Question 1

Statistical analysis allows researchers to
A) collect data.
B) claim that an observation is scientific.
C) evaluate scientific observations.
D) study physical phenomena but not behavior.

Accepted Answer

Statistical analysis is a tool used to evaluate scientific observations by analyzing and interpreting data. It helps researchers make sense of the results they obtain from conducting experiments or studies. Statistical analysis is not limited to the study of physical phenomena, but can also be applied to the study of behavior.

Question 2

A characteristic (usually numeric)that describes a population is called a
A) sample.
B) sample statistic.
C) population.
D) population parameter.

Accepted Answer

A population parameter is a characteristic that describes the entire population, such as the mean or standard deviation. A sample refers to a smaller subgroup of the population, and a sample statistic is a characteristic of that specific sample. Therefore, option D is the correct choice as it refers to the characteristic of the entire population.

Question 3

A psychologist reviews her notes for all her patients and determines that on average her patients complete therapy in 24 days.The average time to complete therapy among all her patients is called a(n)
A) population parameter.
B) sample statistic.
C) inferential statistic.
D) time trial.

Accepted Answer

The average time to complete therapy among all the psychologist's patients is a characteristic of the entire population of patients she treats, thus it is a population parameter. It is not a sample statistic because it is not based on a subset or sample of patients. It is not an inferential statistic because it is not used to make inferences or predictions beyond the sample of patients. It is also not a time trial as this term does not apply to statistical concepts.

Question 4

A researcher records the time it takes to complete a memory task in a sample of 25 participants.He finds that the average participant completed the test in 43 s.The average time to complete this task is called a(n)
A) population parameter.
B) sample statistic.
C) inferential statistic.
D) time trial.

Accepted Answer

The average time to complete the memory task for the sample of participants is a sample statistic, as it is based on the data collected from the sample. A population parameter would refer to the average time it takes to complete the memory task for the entire population (which may be unknown). Inferential statistics refers to methods used to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample, and time trial is not a relevant statistical term in this context.

Question 5

A therapist observes that spouses are more likely to forgive their partners for lying to them if they find out the truth from their spouses and not from a third party.In this example,the dependent variable is
A) the number of partners.
B) the spouse.
C) lying.
D) forgiveness.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this example is forgiveness as it is the outcome that is being affected by the independent variable (finding out the truth from spouse vs. third party).

Question 6

Which of the following best describes an independent variable?
A) the sample variable
B) the measured behavior
C) the manipulated variable
D) the population variable

Accepted Answer

An independent variable is the variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher in an experiment. This is done in order to observe the effect that the independent variable has on another variable, which is called the dependent variable. The other options, such as sample variable, measured behavior, and population variable, may be involved in the research process, but they do not specifically refer to the variable that is being manipulated in an experiment.

Question 7

A researcher records the number of votes for each of five candidates running for class president.Based on her presentation of the following results,what type of statistics did she use?

A) inferential statistics
B) descriptive statistics
C) population statistics
D) deceptive statistics

Accepted Answer

The researcher used descriptive statistics to summarize and describe the results of the election by counting the number of votes for each candidate. Descriptive statistics involve organizing, summarizing, and presenting data in a meaningful way. In contrast, inferential statistics use sample data to make inferences about a larger population, while population statistics refer to characteristics of the entire population. Deceptive statistics would be intentionally misleading or manipulated data, which is not the case in this scenario.

Question 8

Suppose that a researcher is interested in a group of 10 million people who paid to see a movie in theaters.In this example,the 10 million moviegoers would be regarded as
A) a sample of moviegoers who paid to see the movie in a theater.
B) a population of moviegoers who paid to see the movie in a theater.
C) an independent variable.
D) a dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

The 10 million moviegoers are being regarded as a population because they represent the entire group of people who paid to see the movie in theaters, rather than just a selection or subset of that group. A sample would be a smaller group of individuals selected from this population for research purposes. The terms "independent variable" and "dependent variable" refer to variables being studied, rather than the group being studied.

Question 9

Researchers rarely have access to entire populations.How do researchers resolve this limitation?
A) They do not need to resolve this; it is not a limitation at all.
B) They record data from an entire population of people to make inferences concerning characteristics in a sample.
C) They record data from as many persons in a population as possible to draw conclusions concerning only those individuals.
D) They record data from a sample of people in the larger population in order to make inferences concerning characteristics in that larger population.

Accepted Answer

Researchers use samples to draw conclusions about a larger population. By collecting data from a smaller group of individuals, they can make inferences about the characteristics of the larger population. This allows researchers to generalize their findings and make predictions about the larger group. While they may not have access to the entire population, sampling techniques can help ensure that the sample is representative of the larger group.

Question 10

A characteristic (usually numeric)that describes a sample is called a
A) sample.
B) sample statistic.
C) population.
D) population parameter.

