Question 1

Measures of central tendency fall into the category of
A)nominal scales.
B)ordinal scales.
C)descriptive statistics.
D)inferential statistics.

Accepted Answer

Measures of central tendency are a type of descriptive statistics that summarize a set of data by providing a central or typical value. Nominal and ordinal scales refer to types of data, while inferential statistics involves making inferences about a population based on a sample.

Question 2

Graphical statistics fall into the category of
A)nominal scales.
B)ordinal scales.
C)descriptive statistics.
D)inferential statistics.

Accepted Answer

Graphical statistics are a way of visually representing and summarizing data, which makes them a type of descriptive statistic. They do not measure the level of disagreement or agreement among the responses or variables, therefore, they are not ordinal or nominal scales. They also do not involve drawing conclusions or making predictions about populations, which are the territory of inferential statistics.

Question 3

Graphical statistics
A)present numbers in a pictorial format.
B)numerically describe a "typical" score in a distribution.
C)show the arithematic average of a set of data.
D)indicate how scores differ from each other numerically.

Accepted Answer

Graphical statistics present numbers in a pictorial format, such as charts or graphs, to make data easier to understand visually.

Question 4

Regarding statistics, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)Statistics help us draw valid conclusions about what we have observed.
B)Statistics bring greater clarity and precision to psychological thought and research.
C)There are two major major types of statistics: frequency and graphical.
D)Psychologists use statistics because they often have to base decisions on a limited amount of data.

Accepted Answer

There are actually two major types of statistics, but they are not frequency and graphical. Rather, they are descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe the characteristics of a group or sample, while inferential statistics are used to draw conclusions and make predictions about a larger population based on sample data.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of descriptive statistics?
A)graphical statistics
B)inferential statistics
C)measures of central tendency
D)measures of variability

Accepted Answer

The three types of descriptive statistics are graphical statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability. Inferential statistics, on the other hand, involves making inferences or predictions about a population based on a sample of data.

Question 6

Inferential statistics are used to
A)"boil down" numbers.
B)summarize numbers.
C)create a frequency distribution.
D)generalize from small samples.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to make predictions, generalizations, and hypotheses about a larger population based on a smaller sample. Therefore, the best choice among the options given is D, which describes the use of inferential statistics to generalize from small samples.

Question 7

Graphical statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability are the three basic types of _____ statistics.
A)nominal
B)inferential
C)descriptive
D)ordinal

Accepted Answer

Graphical statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability are all types of descriptive statistics, which summarize and describe the characteristics of a dataset. Nominal and ordinal statistics, on the other hand, are types of categorical data that do not involve numerical measurement or analysis. Inferential statistics involve drawing conclusions about a population based on a sample from that population, and are not part of the basic types of statistics.

Question 8

Regarding frequency distributions, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)The entire range of possible scores is broken down into classes of equal size.
B)Scores are often expressed graphically to make them more "visual."
C)Scores are listed in random order.
D)Large amounts of numerical information can be clearly organized.

Accepted Answer

Scores in a frequency distribution are not listed in random order, but rather organized into specific classes or categories based on their values.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of the use of graphical statistics?
A)breaking down a set of math test scores into classes of equal size
B)drawing a histogram based on a set of scores from a personality questionnaire
C)graphing a set of IQ scores using a frequency polygon
D)all of these

Accepted Answer

All of the choices listed involve the use of graphical statistics. Breaking down test scores into classes of equal size can be represented using a frequency distribution histogram, drawing a histogram based on personality questionnaire scores can help to visualize the distribution of scores, and graphing IQ scores using a frequency polygon can show the shape of the distribution and any potential outliers.

Question 10

_____ are techniques for presenting numbers pictorially, often by plotting them on a graph.
A)Graphical statistics
B)Inferential statistics
C)Figural statistics
D)Nominal statistics

Accepted Answer

Graphical statistics involve presenting numerical data through graphs or charts. This technique helps to convey information more effectively and makes patterns and trends more apparent. Inferential statistics, on the other hand, involves making inferences or drawing conclusions about a population based on results from a sample. Figural statistics and nominal statistics are not commonly used terms in statistics.

Question 11

Measures of variability belong to which of the following?
A)nominal scales
B)ordinal scales
C)descriptive statistics
D)inferential statistics

Accepted Answer

Measures of variability are a type of descriptive statistics that describe the spread or dispersion of a set of data. They are not specific to nominal or ordinal scales, and are not considered inferential statistics which involve making inferences about a larger population based on a sample.

Question 12

A _____ is made by breaking down the entire range of possible scores into classes of equal size and then recording the number of scores falling into each class.
A)scatter diagram
B)variability plot
C)correlational matrix
D)frequency distribution

Accepted Answer

A frequency distribution organizes data into classes of equal size and records how many observations fall into each class. This allows for a visual representation of the distribution of the data and provides important information about the shape, center, and spread of the data. Scatter diagrams and correlational matrices are used to display relationships between variables, not frequency distributions. A variability plot is not a commonly used term in statistics.

