Final Exam Study Guide Spring 2003 FAMR 380
The final exam is worth 65 points, but will have about 72 questions /points possible.
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STUDY THESE CONCEPTS !
Descriptive statistics
Measures of center
Measures of spread/variability
Measures of association / correlation
Inferential statistics
Statistical significance
Hypothesis testing
Parametric and non-parametric tests
Internal validity
External validity
Experimental research
Non-experimental / Correlational research
Quasi-experimental research
Independent variables
Dependent
Confounding variables
Sampling
Probability vs. Non-probability
Random
Scale of measurement
Reliability
Review reading assignments, class notes, powerpoint presentations & handouts.
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About 72 of the following questions will be on your final exam. The final exam is worth 65 points. Most of the questions are multiple choice, although there are several short answer questions.
Please select the one best answer to the multiple choice questions.
1. Knowledge of research methods may be useful in
A. understanding and evaluating research results reported in the media.
B. many occupations.
C. conducting research.
D. all of the above
2. Which one of the following scales of measurement lacks numeric properties?
A. nominal B. ordinal C. interval D. ratio
3. ______is the process of locating, obtaining, reading, and evaluating the research literature in your area of interest.
4. ______guarantees to not disclose any data in individual form, even if you know which participants completed which surveys. The researcher knows what the person said, but ethical principles require the researcher to not tell anyone ever. Data are reported in group form only.
A. Double blind
B. Confidentiality
C. Experimenter bias
D. Anonymity
5. A teacher writes the results of a test on the board. Seven students received A's, 10 students received B's, 18 students received C's, 4 students received D's, and 1 student received an F. In statistical terms, this is a
A. measure of central tendency.
B. measure of variability.
C. frequency distribution.
D. correlation table.
6. Which one of the following would be an appropriate measure of central tendency to summarize ordinal data?
A. mean
B. median
C. correlation
D. any one of the above would be appropriate
7. An automobile repair shop reports that half of the automobiles they repair have a resale value below $8,000. In this example, the $8,000 represents which measure of central tendency?
A. mean / B. modeC. median / D. standard deviation
8. A teacher writes the results of a test on the board7 students received A's, 10 students received B's, 18 students received C's, 4 students received D's, and 1 student received an F. The grade of C would represent which measure of central tendency?
A. mean / B. modeC. median / D. standard deviation
9. Which one of the following would be an appropriate measure of central tendency to summarize interval data?
A. mean / B. medianC. mode / D. all of the above
10. Which one of the following measures how much scores differ from each other?
A. mean / B. medianC. standard deviation / D. central tendency
11. The range and the standard deviation are both
A. measures of variability.
B. descriptive statistics.
C. useful ways to summarize data.
D. all of the above
12. The standard deviation would be an appropriate measure of variability only if the variable is measured on a(n) _____ scale.
A. nominal / B. ordinalC. interval / D. all of the above
13. All correlation coefficients
A. are positive. / B. are negative.C. range from –1.00 to +1.00. / D. use ordinal data.
14. A negative value of r means that
A. there is no relationship between the two variables.
B. those who score high on one variable tend to score low on the other.
C. those who score high on one variable tend to score high on the other.
D. there was a mistake in calculating the value of r.
15. ______does not equal causation.
16. ______guarantees that there will be no way for the participants’ names to be associated with their answers or their survey. The researcher does not know whose responses are from which person.
A. Double blind
B. Confidentiality
C. Experimenter bias
D. Anonymity
17. What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics? Descriptive statistics ______, whereas inferential statistics ______.
A. use ratio data; use nominal data
B. use nominal data; use ratio data
C. summarize data; determine the probability that results are due to chance
D. determine the probability that results are due to chance; summarize data
18. Inferential statistics allow us to arrive at conclusions about the _____ on the basis of _____ data.
A. population; sample
B. sample; population
C. independent variable; dependent variable
D. dependent variable; independent variable
19. ______We seek evidence that confirms our view of the world and we may not look for conflicting results.
A. Confirmation bias
B. Pilot test
C. Placebo effect
D. Test-retest reliability
20. The statement that the independent variable had no effect or there is no difference between the variables or groups is called the ______hypothesis.
A. null / B. researchC. practical / D. significant
21. The null hypothesis is rejected whenever
A. past studies prove it to be wrong.
B. there is a low probability that the obtained results could be due to random error.
C. there is a high probability that the obtained results could be due to random error.
D. the researcher is convinced that the variable is ineffective in causing changes in behavior.
22. Results are generally said to be statistically significant when there is a ______probability of occurring if the population means are actually equal.
A. high / B. lowC. specifiable / D. none of the above
23. If we say we have statistically significant results, we mean the results are
A. very important.
B. meaningless.
C. likely to be due to chance differences between the groups.
D. likely to be due to true differences between the groups.
24. How does sample size affect determinations of statistical significance? The ______the sample, the ______.
A. larger; greater probability that the variable has an effect
B. smaller; greater probability that the variable has an effect
C. larger; the more confident you can be in your decision to reject or retain the null hypothesis
D. smaller; the more confident you can be in your decision to reject or retain the null hypothesis
25. Your lab group must choose a significance test to determine if the mean scores of two groups are significantly different. The appropriate test is
