easier for researchers to navigate and analyze the data accurately.

Question 9

Phyllis found a strong relationship between a student's level of academic achievement and whether that student came from a single parent and two-parent home. She controlled for the student's race in a trivariate table. She then found that the relationship held only for Asian students. In the elaboration paradigm, this is an example of
A) interpretation pattern.
B) explanation pattern.
C) specification pattern.
D) replication pattern.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a specification pattern because the relationship between academic achievement and family structure is specified to hold only for a particular subgroup (Asian students) when controlling for another variable (race).

Question 10

Use the information in Table 12.2 to answer the following questions.
$$\text { Table } 12.2$$
$$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array} { l | cccccccc } 
\text { Amount of } &  &&&&{ \text { Average Hours of TV Watched Per Week } } \
\text { Formal Education } & 0 - 5 & 6 - 10 & 11 - 15 & 16 - 20 & 21 - 25 & 26 - 30 & \text { Over 30 } & \text { TOTAL } \
\hline \text { 0-8 Years } & 0 \% & 0 & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 50 & 100 \% \
\text { 9-11 Years } & 0 \% & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 20 & 30 & 100 \% \
\text { 12, HS Grad } & 0 \% & 10 & 10 & 10 & 30 & 20 & 20 & 100 \% \
\text { 13-15 Years } & 10 \% & 10 & 10 & 20 & 25 & 15 & 10 & 100 \% \
\text { 16, BA Degree } & 20 \% & 20 & 15 & 15 & 15 & 10 & 5 & 100 \% \
\text { 17-18 Years } & 30 \% & 20 & 20 & 20 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 100 \% \
\text { 19 or More } & 50 \% & 30 & 10 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 100 \%
\end{array}
\end{array}$$
-In a data set with 100 columns of information, columns 18-23 contain data on respondent income. This set of columns is known as a
A) case.
B) data field.
C) data record.
D) record length.

Accepted Answer

Columns in a dataset typically represent different variables or attributes of the data, such as respondent income in this case. These columns are referred to as data fields.

Question 11

Use the information in Table 12.2 to answer the following questions.
$$\text { Table } 12.2$$
$$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array} { l | cccccccc } 
\text { Amount of } &  &&&&{ \text { Average Hours of TV Watched Per Week } } \
\text { Formal Education } & 0 - 5 & 6 - 10 & 11 - 15 & 16 - 20 & 21 - 25 & 26 - 30 & \text { Over 30 } & \text { TOTAL } \
\hline \text { 0-8 Years } & 0 \% & 0 & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 50 & 100 \% \
\text { 9-11 Years } & 0 \% & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 20 & 30 & 100 \% \
\text { 12, HS Grad } & 0 \% & 10 & 10 & 10 & 30 & 20 & 20 & 100 \% \
\text { 13-15 Years } & 10 \% & 10 & 10 & 20 & 25 & 15 & 10 & 100 \% \
\text { 16, BA Degree } & 20 \% & 20 & 15 & 15 & 15 & 10 & 5 & 100 \% \
\text { 17-18 Years } & 30 \% & 20 & 20 & 20 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 100 \% \
\text { 19 or More } & 50 \% & 30 & 10 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 100 \%
\end{array}
\end{array}$$
-Which of the following is FALSE based upon the table?
A) A majority 50%) of people with at least a BA degree watch at least 20 hours of television per week.
B) The more education a person has, the less likely he or she is to watch television.
C) About 80 percent of the people with advanced degrees over 18 years of education) watch 10 hours or fewer hours of television per week.
D) A majority 50%) of people with 8 or fewer years of education watch at least 25 hours of television per week.

Accepted Answer

For individuals with at least a BA degree (16 years of education), the table shows that 20% watch 16-20 hours, 15% watch 21-25 hours, 10% watch 26-30 hours, and 5% watch over 30 hours of TV per week. Adding these percentages (20% + 15% + 10% + 5% = 50%) shows that exactly 50% watch 16 or more hours, not at least 20 hours. Therefore, the statement is false because it inaccurately represents the data regarding the amount of TV watched by those with at least a BA degree.

Question 12

Refer to the information provided in Table 12.3 below to answer the questions that follow.
Table 12.3:
Annual Family Income and Education* Statistics for Three Neighborhoods
 $$\begin{array} { l | llllll } 
&  { \text { GLENBROOK } } && { \text { MEADOWBROOK } } && { \text { ELMBROOK } } \
& \text { Income } & \text { Education } & \text { Income } & \text { Education } & \text { Income } & \text { Education } \
\hline \text { Mean } & \$ 78,000 & 17 \text { Years } & \$ 28,000 & 15 \text { Years } & \$ 16,000 & 11 \text { Years } \
\text { Median } & \$ 27,000 & 18 & \$ 28,000 & 16 & \$ 18,000 & 11 \
\text { Mode } & \$ 26,000 & 20 & \$ 28,000 & 11 & \$ 14,000 & 11 \
\text { Stand Dev. } & \$ 8,000 & 3 & \$ 2,000 & 6 & \$ 3,000 & 1.0 \
\text { (N) } & ( 300 ) & & ( 300 ) & & ( 300 ) &
\end{array}$$ *4 yrs college = 16 yrs; masters/law degrees = 18 yrs; Ph.D/MD degrees = 20 yrs.
-Which neighborhood has an income distribution that is close to a normal distribution?
A) Glenbrook
B) Meadowbrook
C) Elmbrook
D) All neighborhoods are normally distributed.

