Question 1

Cali's data set regarding the stress levels of workers with green cards contains housing expenses.The mean housing expenses is surprisingly low,but then she realizes that a small cohort of workers are live-in employees and report zero housing expense.A more useful measure of central tendency that would not be as impacted by these extremely low,outlying scores would be the ____.

Accepted Answer

The median would not be as impacted by the extremely low, outlying scores since it is not affected by extreme values or outliers. This would give a more representative measure of central tendency for the dataset.

Question 2

Statistical methods that organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries,such as finding the average value,are called ____.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are used to organize data into meaningful patterns and summaries, such as finding the average value. Choice A (inferential statistics) involves making inferences or predictions about a larger population based on a sample of data. Choice B (measures) is a broad term and could refer to various statistical calculations. Choice D (modes) refers only to a specific type of summary statistic (the most frequently occurring value).

Question 3

In the ideal normal curve,95% of the population falls within _____ standard deviation(s)of the mean.

Accepted Answer

The Empirical Rule, also known as the 68-95-99.7 rule, states that for a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean, approximately 95% falls within two standard deviations, and approximately 99.7% falls within three standard deviations. Therefore, the best choice is B) two.

Question 4

The most frequently occurring score in a set of data is the ____.

Accepted Answer

The mode is the value that occurs most frequently in a set of data.

Question 5

Hillary is developing a survey regarding the colors of clothes political candidates wear and their effects on voters.Respondents rate their level of agreement with each item on a scale of one to five.Item 4 states: "The color red is an indication of strong leadership qualities." Item 12 states: "The color red has no effect on my voting preferences." These questions seek to determine ____.

Accepted Answer

These questions are seeking to determine the internal consistency of the survey, specifically, whether respondents' ratings are consistent across items related to the color red. Item 4 suggests that the color red is viewed as positive for political candidates, while item 12 suggests that it has no effect. By measuring the consistency of responses across items like these, Hillary can assess the reliability of her survey instrument.

Question 6

Cali has gathered extensive data regarding the stress levels workers with green cards in five U.S.cities.She arranges the data from low to medium to high and notes how many workers with green cards are in each category using a bar chart.This is called a ____.

Accepted Answer

A frequency distribution involves arranging data into categories and counting the number of observations in each category. The bar chart also suggests that the data is divided into categories. Standard deviation measures the variability or spread of the data, median represents the middle value of a distribution, and normal distribution refers to a specific pattern of distribution that is symmetric and bell-shaped, which is not explicitly mentioned in the question.

Question 7

Which correlational coefficient represents the strongest relationship?

Accepted Answer

The absolute value of the correlational coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship between two variables. The closer the value is to 1 (either positive or negative), the stronger the relationship. Therefore, −.95 represents the strongest relationship.

Question 8

Which of the following term is most synonymous with "reliability"?

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measurement or result. Therefore, choice A - Consistency - is the most synonymous term. Choice B - Uniformity - refers more to the evenness or consistency of a group or set rather than the reliability of a measurement. Choice C - Meaningful - refers to the significance or importance of a result, which may or may not be related to its reliability. Choice D - Repeatability - is related to the ability to replicate or repeat a measurement, which is a factor of reliability, but not the most synonymous term.

Question 9

Using her data set regarding the stress levels of domestic workers with green cards,Cali has calculated the standard deviation of their housing expenses in two ways,with and without the workers who have zero housing expense.When she includes all workers,the standard deviation is ____.

Accepted Answer

The standard deviation will be larger when all workers are included because including workers with zero housing expenses will increase the variability in the data set. This is because their housing expenses are essentially missing values and do not contribute to the variance and standard deviation calculations. Therefore, when they are included, the standard deviation will be inflated.

Question 10

A measure of how tightly clustered a group of scores is around their mean is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

The standard deviation is a measure of how scattered the data is around the mean, thus measuring the variability of the scores. Option A (variability) is a general term that encompasses other measures of variability such as range and interquartile range. Option B (mode) is a measure of central tendency, not variability. Option D (frequency) is a measure of how often a particular score or value occurs in the data set and is not related to variability.