Question 13

Frequency distributions provide a method of
A)measuring z-scores.
B)extracting data from samples.
C)making inferences.
D)organizing data and summarizing data.

Accepted Answer

Frequency distributions organize data into categories or intervals, count the number of occurrences of each category, and present this information in a table or graph form. This provides a summary of the data that makes it easier to interpret and draw conclusions. Frequency distributions do not involve z-scores, extracting data from samples, or making inferences on their own.

Question 14

_____ statistics are used to summarize large amounts of data so that they become more meaningful and easier to communicate to others.
A)Descriptive
B)Inferential
C)Nominal
D)Ordinal

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe the main features of a data set. This includes measures of central tendency (such as mean, median, and mode) and measures of variability (such as range and standard deviation). These statistics help to make large amounts of data more meaningful and easier to understand, without making any generalizations to a larger population, which is what inferential statistics do. Nominal and ordinal statistics are types of categorical data and are not used to summarize large amounts of data.

Question 15

The types of descriptive statistics include
A)graphical statistics.
B)measures of central tendency.
C)measures of variability.
D)all of these.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics can be categorized into three major types: graphical statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability. Therefore, the best choice is D, all of these.

Question 16

_____ statistics are used to summarize numerical data, while _____ statistics are used for decision making and generalizing from small samples.
A)Nominal; ordinal
B)Ordinal; nominal
C)Descriptive; inferential
D)Inferential; descriptive

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are used to summarize numerical data, while inferential statistics are used for decision making and generalizing from small samples.

Question 17

After administering a unit test to her psychology students, a college professor calculates the mean and range for this test in order to better understand the performance of her students on the material in this unit.This professor is using _____ statistics.
A)descriptive
B)inferential
C)nominal
D)ordinal

Accepted Answer

The professor is using descriptive statistics to obtain an understanding of the performance of her students by calculating the mean and range of scores. Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe data, while inferential statistics are used to make inferences or predictions about a larger population based on a sample of data. Nominal and ordinal statistics refer to types of categorical data, which are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 18

A psychologist concludes his method would be effective for teaching math to all third graders on the basis of testing it on a selected group of third graders with a control group for comparison.He is making use of
A)descriptive statistics.
B)correlations.
C)inferential statistics.
D)z-scores.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to draw conclusions about a population based on data collected from a sample. In this case, the psychologist is using a selected group of third graders as a sample to make inferences about all third graders. The use of a control group for comparison also suggests the use of inferential statistics to determine if there is a significant difference between the effectiveness of the psychologist's method and traditional methods. Descriptive statistics would simply describe the characteristics of the sample, correlations would only show relationships between variables, and z-scores are a type of descriptive statistic used for standardizing data.

Question 19

Descriptive statistics are helpful in doing all of the following EXCEPT
A)making numerical information more meaningful.
B)communicating numerical data to other people.
C)drawing conclusions from small samples.
D)summarizing large amounts of data.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are useful for summarizing and communicating numerical data, making it more meaningful and easier to interpret. However, descriptive statistics are not appropriate for drawing conclusions from small samples as they cannot provide information on the reliability or significance of the data. For this, inferential statistics are needed.

Question 20

_____ statistics are used for decision-making, for generalizing from small samples, and for drawing conclusions.
A)Descriptive
B)Inferential
C)Nominal
D)Ordinal

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to make inferences and conclusions about a population based on sample data. They are used to determine the probability of observing a certain outcome or to test hypotheses. Descriptive statistics, on the other hand, are used to summarize and describe data rather than drawing conclusions or making inferences. Nominal and ordinal statistics are types of data measurement scales, not types of statistics.

Quiz 19: Appendix A: Behavioral Statistics

Measures of central tendency fall into the category of

Graphical statistics fall into the category of

Graphical statistics

Regarding statistics, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of descriptive statistics?

Inferential statistics are used to

Graphical statistics, measures of central tendency, and measures of variability are the three basic types of _____ statistics.

Regarding frequency distributions, which of the following statements is FALSE?

Which of the following is an example of the use of graphical statistics?

_____ are techniques for presenting numbers pictorially, often by plotting them on a graph.

Measures of variability belong to which of the following?

A _____ is made by breaking down the entire range of possible scores into classes of equal size and then recording the number of scores falling into each class.

Frequency distributions provide a method of

_____ statistics are used to summarize large amounts of data so that they become more meaningful and easier to communicate to others.

The types of descriptive statistics include

_ statistics are used to summarize numerical data, while _ statistics are used for decision making and generalizing from small samples.

After administering a unit test to her psychology students, a college professor calculates the mean and range for this test in order to better understand the performance of her students on the material in this unit.This professor is using _____ statistics.

A psychologist concludes his method would be effective for teaching math to all third graders on the basis of testing it on a selected group of third graders with a control group for comparison.He is making use of

Descriptive statistics are helpful in doing all of the following EXCEPT

_____ statistics are used for decision-making, for generalizing from small samples, and for drawing conclusions.