Question 1

A researcher examines the effect of playing organized sports on a child's grades in school. Since grades are affected by many things besides involvement in organized sports, the researcher will also take into account the educational level and the socioeconomic status of the parents. What is the dependent variable?
A) child's grades
B) involvement in organized sports
C) parents' educational level
D) parents' socioeconomic status

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or observed in the experiment. In this case, the researcher is examining the effect of playing organized sports on a child's grades in school, so the dependent variable is the child's grades. The other variables mentioned (involvement in organized sports, parents' educational level, and parents' socioeconomic status) are independent variables that may have an effect on the dependent variable.

Question 2

A critic charges that IQ tests are inconsistent. You take the test today and get one score but, if you retake the test tomorrow, you get a totally different score. This critic is claiming IQ tests lack
A) authenticity
B) parsimony
C) reliability
D) validity

Accepted Answer

The critic is claiming that IQ tests lack consistency or stability over time, which is a key aspect of reliability. Reliability refers to the consistency of results when the same test is administered to the same individual or group of individuals under similar conditions. Authenticity pertains to the genuineness or credibility of the test, parsimony refers to the simplicity or economy of the test, and validity refers to the accuracy or truthfulness of the test in measuring what it is supposed to measure. While these factors are important in evaluating the quality of a test, the critic's concern about inconsistency specifically relates to reliability.

Question 3

The variable "years of formal schooling successfully completed" (categories: 0, 1 to 7, 8, 9 to 11, 12, 13 to 15, 16, 17 or more) has what level of measurement?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The variable is ordered and the categories have a meaningful order, but there is no consistent interval between the categories. Therefore, it is an ordinal variable.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for demonstrating causality?
A) covariation
B) necessity
C) nonspuriousness
D) temporal sequence
Multiple-Choice Questions from Student Quizzes

Accepted Answer

Necessity is not a requirement for demonstrating causality, rather it is sufficient but not necessary. The other three requirements (covariation, temporal sequence, and nonspuriousness) must be met to establish causality.

Question 5

The variable "number of children" uses the attributes 0, 1, 2, 3 ... (continuing as high as is needed). This variable is
A) a continuous interval/ratio variable
B) a continuous nominal variable
C) a discrete interval/ratio variable
D) a discrete nominal variable

Accepted Answer

This variable is discrete because the number of children cannot be a fraction or decimal. It is interval/ratio because the distance between the values is equal and meaningful (i.e. the difference between having 2 and 3 children is the same as the difference between 3 and 4).

Question 6

The categories of a variable have ONLY the following properties: the categories are different and the categories have rank order. What level of measurement does this variable have?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The properties listed indicate that the variable has an ordinal level of measurement. Nominal variables have different categories but no inherent order or rank, while interval/ratio variables have ordered categories with equal intervals between them.

Question 7

For the following pair of variables, which is the more likely INDEPENDENT variable: current residence and place of birth?
A) current residence
B) place of birth

Accepted Answer

The place of birth is more likely to be the independent variable because it precedes and can influence the current residence, but not vice versa.

Question 8

In the statement "Watching violence on TV causes an increase in a person's tolerance for aggression," the independent variable is
A) parental attitude toward TV
B) person's age
C) tolerance of aggression
D) watching violence on TV

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is being manipulated or changed in an experiment. In this statement, the variable being manipulated is the exposure to violence on TV, hence, the correct choice is D, watching violence on TV.

Question 9

You are examining a variable's attributes. They represent all the possibilities without overlapping one another; they have an inherent order; and they represent a numeric scale. Furthermore, the attributes are equally wide. What level of measurement does the variable have?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The variable has an inherent order and an equally wide numeric scale, indicating that it is either interval or ratio level of measurement. Since there are no inherent categories or groupings in the attributes, it cannot be nominal or ordinal. Therefore, the variable is interval/ratio level of measurement.

Question 10

A student complains that college tests don't really measure how much you know or how well you think. Teachers claim they do but the student says they really measure how fast you can work. The student is claiming college tests lack
A) authenticity
B) parsimony
C) reliability
D) validity

Accepted Answer

The student's complaint suggests that college tests may lack validity, which refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is supposed to measure. If the student believes that tests only measure how fast you can work rather than assessing knowledge or thinking ability, then the test may not be valid.

Question 11

The variable "cause of death" (categories: stroke, cancer, heart disease, accident, other) has what level of measurement?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The categories of cause of death are not ordered or quantifiable, but rather represent distinct, non-overlapping groups. Therefore, the variable has nominal level of measurement.

Question 12

"Our data set consists of 32 cases. Each case represents a different municipal police department. These departments were randomly selected from all the municipal police departments in the state of Connecticut." The unit of analysis for this study is
A) the police department
B) the police officer
C) the random sample
D) the State of Connecticut

Accepted Answer

The unit of analysis is the police department, as each of the 32 cases represents a different municipal police department in Connecticut.

