Inferential Statistics

Inferential Statistics

Multiple Choice

In order to assess student reactions to the school's COVID safety protocols, the principal sent a survey to every fifth person on the school's alphabetical list of students. He used the technique of

• random sampling

• random assignment

Multiple Choice

To put students into groups for a study on the effectiveness of watching AP Daily Videos, Ms. Parks asked each student to draw a colored slip of paper from an envelope. This was her method of:

• random sampling

• random assignment

Multiple Choice

The purpose of random sampling is to

• include as many members of the population as possible in the research

• obtain the largest possible sample

• obtain a representative sample from which generalizations can be made

• guarantee that the research sample will proportionally represent the population of interest

After using descriptive statistics,

researchers can use inferential statistics to:

Generalize from a study sample to the population of interest

Assess statistical significance (the likelihood that an observed result did not occur by chance)

In general, statistical significance results from:

• a large difference between sample averages

• a reliable sample: one that is representative and has low variability

Multiple Choice

Which of the following types of descriptive statistics shows how much variability is in a sample? 

• frequency

• mean

• mode

• standard deviation

Multiple Choice

Which data set is more reliable?

• In a study of science performance among CPS high school students, the four-year science course grades of 300 graduating LPHS seniors are recorded.

• In a study of science performance among CPS high school students, the four-year science course grades of 3,000 graduating seniors from various CPS schools in different neighborhoods are recorded.

Multiple Choice

Which of these differences is likely to have greater statistical significance?

• The average science course grades of LPHS graduating seniors is higher for females than for males. Specifically, the average course grade for females was 83%, and for males it was 70%.

• The average science course grades of LPHS graduating seniors is higher for females than for males. Specifically, the average course grade for females was 83%, and for males it was 81%.

Multiple Choice

Which data set is more reliable?

• The average science test grades of LPHS graduating seniors is higher for females than for males. The data also show a large number of extreme scores (outliers) in the female data set.

• The average science test grades of LPHS graduating seniors is higher for females than for males. The data also show that scores are close to the mean for both groups.