Deck 19: Appendix A: Measurement and Statistics

Question 1

Most psychological measurement can be characterized as being at a nominal level or lower.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Standard scores on intelligence tests represent the same level of measurement as temperature in degrees Celsius.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Standard scores on an intelligence test are an example of measurement at a ratio level.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The highest level of measurement is measurement on an equal interval scale.

Question 5

If John's IQ is 120 and Joe's IQ is 60, then John is twice as intelligent as Joe.

Question 6

The frequency distribution of a group of test scores must be determined before computing averages and measures of variability.

Question 7

Histogram is to bar as frequency polygon is to line.

Question 8

The frequency distributions of many biological characteristics are approximately normal in shape.

Question 9

It is more common for test scores to be positively skewed than negatively skewed.

Question 10

The most commonly used measure of central tendency is the arithmetic mean.

Question 11

The mean is less affected than the median by the shape of a frequency distribution.

Question 12

A symmetric distribution is to the mean as a highly skewed distribution is to the median.

Question 13

For the scores 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, the median is larger than the mean.

Question 14

The median is a more representative average than the arithmetic mean when the frequency distribution of scores is highly skewed.

Question 15

Arithmetic mean is to standard deviation as median is to semi-interquartile range.

Question 16

Correlation coefficients range from .00 to 1.00.

Question 17

A correlation of -1.00 indicates the absence of a relationship between two variables.

Question 18

Correlation implies prediction but not causation.

Question 19

The prediction of Y from X is just as accurate when r = -.50 as when r = .50.

Question 20

Only when the correlation between two variables is .90 or higher can one be certain that one variable is a cause of the other.

Question 21

Multiple correlation involves the relationships of multiple independent variables with multiple dependent variables.

Question 22

Factor analysis is a procedure for decomposing the variance of test scores into common factor variance, specific factor variance, and error variance.

Question 23

The major purpose of factor analysis is to find a small number of factors that account for the correlations among a group of variables.

Question 24

Orthogonal factors are independent, and oblique factors are correlated.

Question 25

Specificity plus reliability equals communality.

Question 26

Factors can be loaded on tests, but tests cannot be loaded on factors.

Question 27

The sum of the cross-products of a set of factors on two tests is an estimate of the correlation between those tests.

Question 28

Orthogonal rotation results in the factor axes being at right angles to each other.

Question 29

The highest level of measurement is a(n) __________ scale, which has a true zero.

A) interval
B) nominal
C) ordinal
D) ratio

Question 30

The correct order of the following scales of measurement, from lowest to highest, is

A) nominal, interval, ordinal, ratio.
B) nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio.
C) ordinal, nominal, interval, ratio.
D) ordinal, nominal, ratio, interval.

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of measurement at a nominal level?

A) numbers on athletic uniforms
B) order of finishing in a race
C) temperature in degrees Celsius
D) weight of baggage in kilograms

Question 32

On which of the following types of scales does the number "0" represent a true zero?

A) interval
B) nominal
C) ordinal
D) ratio

Question 33

Standard scores on intelligence tests are considered to be __________ numbers.

A) interval
B) nominal
C) ordinal
D) ratio

Question 34

A __________ is constructed as a series of vertical bars, whereas a __________ is constructed as a series of connecting straight lines.

A) histogram, frequency polygon
B) mental age scale, chronological age scale
C) negatively skewed distribution, positively skewed distribution
D) normal curve, frequency distribution

Question 35

When a test is too easy for a group of examinees the frequency distribution of their scores will probably be

A) leptokurtic.
B) negatively skewed.
C) platykurtic.
D) positively skewed.

Question 36

If a test is too difficult for a group of examinees, the

A) mean will be greater than the median and mode.
B) mean will be less than the median and mode.
C) median will be less than the mean and mode.
D) median will be greater than the mean and mode.

Question 37

A normal curve is all of the following except

A) bell-shaped.
B) a frequency distribution.
C) skewed.
D) symmetric.

Question 38

Approximately what percentage of the scores in a normal distribution fall between the z values of -.5 and +.5?

A) 2%
B) 38%
C) 68%
D) 95%

Question 39

Which of the following is true when the frequency distribution of scores is positively skewed?

A) mean = median = mode
B) mean>median>mode
C) meanD) mean>mode>median

Question 40

If 60% of the scores on an achievement test are low and 40% are high, the frequency distribution is

A) negatively skewed.
B) negatively spread.
C) positively skewed.
D) positively spread.

Question 41

The median of any group of scores is equal to all of the following except the

A) 2nd quartile.
B) 5th decile.
C) 50th percentile.
D) 5th stanine.

Question 42

Which of the following measures of variability would be most appropriate with a highly skewed distribution of scores?

A) average deviation
B) semi-interquartile range
C) standard deviation
D) variance

Question 43

Which of the following measures of variability should be reported when the arithmetic mean is the measure of average?

A) average deviation
B) range
C) semi-interquartile range
D) standard deviation

Question 44

Consider the frequency distribution of the scores of 25 examinees on a 50-item test:

$\begin{array}{lc}\hline \text {Test Score Interval }&\text { Number of Examinees }\\\hline96-100 & 4 \\ 91-95 & 6 \\ 86-90 & 8 \\81-85 & 5 \\76-80 & 2 \\\hline\end{array}$

-The arithmetic mean of the above distribution of scores is

A) 59.5.
B) 88.0.
C) 89.0.
D) 92.5.

Question 45

Consider the frequency distribution of the scores of 25 examinees on a 50-item test:

$\begin{array}{lc}\hline \text {Test Score Interval }&\text { Number of Examinees }\\\hline96-100 & 4 \\ 91-95 & 6 \\ 86-90 & 8 \\81-85 & 5 \\76-80 & 2 \\\hline\end{array}$

-The mode of the above distribution of scores is

A) 86.0.
B) 88.0.
C) 88.5.
D) 89.0.