Question 11

The numerical average of a set of scores is the ____.

Accepted Answer

The numerical average of a set of scores is known as the mean.

Question 12

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to consistency in measurement, while validity refers to the accuracy of the measurement in capturing what it intends to measure. A measure can be reliable but not valid, meaning it consistently measures the same thing but that thing may not actually be what is intended to be measured. Therefore, it is possible for a measure to be reliable but not valid, but a measure cannot be valid without being reliable. Option A and B are incorrect as numerical measures can be both reliable and valid, depending on the quality of the measurement instrument and procedure. Option D is also incorrect as numerical measures, like any other measures, can be affected by measurement errors, bias, and variability.

Question 13

A model of a data set that indicates symmetrical probability of different values is called a ____.

Accepted Answer

Normal distribution is the model of a data set that indicates symmetrical probability of different values. Standard deviation measures the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of data, but not necessarily the shape of the distribution. Cumulative distribution and frequency distribution are ways to represent data but do not necessarily indicate a symmetrical distribution.

Question 14

The consistency of a measure,including test-retest,inter-rater,inter-method,and internal consistency,is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure over time, across raters or methods, or within the measure itself. Test-retest reliability refers to the consistency of scores over time, inter-rater reliability refers to the consistency of scores across different raters, inter-method reliability refers to the consistency of scores across different methods, and internal consistency refers to the consistency of scores within a single measure. Significance refers to the likelihood that a result is due to chance, validity refers to the accuracy of a measure in measuring what it is supposed to measure, and testability refers to the degree to which a hypothesis or theory can be tested using scientific methods.

Question 15

The halfway mark in a set of data,with half of the scores above and half below,is the ____.

Accepted Answer

The halfway mark in a set of data, with half of the scores above and half below, is known as the median. The median is the middle value in a dataset arranged in order from smallest to largest or vice versa. It is not affected by extreme values and gives a better representation of the data than the mean when there are outliers or skewed distribution. Therefore, the best choice is C, which stands for median.

Question 16

In statistics,the extent to which scores differ from one another or from their mean;often measured using the standard deviation,is called ____.

Accepted Answer

Variability is the term used to describe the extent to which scores differ from one another or from their mean. This is typically measured using measures of dispersion such as the range, variance, or standard deviation. Frequency refers to how often something occurs, distribution refers to how the data are spread out or arranged, and correlation refers to the relationship between two variables.

Question 17

To illustrate the relationship between two variables,one can use a ____.

Accepted Answer

A scatter plot is the best choice to illustrate the relationship between two variables because it shows the plotted data points on a graph with one variable on the x-axis and the other variable on the y-axis. This allows for the visualization of any patterns or trends in the data and the relationship between the two variables. A normal curve is used to show the distribution of a single variable, a histogram is used to show the frequency distribution of a single variable, and a bar graph is used to compare groups or categories of data.

Question 18

The mean,median,and mode are all measures of a data set's ____.

Accepted Answer

The mean, median, and mode are all measures of central tendency, which means they provide information on where the data tends to cluster or center. The mean is the numerical average, the median is the middle value, and the mode is the most frequently occurring value. These measures all provide different perspectives on the center of the data set.Therefore, the best choice is D,central tendency.

Question 19

The SAT Subject Tests shows the highest positive correlation with first-year college grades compared to both the SAT and high-school grade point average.This indicates that of the three tests,it is the most ____.

Accepted Answer

The fact that the SAT Subject Tests shows the highest positive correlation with first-year college grades compared to both the SAT and high-school grade point average indicates that it is the most valid measure of the three, as it assesses specific knowledge and skills that are directly relevant to college-level coursework.

Question 20

Neil has gathered data regarding self-report of successful smoking cessation.He finds that one of the eight methods used by study participants accounts for a high proportion of the successes.The most useful measure of central tendency to report would be the ____.

Accepted Answer

The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a dataset. In this case, the mode would be the method that accounts for the highest proportion of successful smoking cessation.

Quiz 2: The Measure of Mind Methods of Psychology