Quiz #1-Online Statistics Fall 24

The authors' research question "Do risk-takers do better or worse in exams than non-risk-takers?" aims to explore the relationship between which two variables?

• Risk-taking and intelligence

• Risk-taking and academic performance

• Intelligence and academic performance

• Personality and academic performance

In the context of the research question, what role does the 'Exam Grade' variable play?

• It's the independent variable the researchers are manipulating

• It's the dependent variable the researchers are measuring

• It's a control variable used to eliminate confounding factors

• It's an extraneous variable that might influence the results

The authors collect data from 42 students, classifying them as low or high risk-takers and obtaining their exam grades. What type of research design is this?

• Experimental design

• Correlational design

• Quasi-experimental design

• Observational design

Match the following traps in data interpretation with their descriptions.

• Drawing broad conclusions from a small sample

• Misinterpreting statistical significance

• Not considering the range of data points

• Overgeneralizing from the sample to the population

• Paying excessive attention to extreme values

• Focusing too much on outliers in the data

• Incorrectly understanding p-values

• Ignoring the variability within the data

The authors distinguish between 'descriptive statistics' and 'inferential statistics.' Which of the following is an example of descriptive statistics?

• Calculating the mean exam grade for risk-takers

• Conducting a t-test to compare the means of two groups

• Estimating the population mean from a sample mean

• Calculating the confidence interval for a population parameter

The concept of 'variability' is central to the text. In the context of the research question, what does variability refer to?

• The differences in risk-taking tendencies among students

• The differences in exam grades among students

• The differences in both risk-taking and exam grades

• The random fluctuations in data collection

The authors state: "Total variability in grades = variability explained by risk-taking + unexplained variability due to other factors." What does this equation imply?

• Risk-taking is the only factor that explains variability in exam grades

• Risk-taking explains some, but not all, of the variability in exam grades

• Unexplained variability is irrelevant to the research question

• The total variability in grades is constant and cannot be changed

In Chapter 3, the authors discuss the concept of 'variables.' How do they define a variable?

• A characteristic or trait that is constant across individuals

• A way in which people or situations can differ

• A specific measurement or observation

What is the relationship between a 'variable' and a 'value' in the context of research?

• A variable is a specific type of value

• A value is a specific instance or category of a variable

• Variables and values are interchangeable terms

• A variable is a measurement tool, while a value is the result of that measurement

The authors mention two sources of variables. One is "ways in which people or objects vary." What's the other source?

• Ways in which researchers manipulate conditions

• Ways in which situations or occasions vary

• Ways in which data is collected and analyzed

• Ways in which hypotheses are formulated