Question 13

Is the variable "number of times a person has been married" continuous or discrete?
A) continuous
B) discrete

Accepted Answer

The variable "number of times a person has been married" can only take whole number values such as 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on, and cannot take any fraction or decimal values. Therefore, it is a discrete variable.

Question 14

The variable "age at last birthday" (attributes: 0 to 19, 20 to 39, 40 to 59, 60 to 79, 80 to 99, 100 or older) has what level of measurement?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The answer of The variable "age at last birthday" (attributes:...

Question 15

Is the variable "percent of time a married person spends with his or her spouse" continuous or discrete?
A) continuous
B) discrete

Accepted Answer

The variable "percent of time a married person spends with his or her spouse" is continuous because it can take on any value within a given range, including fractions or decimals, representing a percentage.

Question 16

Is the variable "percent of a population that is female" continuous or discrete?
A) continuous
B) discrete

Accepted Answer

The percent of a population that is female can take on any value between 0% and 100%, meaning it can take on any value within a range, which is characteristic of a continuous variable.

Question 17

The variable "frequency of late-arrival at class" (attributes: never, occasionally, usually, always) has what level of measurement?
A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval/ratio

Accepted Answer

The variable "frequency of late-arrival at class" has an ordered category ("never" being the lowest frequency and "always" being the highest frequency), making it an ordinal level of measurement. The categories are not necessarily evenly spaced or have a true zero point, making it inappropriate to be classified as interval/ratio level of measurement.

Question 18

Is the variable "number of college courses passed" continuous or discrete?
A) continuous
B) discrete

Accepted Answer

The variable "number of college courses passed" is discrete because it counts the number of courses and can only take on integer values (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, ...), not any value in between.

Question 19

For the following pair of variables, which is the more likely DEPENDENT variable: occupation and race?
A) occupation
B) race

Accepted Answer

Occupation is more likely to be the dependent variable as race may have an effect on the types of occupations that are available or accessible to certain groups of people.

Question 20

A researcher hypothesizes that a person's political attitudes are influenced by his or her parents' political attitudes. What is the independent variable in this hypothesis?
A) the person's political attitudes
B) the parents' political attitudes
C) whether or not the person's attitudes and the parents' attitudes agree
D) whether or not the person's attitudes and the parents' attitudes disagree

Accepted Answer

In this hypothesis, the independent variable is the parents' political attitudes, as they are the factor that is believed to be influencing or causing a change in the dependent variable (the person's political attitudes). The person's political attitudes are the dependent variable, as they are believed to be affected by or dependent on the parents' political attitudes.

Quiz 1: Introduction

A critic charges that IQ tests are inconsistent. You take the test today and get one score but, if you retake the test tomorrow, you get a totally different score. This critic is claiming IQ tests lack

The variable "years of formal schooling successfully completed" (categories: 0, 1 to 7, 8, 9 to 11, 12, 13 to 15, 16, 17 or more) has what level of measurement?

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for demonstrating causality?

The variable "number of children" uses the attributes 0, 1, 2, 3 ... (continuing as high as is needed) . This variable is

The categories of a variable have ONLY the following properties: the categories are different and the categories have rank order. What level of measurement does this variable have?

For the following pair of variables, which is the more likely INDEPENDENT variable: current residence and place of birth?

In the statement "Watching violence on TV causes an increase in a person's tolerance for aggression," the independent variable is

You are examining a variable's attributes. They represent all the possibilities without overlapping one another; they have an inherent order; and they represent a numeric scale. Furthermore, the attributes are equally wide. What level of measurement does the variable have?

A student complains that college tests don't really measure how much you know or how well you think. Teachers claim they do but the student says they really measure how fast you can work. The student is claiming college tests lack

The variable "cause of death" (categories: stroke, cancer, heart disease, accident, other) has what level of measurement?

"Our data set consists of 32 cases. Each case represents a different municipal police department. These departments were randomly selected from all the municipal police departments in the state of Connecticut." The unit of analysis for this study is

Is the variable "number of times a person has been married" continuous or discrete?

The variable "age at last birthday" (attributes: 0 to 19, 20 to 39, 40 to 59, 60 to 79, 80 to 99, 100 or older) has what level of measurement?

Is the variable "percent of time a married person spends with his or her spouse" continuous or discrete?

Is the variable "percent of a population that is female" continuous or discrete?

The variable "frequency of late-arrival at class" (attributes: never, occasionally, usually, always) has what level of measurement?

Is the variable "number of college courses passed" continuous or discrete?

For the following pair of variables, which is the more likely DEPENDENT variable: occupation and race?

A researcher hypothesizes that a person's political attitudes are influenced by his or her parents' political attitudes. What is the independent variable in this hypothesis?