Question 1

When findings in an experiment do not reach the conventional level of statistical significance, they are reported to be ___________.

Accepted Answer

Findings that do not reach the conventional level of statistical significance are typically reported as "nonsignificant," indicating that the results do not strongly support the hypothesis tested, but not necessarily that they are without merit or importance.

Question 2

If a magician claims that he can bend spoons with his mind, what did Carl Sagan propose to test the claim?

Accepted Answer

Carl Sagan proposed the "baloney detection kit," a set of cognitive tools and techniques for skeptical thinking and scientific skepticism, to test and evaluate claims like the ability to bend spoons with one's mind.

Question 3

Which of the following is a Type I error?

Accepted Answer

A Type I error occurs when the null hypothesis is rejected when it is actually true.

Question 4

The probability of committing the Type I error is also called ___________.

Accepted Answer

The probability of committing a Type I error is called alpha (α), which represents the significance level of a statistical hypothesis test.

Question 5

In the section "Trends, and Does God Really Love the .05 Level of Significance More Than the .06 Level?" Rosnow and Rosenthal have argued that the strength of evidence for or against a null hypothesis should be a fairly continuous function of the size of

Accepted Answer

Rosnow and Rosenthal argue that the strength of evidence for or against a null hypothesis is a continuous function of the p-value (the significance level), rather than being dichotomously categorized based on arbitrary thresholds like .05.

Question 6

The minimum conventional level of statistical significance is ___________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The minimum conventional level of statistical significance...

Question 7

The difference between two means in a controlled experiment that is just attributed to chance or random error is called ___________ in the signal-to-noise ratio.

Accepted Answer

The difference between two means in a controlled experiment that is attributed to chance or random error is referred to as "noise" in the signal-to-noise ratio. This term contrasts with "signal," which represents the actual effect or difference being measured.

Question 8

In the section "Can Statistics Solve Every Problem?" your course author argues

Accepted Answer

Statistics is a powerful tool for analyzing data and making predictions, but it cannot solve every problem. Some issues may be too complex for statistical models, or the necessary data may not be available. Additionally, ethical, philosophical, and subjective questions often require insights beyond what statistics can provide.

Question 9

A dependent variable in an experiment can be likened to the ___________ in the signal-to-noise ratio.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in an experiment is similar to the "signal" in the signal-to-noise ratio because it represents the outcome or effect that is being measured, analogous to how the signal is the meaningful information that one is trying to detect or measure amidst the noise.

Question 10

Which of the following is true about correlational designs?

Accepted Answer

Correlational designs help identify if there is a relationship between two variables, but they do not establish causality. They can suggest potential causal relationships that can be tested with experiments.

Question 11

Which of the following is more likely to end up being too sensitive to chance differences?

Accepted Answer

A directional alternative hypothesis is more likely to end up being too sensitive to chance differences because it specifies a direction of effect, which can lead to overinterpretation of random variations in the data that align with the expected direction.

Question 12

Because it is said in science "one experiment does not prove anything," statisticians rely on ___________ to test the usefulness of theories.

Accepted Answer

Replication is crucial in statistics and science for testing the reliability and validity of experimental results. By repeating experiments and achieving consistent results, statisticians and scientists can more confidently infer the usefulness and accuracy of theories.

Question 13

The probability of committing the Type II error is also called ___________.

Accepted Answer

The probability of committing a Type II error, which is failing to reject a false null hypothesis, is denoted by beta (β).

Question 14

A trend in the data means that the experimenter

Accepted Answer

A trend in the data suggests that the results were close to being statistically significant, indicating that the null hypothesis was not rejected but the data showed a pattern that approached significance.

Question 15

In the classic two-group controlled experiment, what parameter is of central interest between the two groups?

Accepted Answer

The central interest in a classic two-group controlled experiment is typically the difference in means between the two groups, as it helps in determining if there is a significant effect of the treatment or intervention being tested.

Quiz 5: Inferential Statistics: The Controlled Experiment, Hypothesis Testing, and the Z Distribution