A. t-test. / B. Mann-Whitney U.C. Chi-square. / D. analysis of variance.
26. Chi square is a
A. non-parametric test
B. compares the frequencies in each cell
C. is used with nominal data
D. all of the above
27. A nonsignificant result may be caused by a
A. low sample size.
B. very cautious significance level.
C. weak manipulation of independent variables.
D. true null hypothesis.
E. all of the above
28. The t-test is used for which type of data?
A. nominal / B. ordinalC. interval / D. all of the above
29. With correlational research, your main interest is to
A. uncover clear causal connections between variables.
B. re-create the real world as closely as possible in the laboratory.
C. find out whether two or more variables covary and to establish the direction of any observed relationship.
D. all of the above
30. The main difference between non-experimental/correlational and experimental research is that in experimental research you
A. do not manipulate independent variables.
B. measure more than one dependent variable.
C. do not manipulate more than two independent variables.
D. manipulate independent variables and look for changes in the dependent variable.
31. In an experiment, internal validity means
A. that changes in your independent variable caused observed changes in your dependent variable.
B. that most extraneous variables have not been identified and controlled.
C. the independent variable is strongly manipulated
D. none of the above
32. A researcher studied the effectiveness of two different approaches that small groups use in making decisions. The researcher randomly assigned 20 groups of two participants to use a cooperative approach and 20 groups of two people to use a competitive approach. The researcher measured the degree of satisfaction with the final decision that each group member reported after the group had reached its final decision. The members of the groups who used the cooperative approach reported more satisfaction than did those who used the competitive approach.
What is the research design used in this study?
A. Experimental B. Correlational C. Quasi-experimental D. Cross-sectional
33. A problem with self-report measures is that
A. you cannot be certain that subjects are giving accurate accounts of events.
B. they are difficult to administer.
C. they tend to confuse subjects.
D. all of the above
34. The “representativeness” of a given sample refers to the degree to which the ______exhibits the same distribution characteristics as the ______.
A. sample…elements
B. sampling frame…population
C. elements…sample
D. population…parameter
E. sample…population
35. In ______sampling, each member of the population has an equal chance of appearing in your sample.
A. stratified B. cluster C. matched D. simple random
36. A hypothesis is
A. A statement that defines how a variable is measured
B. A tentative statement of expected relations between variables
C. A theory
D. A fact
37. You conduct a quasi-experiment to assess the impact of raising the speed limit from 55 to 65 miles per hour. You find that there are more accidents in the six-month period following the change than in the six months before the change. Although it is tempting to say that raising the speed limit caused higher accident rates, you must be careful because
A. you did not actually manipulate an independent variable.
B. drivers may have exceeded the 65-mile-per-hour speed limit.
C. other variables (for example, cheaper gasoline or season of the year during which the change was instituted) may also be affecting accident rates.
D. none of the above
38. To ensure internal validity of a pretest–posttest study, you must
A. include a large sample of subjects.
B. include a control group that is not exposed to your treatment.
C. conduct your research in your subjects' natural environment.
D. all of the above
39. Which research design best allows one to say that one variable caused a change in the other variable?
A. correlational B. quasi-experimental C. experimental D. either a or b
40. When the results of a study are consistent with one's hypothesis it is correct to say that:
A. The results of the study support the hypothesis.
B. The study proves the hypothesis to be true.
C. The study proves the hypothesis to be false.
D. The results of the study are null in regard to the hypothesis.
41. In the reference section of an APA-style manuscript, you list
A. any articles or books you read, whether or not they were cited in the text.
B. any articles you thought about reading, as well as those you actually read.
C. only those articles and books actually cited in the body of your manuscript.
D. all articles relevant to your research topic, whether or not you cited them in the body of your manuscript.
42. A researcher wants to know whether college students start saving more money for post-college life as they near the end of the college careers. The researcher surveys a random sample of 1,000 undergraduate students enrolled in 100 different four-year colleges. Each student was asked to report (a) how many credits he or she had earned towards their degree and (b) how much money he or she put into a savings account, CD, money market or other investment each month. The researcher plans to use statistical techniques to determine whether the number of credits earned predicts the monthly mount of money saved. This is an example of a ______study.
A. Qualitative B. Descriptive C. Correlational D. Experimental
43. Another group of students was interested in whether consumers preferred butter or margarine. Half the subjects were given butter to taste first and half were given margarine to taste first. Why did the student researchers counter-balance the presentation of the food samples?
A. Because not counter-balancing would be unethical.
B. To control for any possible confounds between preference and the order in which samples were presented.
C. To manipulate the subject variable.
D. There was no important research reason, the students complicated their experiment needlessly.
44. When two individuals observe the same behaviors at the same time, independently code and score them, and evaluate their percent agreement, this yields a measure of ______.
A. External validity
B. Alternate or parallel forms reliability
C. Inter-rater reliability
D. Concurrent validity
E. All of the above
45. You would do the following to increase ______.
Don’t measure something with one item only.
Write clear, well_written questions on survey
Standardize survey administration procedures
Treat all participants alike
Create testing situation free of distractions
Write clear instructions
Enter survey data carefully to avoid errors
46. Which of the following should be most influential in acceptance of claims made by others?
A. Whether or not the individual is an authority in the area.
B. The claim is based on the person's opinion or belief.
C. Whether or not there is scientific evidence to support or refute the claim.
D. Whether or not scientific terms are used to substantiate the claims
47. Please list if the following probability levels are statistically significant or not
.001 ______
.18 ______
.5 ______
.04 ______
48. An operational definition refers to
A. the specific method used to measure or manipulate a variable.
B. a measure of the reliability of a variable.
C. the only possible way of measuring a variable.
D. all of the above
49. Ice cream sales increase when daily temperatures rise. This is an example of a ____ relationship.
A. positive / B. negative / C. curvilinear / D. zero50. When the results of a study can be generalized to other populations and settings, the study is said to have ______validity.