Accepted Answer

Meadowbrook has the mean and median income equal, which is a characteristic of a normal distribution.

Question 13

Professor Rodriguez found a strong positive relationship between the number of extra-curricular activities in high school and occupational success as an adult. She then controlled for the respondents' family class background upon beginning high school and the relationship vanished. In the elaboration paradigm, this is called
A) explanation pattern.
B) interpretation pattern.
C) specification pattern.
D) replication pattern.

Accepted Answer

The explanation pattern in the elaboration paradigm occurs when a third variable (in this case, family class background) is introduced and explains away the original relationship between two variables (extra-curricular activities and occupational success), indicating that the original relationship was spurious.

Question 14

Refer to the information provided in Table 12.3 below to answer the questions that follow.
Table 12.3:
Annual Family Income and Education* Statistics for Three Neighborhoods
 $$\begin{array} { l | llllll } 
&  { \text { GLENBROOK } } && { \text { MEADOWBROOK } } && { \text { ELMBROOK } } \
& \text { Income } & \text { Education } & \text { Income } & \text { Education } & \text { Income } & \text { Education } \
\hline \text { Mean } & \$ 78,000 & 17 \text { Years } & \$ 28,000 & 15 \text { Years } & \$ 16,000 & 11 \text { Years } \
\text { Median } & \$ 27,000 & 18 & \$ 28,000 & 16 & \$ 18,000 & 11 \
\text { Mode } & \$ 26,000 & 20 & \$ 28,000 & 11 & \$ 14,000 & 11 \
\text { Stand Dev. } & \$ 8,000 & 3 & \$ 2,000 & 6 & \$ 3,000 & 1.0 \
\text { (N) } & ( 300 ) & & ( 300 ) & & ( 300 ) &
\end{array}$$ *4 yrs college = 16 yrs; masters/law degrees = 18 yrs; Ph.D/MD degrees = 20 yrs.
-Which neighborhood has a heavily skewed income distribution?
A) Glenbrook
B) Meadowbrook
C) Elmbrook
D) No neighborhood is skewed.

Accepted Answer

Glenbrook's income distribution is heavily skewed, as indicated by the large difference between its mean income ($78,000) and its median income ($27,000), suggesting that a few high incomes are pulling the mean up significantly.

Question 15

My daughter wears a size 2 jacket. She went to her favorite clothing store and found that the mean size of the store's stock of jackets is a size 10 with a standard deviation of 4 sizes. What is her z-score in the distribution of the store's jackets?
A) -1.5
B) zero
C) 2
D) -2

Accepted Answer

The z-score is calculated by subtracting the mean from the value in question and then dividing by the standard deviation. For the daughter's jacket size, this is (2 - 10) / 4 = -8 / 4 = -2.

Question 16

Use the information in Table 12.2 to answer the following questions.
$$\text { Table } 12.2$$
$$\begin{array}{c}
\begin{array} { l | cccccccc } 
\text { Amount of } &  &&&&{ \text { Average Hours of TV Watched Per Week } } \
\text { Formal Education } & 0 - 5 & 6 - 10 & 11 - 15 & 16 - 20 & 21 - 25 & 26 - 30 & \text { Over 30 } & \text { TOTAL } \
\hline \text { 0-8 Years } & 0 \% & 0 & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 50 & 100 \% \
\text { 9-11 Years } & 0 \% & 5 & 10 & 15 & 20 & 20 & 30 & 100 \% \
\text { 12, HS Grad } & 0 \% & 10 & 10 & 10 & 30 & 20 & 20 & 100 \% \
\text { 13-15 Years } & 10 \% & 10 & 10 & 20 & 25 & 15 & 10 & 100 \% \
\text { 16, BA Degree } & 20 \% & 20 & 15 & 15 & 15 & 10 & 5 & 100 \% \
\text { 17-18 Years } & 30 \% & 20 & 20 & 20 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 100 \% \
\text { 19 or More } & 50 \% & 30 & 10 & 10 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 100 \%
\end{array}
\end{array}$$
-Which best expresses the bivariate relationship between the amount of education and amount of television watched per week?
A) non-linear
B) independent
C) positive
D) negative

Accepted Answer

The table shows that as the amount of formal education increases, the average hours of TV watched per week generally decreases, indicating a negative relationship.