Accepted Answer

A sample statistic is a characteristic or measure that describes a sample, such as the sample mean or sample standard deviation. The other options refer to a group of individuals or data points (a population) and characteristics or measures that describe that group (population parameters).

Question 11

Procedures that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were selected best describe
A) inferential statistics.
B) sample statistics.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) population parameters.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to make inferences or predictions about a population based on observations made with a sample. This allows researchers to generalize their findings to a larger population. Sample statistics are just measurements made on the sample itself, while population parameters are measurements made on the entire population, which can be difficult or impossible to obtain. Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe data, but do not necessarily allow for inferential generalizations.

Question 12

The use of tables and graphs to summarize data is an example of
A) inferential statistics.
B) interpretation.
C) descriptive statistics.
D) generalization.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics involves summarizing and displaying data through tables, graphs, and numerical measures to provide an understanding of the data. In this case, tables and graphs are being used to summarize the data, which falls under the category of descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics involves making inferences and generalizations about a larger population based on a smaller sample, interpretation involves analyzing and making sense of the data, and generalization involves applying the findings to a larger population.

Question 13

A population can be ______ group of interest to a researcher.
A) any
B) only one
C) only a small
D) only a large

Accepted Answer

A population can be any group of interest to a researcher. This can include a small or large group, depending on the nature of the research question.

Question 14

A researcher identifies college students as a group of interest to test her hypothesis.She then identifies a few local college students and selects a small group of local college students to be observed.In this example,the sample is:
A) not clearly identified.
B) all college students.
C) the few local college students.
D) the small group of college students who are observed.

Accepted Answer

The sample refers to the specific group of individuals from the larger population who are actually observed or tested in a study. In this case, the sample is the small group of college students who are observed.

Question 15

______ is the variable that is believed to change in the presence of the independent variable.
A) Independent variable
B) Quasi-independent variable
C) Dependent variable

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is believed to change based on the presence or absence of the independent variable. It is the outcome or response variable that is being measured or observed in a research study.

Question 16

Which of the following best describes a dependent variable?
A) the sample variable
B) the measured behavior
C) the manipulated variable
D) the population variable

Accepted Answer

A dependent variable is the variable that is measured or observed in an experiment, so it is the measured behavior. Choices A, C, and D are not correct because a sample variable refers to a portion of the population being studied, a manipulated variable is the variable that is changed by the researcher, and a population variable refers to a characteristic of the entire group being studied.

Question 17

Descriptive statistics are procedures used to
A) summarize a set of scores or observations.
B) organize a set of scores or observations.
C) make sense of a set of scores or observations.
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics involve summarizing, organizing, and making sense of a set of scores or observations. Therefore, all of the choices A, B, and C are correct.

Question 18

Which of the following describes a descriptive statistic?
A) summarize
B) infer
C) generalize
D) predict

Accepted Answer

A descriptive statistic summarizes or describes a dataset or population without making any inferences or predictions.

Question 19

Researchers measure data in a ______ to learn more about individuals in the larger ______ of interest.
A) sample; population
B) statistic; inference
C) population; sample
D) inference; statistic

Accepted Answer

A sample is a smaller group selected from a larger population, and researchers use the data collected from the sample to make inferences about the population as a whole. Therefore, measuring data in a sample is a way to learn more about the population of interest.

Question 20

______ is the variable in an experiment that is manipulated between conditions being observed.
A) Independent variable
B) Quasi-independent variable
C) Dependent variable

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher in order to observe its effect on the dependent variable.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Statistics

Statistical analysis allows researchers to

A characteristic (usually numeric) that describes a population is called a

A psychologist reviews her notes for all her patients and determines that on average her patients complete therapy in 24 days.The average time to complete therapy among all her patients is called a(n)

A researcher records the time it takes to complete a memory task in a sample of 25 participants.He finds that the average participant completed the test in 43 s.The average time to complete this task is called a(n)

A therapist observes that spouses are more likely to forgive their partners for lying to them if they find out the truth from their spouses and not from a third party.In this example,the dependent variable is

Which of the following best describes an independent variable?

A researcher records the number of votes for each of five candidates running for class president.Based on her presentation of the following results,what type of statistics did she use?

Suppose that a researcher is interested in a group of 10 million people who paid to see a movie in theaters.In this example,the 10 million moviegoers would be regarded as

Researchers rarely have access to entire populations.How do researchers resolve this limitation?

A characteristic (usually numeric) that describes a sample is called a

Procedures that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were selected best describe

The use of tables and graphs to summarize data is an example of

A population can be ______ group of interest to a researcher.

A researcher identifies college students as a group of interest to test her hypothesis.She then identifies a few local college students and selects a small group of local college students to be observed.In this example,the sample is:

______ is the variable that is believed to change in the presence of the independent variable.

Which of the following best describes a dependent variable?

Descriptive statistics are procedures used to

Which of the following describes a descriptive statistic?

Researchers measure data in a to learn more about individuals in the larger of interest.

______ is the variable in an experiment that is manipulated between conditions being observed.