Question 1

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The average (mean) value of the measured height scores constitutes a _________.
A) population
B) sample
C) parameter
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

The average (mean) value of the measured height scores of all psychology majors at the university is a statistic because it is a measure that describes a characteristic of a sample (in this case, the psychology majors) from the larger population (all students at the university).

Question 2

When one analyzes data based on a sample, one calculates a _________.
A) parameter
B) variable
C) constant
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

When analyzing data based on a sample, one calculates a statistic, which is a summary measure of the sample data. Parameters are summary measures of the entire population, while variables and constants are not specific to the process of analyzing sample data.

Question 3

In order to estimate the attention level of college undergraduates in the United States, a psychologist measures the attention span of the undergraduates at a local university. The undergraduates at the local university are a _________.
A) parameter
B) population
C) sample
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

A sample is a subset of a population from which data is collected and analyzed. The undergraduates at the local university represent only a portion of the entire population of college undergraduates in the United States, which makes them a sample. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 4

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The resulting proportion is called a _________.
A) population
B) sample
C) parameter
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

The resulting proportion from the professor's class is a sample statistic. A population refers to the entire group being studied, a sample refers to a subset of the population being studied, and a parameter is a numerical value summarizing the population.

Question 5

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The students of the entire college are called a _________.
A) sample
B) population
C) statistic
D) parameter

Accepted Answer

The students of the entire college are referred to as the population in this scenario. A sample would refer to a smaller subset of students taken from the population. Statistics refer to numerical data and parameters refer to specific characteristics of a population or sample.

Question 6

Mathematical methods used to draw tentative conclusions about a population based on sample data are referred to as _________.
A) descriptive statistics
B) sample statistics
C) inferential statistics
D) random sampling

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics simply describe a set of data, while sample statistics describe a sample but not the entire population. Random sampling is a method used to select a sample from a population. Therefore, the best choice is C, inferential statistics, which allows us to make predictions or draw conclusions about a population based on a sample using statistical methods.

Question 7

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The resulting raw scores are called _________.
A) constants
B) data
C) coefficients
D) statistics

Accepted Answer

Raw scores are a set of data, which are measurements or observations that have been collected. Therefore, the correct answer is B, data.

Question 8

To avoid unknown, systematic factors that may bias the results of an experiment, the experimenter should select a _________ sample from a population and use controlled conditions.
A) wise
B) small
C) random
D) single

Accepted Answer

A random sample ensures that all individuals in the population have an equal chance of being selected for the study, minimizing potential bias. Controlled conditions help to eliminate external factors that could influence the results. A small sample size may not be representative of the population, while a single sample does not allow for comparison or replication. Wise is not a relevant term in this context.

Question 9

In order to estimate the attention level of college undergraduates in the United States, a psychologist measures the attention span of the undergraduates at a local university. The mean of these scores is a _________.
A) parameter
B) population
C) statistic
D) sample

Accepted Answer

Since the psychologist is measuring the attention span of undergraduates at a local university, they are collecting data from a subset of the entire population of college undergraduates in the United States. Therefore, the mean of these scores would be a statistic, not a parameter or population. A sample refers to the specific group of individuals who were measured in this study.

Question 10

From which of the following studies can one most reasonably determine cause and effect?
A) correlational study
B) true experiment
C) naturalistic observation
D) all these

Accepted Answer

A true experiment allows for manipulation of an independent variable and random assignment of participants, which increases the ability to establish cause and effect relationships.

Question 11

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. If you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, these scores would constitute a _________.
A) population
B) sample
C) parameter
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

A population refers to the entire group of individuals or objects that we want to draw conclusions about, while a sample is a subset of the population that is actually measured. In this scenario, if you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, this would be the population since it includes all individuals of interest. The height scores of just psychology majors would be a sample of the population. Parameter and statistic refer to numerical values used to describe a population or sample, respectively, so these options are not the best choices for this question.

Question 12

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The students in the professor's class are called a _________.
A) sample
B) population
C) statistic
D) parameter

Accepted Answer

The students in the professor's class are a sample of the larger population of students in the college. Therefore, the proportion of whites and blacks in the professor's class would be used to estimate the ratio of whites to blacks in the larger population, making the correct choice (A) sample.