Question 17

Refer to the information provided in Table 12.1 below to answer the questions that follow.
Table 12.1:
2001 survey of 1,000 randomly selected adult residents of Seattle, Years of schooling by whether or not one agrees with the statement,
"Seattle should require the registration of hand guns with the city police department."
 $$\begin{array} { l | c c c c c c } 
\text { Years }& \text { Strongly } && &{ \text { Strongly } } \
 \text { of School }&\text { Agree } & \text { Agree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Total } & ( \mathrm { N } ) \
\hline \text { Under } 8 & 30 \% & 25 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
8 - 11 & 35 \% & 20 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
12 & 40 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
13 - 15 & 50 \% & 25 \% & 20 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 300 ) \
16 & 60 \% & 25 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
17 \text { or more } & 80 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 )
\end{array}$$
-What does this table show?
A) There is no relationship between amount of formal schooling and support for gun registration. The null hypothesis is not rejected.
B) A majority of people with 12 or fewer years of schooling oppose disagree or strongly disagree) with gun registration.
C) More of the 1,000 people surveyed Strongly Agree with gun registration than the total number who disagree or strongly disagree combined.
D) There is a negative relationship between amount of schooling and support for gun registration.

Accepted Answer

The table shows increasing percentages of respondents who strongly agree with gun registration as the years of schooling increase, indicating that more educated respondents are more likely to support gun registration. This is evident from the percentages in the "Strongly Agree" column increasing with higher education levels, and the total number of people who strongly agree across all education levels is greater than the total number of people who disagree or strongly disagree.

Question 18

Refer to the information provided in Table 12.1 below to answer the questions that follow.
Table 12.1:
2001 survey of 1,000 randomly selected adult residents of Seattle, Years of schooling by whether or not one agrees with the statement,
"Seattle should require the registration of hand guns with the city police department."
 $$\begin{array} { l | c c c c c c } 
\text { Years }& \text { Strongly } && &{ \text { Strongly } } \
 \text { of School }&\text { Agree } & \text { Agree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Disagree } & \text { Total } & ( \mathrm { N } ) \
\hline \text { Under } 8 & 30 \% & 25 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
8 - 11 & 35 \% & 20 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 ) \
12 & 40 \% & 30 \% & 15 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
13 - 15 & 50 \% & 25 \% & 20 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 300 ) \
16 & 60 \% & 25 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 200 ) \
17 \text { or more } & 80 \% & 10 \% & 5 \% & 5 \% & 100 \% & ( 100 )
\end{array}$$
-An elementary school teacher has three classes. She finds the following mean and standard deviations for student I.Q. scores. $$\begin{array} { l l c } 
& \text { Mean } & \text { Standard Deviation } \
\hline \text { Class \#1 } & 106 & 32 \
\hline \text { Class \#2 } & 104 & 9 \
\text { Class \#3 } & 110 & 16 \
\hline
\end{array}$$ She knows she is more effective if the students are at similar ability levels and the I.Q. measures ability level in this situation. Which class is she likely to be most effective with? [NOTE: I.Q. scores for the general population range from about 70 to 130 with a mean of 100].
A) Class #1
B) Class #2
C) Class #3
D) All classes equally

Accepted Answer

Class #2 has the lowest standard deviation, indicating that the students' I.Q. scores are more closely clustered around the mean, suggesting similar ability levels compared to the other classes.

Question 19

Rocky Rococo found a correlation of .001 between the amount of pizza a person consumed in a year and the number of Italian phrases the person could correctly translate into English. From this, he should conclude
A) there is a strong negative relationship between the variables.
B) there is no relationship between the variables.
C) there is a weak negative relationship between the variables.
D) there is a strong positive relationship between the variables.

Accepted Answer

A correlation of .001 is very close to zero, indicating that there is virtually no linear relationship between the amount of pizza consumed and the ability to translate Italian phrases into English.

Question 20

Statistical analysis that allows scientists to confidently make accurate statements about a population is called
A) frequency distribution.
B) descriptive statistics.
C) univariate statistics.
D) inferential statistics.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics enable scientists to make predictions or inferences about a population based on a sample of data taken from that population, hence the correct answer is D) inferential statistics.

Quiz 12: Analysis of Quantitative Data

You find a positive relationship between mothers' education and respondents' income at age 40. The relationship remained after controlling for family social class. This means

Professor Doner asked you to interpret a Pearson product's moment correlation coefficient of .93. You say

An example of multivariate analysis would be

In reading a table someone else has constructed, the rule of thumb is

Susan weighs 140 pounds. You learn the mean weight is 130 pounds for the women in her sorority and the standard deviation is 10 pounds. What is Susan's z-score in the distribution weight in the sorority?

A researcher wants to express the middle of a distribution of numbers, such that half the cases are higher and half lower than a value. What statistical measure should he use?

A "codebook" is

My daughter wears a size 2 jacket. She went to her favorite clothing store and found that the mean size of the store's stock of jackets is a size 10 with a standard deviation of 4 sizes. What is her z-score in the distribution of the store's jackets?

Rocky Rococo found a correlation of .001 between the amount of pizza a person consumed in a year and the number of Italian phrases the person could correctly translate into English. From this, he should conclude

Statistical analysis that allows scientists to confidently make accurate statements about a population is called