Question 46

Consider the frequency distribution of the scores of 25 examinees on a 50-item test:

$\begin{array}{lc}\hline \text {Test Score Interval }&\text { Number of Examinees }\\\hline96-100 & 4 \\ 91-95 & 6 \\ 86-90 & 8 \\81-85 & 5 \\76-80 & 2 \\\hline\end{array}$

-The median of the above distribution of scores is closest to

A) 85.5.
B) 86.0.
C) 88.0.
D) 89.0.

Question 47

Consider the frequency distribution of the scores of 25 examinees on a 50-item test:

$\begin{array}{lc}\hline \text {Test Score Interval }&\text { Number of Examinees }\\\hline96-100 & 4 \\ 91-95 & 6 \\ 86-90 & 8 \\81-85 & 5 \\76-80 & 2 \\\hline\end{array}$

-The above standard deviation of the distribution of scores is approximately

A) 3.0.
B) 6.0.
C) 12.0.
D) 36.0.

Question 48

Computing the 50th percentile is equivalent to computing the __________ of a group of scores.

A) arithmetic mean
B) median
C) mode
D) skewness

Question 49

Semi-interquartile range is to standard deviation as

A) mean is to mode.
B) median is to mean.
C) median is to mode.
D) mode is to mean.
E) mode is to median.

Question 50

Consider the following group of scores: 5, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Without making any computations, which of the following two assertions do you consider to be true? (1) the mean is greater than the median;(2) the mode is less than the mean.

A) Both 1 and 2 are true.
B) Neither 1 nor 2 is true.
C) Only 1 is true.
D) Only 2 is true.

Question 51

The statistical method of "co-relations" was introduced by

A) Charles Darwin.
B) Francis Galton.
C) Charles Spearman.
D) Louis Thurstone.

Question 52

The range of the product-moment correlation coefficient is

A) -1.00 to .00.
B) -1.00 to +.50.
C) -.50 to 1.00.
D) -1.00 to 1.00.

Question 53

If two groups of test scores are perfectly but inversely related, the correlation between them will be closest to

A) -1.00.
B) -.50.
C) .00.
D) 1.00.

Question 54

Predicting a person's standing on variable Y from his or her standing on variable X is least accurate when the correlation between X and Y is

A) -1.00.
B) .00.
C) .50.
D) 1.00.

Question 55

Correlation does not imply

A) association.
B) causation.
C) prediction.
D) relationship.

Question 56

The correlation between variable X and variable Y is .50. From this information one may conclude that

A) X is not a cause of Y.
B) X and Y are moderately related.
C) Y is not predictable from X.
D) X and Y are inversely related.

Question 57

Information on the common dimensions or traits underlying the scores on a group of tests can be obtained by a __________ analysis of the correlations among the tests.

A) common correlational
B) factor
C) regression
D) variance

Question 58

A mathematical technique for studying various kinds of intelligence is known as

A) cluster constituent analysis.
B) component dissection.
C) factor analysis.
D) primary mental abilities analysis.

Question 59

Communality plus specificity equals

A) error variance.
B) reliability.
C) validity.
D) true variance.

Question 60

In Thurstone's centroid method of factoring, __________ are placed on the diagonals of the correlation matrix.

A) 1.00s
B) communality estimates
C) reliability coefficients
D) validity coefficients

Question 61

The correlations between factors and tests are referred to as

A) centroids.
B) communalities.
C) factor loadings.
D) specificity estimates.

Question 62

The square of a factor loading on a test is the proportion of the __________ variance of the test scores that is accounted for by the factor.

A) common-factor
B) error
C) observed
D) specific

Question 63

If 50% of the variability in the scores on a test having a reliability of .90 is attributable to common factors, then the specificity of the test is __________ and the proportion of the test?s total variance that is due to error is __________.

A) .10, .40
B) .10, .50
C) .40, .10
D) .50, .10

Question 64

The major purpose of factor rotation is to

A) compare the oblique and orthogonal procedures.
B) increase the number of non-zero factor loadings.
C) prepare the correlation matrix for factoring.
D) simplify the factor matrix for interpretation.

Question 65

Correlated factors result from __________ rotation.

A) centroid
B) oblique
C) orthogonal
D) principal axis

Question 66

The percentage of the total test variance accounted for by factors that the test has in common with other tests in a factor analysis is the __________ of the test.

A) communality
B) reliability
C) specificity
D) validity

Question 67

Factors are interpreted primarily by examining the factor

A) communalities.
B) loadings.
C) reliabilities.
D) specificities.
E) validities.

Question 68

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-index ranging from -1.00 to +1.00

A) correlation coefficient
B) frequency polygon

Question 69

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-measure of variability around the mean

A) standard deviation
B) semi-interquartile

Question 70

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-most frequently occurring score

A) mode
B) frequency polygon

Question 71

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-score below which half the scores fall

A) median
B) semi-interquartile

Question 72

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-sum of scores divided by number of scores

A) arithmetic mean
B) frequency polygon

Question 73

Match the descriptive phrase with statistical term :

-number of people making each score

A) frequency distribution
B) semi-interquartile

Question 74

Define four scales of measurements, and give examples of variables that can be measured on each scale.

Question 75

What is a ʺnormal curve,ʺ and what variables are likely to be distributed in a normal fashion?

Question 76

List and describe three measures of central tendency and the corresponding measures of variability.

Question 77

What are ʺcorrelation coefficientsʺ and ʺlinear regression,ʺ and for what purposes are they employed?

Question 78

When and how is a factor analysis of a set of n scores on m variables conducted, and in what way are the results interpreted?