Deck 12: Bivariate Association: Introduction and Basic Concepts

Question 1

If there is an association between two variables,

A)the scores of the cases are approximately equal.
B)the distributions of the scores approach normality.
C)all of the scores are in the same row in the bivariate table.
D)the conditional distributions of Y change.

Answer 1

the conditional distributions of Y change.

Question 2

One way to detect an association between variables is the chi square statistic.Variables are associated if obtained chi square is

A)greater than zero.
B)less than zero.
C)greater than 10.
D)greater than 100.

Answer 2

greater than zero.

Question 3

Conventionally,each column of a bivariate table represents

A)the highest scores of each variable.
B)a category of the independent variable (X).
C)a category of the dependent variable (Y).
D)the lowest scores on each variable.

Answer 3

a category of the independent variable (X).

Question 4

A researcher has found a strong relationship between level of education and income and concludes that "higher levels of education cause higher income." What error has been made?

A)None,the argument is sound.
B)Income is only nominal in level of measurement and education is ordinal so they cannot be causally related.
C)Since these variables are continuous and interval ratio,they cannot have a causal relationship.
D)By itself,association does not prove causation.

Question 5

Measures of association help social scientists accomplish two important goals:

A)prediction and forecasting
B)understanding causation and measuring concepts
C)prediction and correlation
D)prediction and understanding causation

Question 6

If chi square computed on a bivariate table is greater than zero,the variables

A)are not associated but are independent.
B)are associated and independent.
C)are neither associated nor independent.
D)are associated and may be dependent.

Question 7

Measures of association provide the researcher with information that

A)indicates the strength of a relationship between variables.
B)assists him or her in making predictions from one variable to another.
C)facilitates his or her understanding of causal relationships between variables.
D)all of the above

Question 8

Tests of significance and measures of association provide information about sample data that is

A)complementary.
B)contradictory.
C)unnecessary.
D)redundant.

Question 9

A researcher can demonstrate a strong association between gender and income.Which variable is independent?

A)gender
B)both
C)income
D)neither

Question 10

The distribution of scores on the dependent variable for a specific category of the independent variable is called

A)associated categories.
B)the distribution correlation.
C)the conditional distribution of Y.
D)the marginal response category.

Question 11

To prove that one variable causes another,we use

A)measures of association.
B)tests of significance.
C)ANOVA.
D)none of the above: neither measures of association or tests of significance can prove causal relationships

Question 12

If the distribution of the scores of one variable changes across the categories of another variable,the variables

A)are associated to some extent.
B)are related in a way that is statistically significant.
C)have a cause and effect relationship.
D)are perfectly associateD.

Question 13

Tests of significance tell us if our results are non-random.To investigate the strength and direction of relationships,we must use

A)Chi square tests.
B)ANOVA.
C)percentages.
D)measures of association.

Question 14

If variables are arranged in a bivariate table,we can see if they are associated by

A)adding their scores vertically.
B)subtracting their scores horizontally.
C)computing percentages in the direction of the independent variable.
D)computing percentages in the direction of the dependent variable.

Question 15

Measures of association ____ the importance of a relationship between variables.

A)nullify
B)quantify
C)prove
D)maximize

Question 16

If the conditional distributions of Y change,the variables are

A)independent.
B)not associated.
C)significantly related.
D)associateD.

Question 17

In a bivariate table,the categories of the dependent variable are placed in the

A)rows.
B)columns.
C)marginals.
D)far right-hand column.

Question 18

Measures of association

A)increase our understanding of causal relationships among variables.
B)provide proof of causal relationships among variables.
C)enhance our ability to predict from one variable to another.
D)both a and c

Question 19

The relationship between measures of association and causal relations between variables may be summarized as

A)association proves causation.
B)association does not prove causation.
C)association and causation are unrelated concepts.
D)measures of association can be used only for prediction,never as evidence of a causal relationship between variables.

Question 20

If social class is a cause of a person's political ideology,then ____ is the independent variable and ____ is dependent.

A)class,ideology
B)ideology,class
C)person,ideology
D)Information is not sufficient to tell which is independent and which dependent.

Question 21

If the maximum difference is greater than 30,the relationship is

A)strong.
B)moderate.
C)weak.
D)statistically significant.