Question 13

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. If you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, the average (mean) of these scores would constitute a _________.
A) population
B) sample
C) parameter
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

The average (mean) of all students' height scores at the university would constitute a parameter, as it is a measure that describes a characteristic of the entire population.

Question 14

In inferential statistics the object is usually to generalize from a _________ to a _________.
A) data; variable
B) sample; population
C) population; sample
D) constant; variable

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics is used to make predictions or infer about a population based on a sample. Therefore, the goal is to generalize from a sample (subset of the population) to the population as a whole.

Question 15

For a list of sample data the lowest and highest score values are examples of _________ statistics.
A) inferential
B) sample
C) population
D) descriptive

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics summarize and describe the characteristics of a sample or population, including measures like the minimum and maximum values.

Question 16

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The height scores of all psychology majors constitute a _________.
A) population
B) sample
C) parameter
D) statistic

Accepted Answer

The height scores of all psychology majors represent a sample because they are a subset of the entire university student population.

Question 17

Inferential statistics _________.
A) is the same as descriptive statistics
B) also uses methods of descriptive statistics
C) allows one to make inferences about a sample based on population data
D) allows one to make inferences about a population based on sample data
E) also uses methods of descriptive statistics and allows one to make inferences about a population based on sample data

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics uses methods of descriptive statistics to summarize and describe the features of a set of data from a sample. It then goes further to allow researchers to make inferences or predictions about a larger population based on the data collected from the sample. This is why option E is correct, as it encompasses both the use of descriptive statistics methods and the ability to make inferences about a population from sample data.

Question 18

The variable that the experimenter manipulates is called the _________.
A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) constant variable
D) experimental variable

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that the experimenter intentionally changes or manipulates in order to observe the effect on the dependent variable.

Question 19

Descriptive statistics are used to _________.
A) calculate the mean and standard deviation of a sample
B) calculate the mean and standard deviation of a population
C) graph a distribution of raw scores
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are used to calculate both the mean and standard deviation of a sample and a population as well as graph and summarize a distribution of raw scores. Therefore, all of the options listed are correct.

Question 20

In the equation Y = bX + a , b is a(n) _________.
A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) constant
D) coefficient
E) constant and coefficient

Accepted Answer

In the equation Y = bX + a, b is both a constant (because it does not change with the variables) and a coefficient (because it is a factor that multiplies the variable X).

Quiz 1: Statistics and Scientific Method

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The average (mean) value of the measured height scores constitutes a _________.

When one analyzes data based on a sample, one calculates a _________.

In order to estimate the attention level of college undergraduates in the United States, a psychologist measures the attention span of the undergraduates at a local university. The undergraduates at the local university are a _________.

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The resulting proportion is called a _________.

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The students of the entire college are called a _________.

Mathematical methods used to draw tentative conclusions about a population based on sample data are referred to as _________.

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The resulting raw scores are called _________.

To avoid unknown, systematic factors that may bias the results of an experiment, the experimenter should select a _________ sample from a population and use controlled conditions.

In order to estimate the attention level of college undergraduates in the United States, a psychologist measures the attention span of the undergraduates at a local university. The mean of these scores is a _________.

From which of the following studies can one most reasonably determine cause and effect?

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. If you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, these scores would constitute a _________.

In order to estimate the ratio of white to black students in his college, a professor determines the proportion of whites and blacks in his class. The students in the professor's class are called a _________.

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. If you had measured the height scores of all students at your university, the average (mean) of these scores would constitute a _________.

In inferential statistics the object is usually to generalize from a _ to a _.

For a list of sample data the lowest and highest score values are examples of _________ statistics.

In order to estimate the height of all students at your university, let's assume you have measured the height of all psychology majors at the university. The height scores of all psychology majors constitute a _________.

Inferential statistics _________.

The variable that the experimenter manipulates is called the _________.

Descriptive statistics are used to _________.

In the equation Y = bX + a , b is a(n) _________.