Question 22

The characteristic(s)of a relationship between two variables that must be analyzed for a full understanding of the relationship is (are)

A)the existence of an association.
B)the strength of an association.
C)the direction of an association.
D)all of the above

Question 23

A researcher tested the relationship between education and support for assisted suicide ("death with dignity")and found that support increased as education increased and that the maximum difference was 45.This relationship is

A)strong negative.
B)weak positive.
C)strong positive.
D)significant but not important.

Question 24

If the maximum difference is less then 10,the relationship is

A)strong.
B)moderate.
C)weak.
D)statistically significant.

Question 25

For variables measured at the nominal level,measures of association will have a lower limit of ____ and an upper limit of ____.

A)0,100
B)-1,+1
C)0,1
D)1,0

Question 26

In the case of a perfect association,predictions from one variable to another can be made

A)only if variables are measured at the nominal level.
B)when at least one variable is ordinal.
C)without error.
D)only if the relationship is positive.

Question 27

"As education increases,income rises." This is an example of a

A)non-causal relationship.
B)positive relationship.
C)negative relationship.
D)neutral relationship.

Question 28

To display the effects of the X variable on the Y variable in a bivariate table when the independent variable has been arranged in the columns,compute percentages

A)within each column.
B)between each column.
C)within each row.
D)using N as the denominator.

Question 29

For variables measured at the ordinal and interval-ratio levels,measures of association will have a lower limit of ____ and an upper limit of ____.

A)0,100
B)0, $\pm$ 1
C)0,1
D)1,0

Question 30

A researcher finds that males are much more supportive of cohabitation than females.The maximum difference is 25.This is a ____ relationship.

A)moderate
B)negative
C)positive
D)strong

Question 31

A maximum difference greater than 30 would usually be accompanied by a ____ measure of association.

A)weak
B)moderate
C)negative
D)strong

Question 32

The table below displays the effects of hair color on political ideology for a sample.How should this relationship be characterized?
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Hair Color } & \\\hline & \text { Blonde } & \text { Not Blonde } \\\hline \text { Libera } & 60 \% & 60 \% \\\hline \text { Conservative } & 40 \% & 40 \% \\\hline & 100 \% & 100 \% \\\hline & & \\\hline\end{array}$

A)This is a strong,positive relationship.
B)This is a strong,negative relationship.
C)There is no relationship between these variables.
D)This is a perfect relationship.

Question 33

If there is a perfect association between sexual attraction and accelerated heartbeat,then

A)sex is unhealthy.
B)there is strong evidence that sexual attraction and accelerated heartbeat are causally related.
C)if there is no sexual attraction,the heartbeat never accelerates.
D)whenever the heartbeat accelerates,people become sexually attractive.

Question 34

If there is a positive association between two variables,

A)as one variable increases in value,the other also increases.
B)as one variable decreases in value,the other increases.
C)the researcher can be certain of his conclusions.
D)neither variable can decrease.

Question 35

"As the temperature rises,the crime rate increases."

A)This is a positive relationship.
B)If the temperature falls below zero degrees,there is no crime.
C)If the temperature would remain stable,the crime rate would stay the same.
D)Criminals should be incarcerated in Alaska.

Question 36

A researcher finds that income decreases as length of commute increases.This is a ____ relationship

A)positive
B)important
C)negative
D)associational

Question 37

With the independent variable in the columns,the "maximum difference" is the largest difference

A)in column percents in any row.
B)in row percents in any column.
C)between the marginals.
D)between any two cell frequencies.

Question 38

When variables vary in opposite directions,the association between variables is said to be

A)positive.
B)neutral.
C)contradictory.
D)negative.

Question 39

If the conditional distributions of Y do not change across the categories of X,any measure of association and the maximum difference would be

A)1.00.
B)0.00.
C)0.10.
D)100.

Question 40

The closer the value of a measure of association is to one,

A)the stronger the relationship.
B)the more evenly the scores are distributed.
C)the weaker the relationship.
D)the more certain we are that the samples are representative.

Question 41

Is there an association between support for the legalization of marijuana and age? Calculate percentages for the table below and write a sentence or two assessing the strength and pattern or direction of the relationship.

Question 42

A state is considering legislation to establish a fifteen day waiting period for the purchase of hand guns.A sample of 392 citizens has been questioned regarding their opinions.Is there a relationship between sex and support for this law? Calculate percentages for the table below and write a sentence or two assessing the strength and pattern or direction of the relationship.