UNIT

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CHAPTER  1:  INTRODUCTION  
 
Long  answer  questions    
 
1. What  is  psychological  research?  Discuss  the  relevance  of  statistics  in  psychological  
research.  
2. The   subject   of   statistics   is   often   divided   into   two   parts:   descriptive   and   inferential.  
Briefly  describe  each.    
3. What   is   statistics?   Explain   the   difference   between   descriptive   and   inferential  
statistics.    
4. What   are   variables?   Using   suitable   examples,   distinguish   between   discrete   and  
continuous  variables.  
5. What   is   measurement?   Using   suitable   examples,   describe   the   various   scales   of  
measurement.  
6. What   do   you   understand   by   ‘scales   of   measurement’?   Compare   the   ordinal   and  
interval  scales  of  measurement.  
7. What   is   measurement?   Can   all   numbers   be   treated   alike   in   the   process   of  
measurement?  Explain.  
 
Short  answer  questions  
   
1. Define  the  following  terms  and  give  examples  for  each:  
a) Research  question    
b) Statistical  question    
c) Statistical  conclusion    
d) Research  conclusion  
 
2. An   experimenter   may   “wear   two   hats,”   that   of   subject-­‐matter   expert   and   that   of  
statistician.   Is   our   experimenter   wearing   primarily   the   first   hat,   primarily   the  
second,  or  both  about  equally  when  he  or  she:    
a) Thinks  up  the  problem?    
b) Translates  it  into  a  statistical  question?    
c) Draws   a   conclusion   that   the   average   performance   of   experimental   and  
control  groups  is  really  different?    
d) Decides   that   the   imposed   difference   in   treatment   was   responsible   for  
the  difference  in  average  performance?    
e) Relates  this  finding  to  those  of  previous  studies?    
 
3. Is   it   possible   to   draw   a   correct   statistical   conclusion   yet   reach   an   incorrect  
research  conclusion?  Explain  your  answer.    
 
4. Is   it   possible   to   draw   a   correct   research   conclusion   if   the   statistical   conclusion   is  
incorrect?  Explain  your  answer.    
 
5. Define  a  population  and  a  sample.  Also  explain  the  difference  between  a  parameter  
and  a  statistic.  
 

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 6. A   school   psychologist   determines   the   IQ   score   for   every   student   in   her   school.   The  
school   nurse   measures   the   current   height   of   every   student.   Are   the   two   studying  
the  same  population?  Explain.    
 
7. We  are  interested  in  the  choices  of  majors  of  this  year’s  entering  freshmen  at  our  
university.  We  randomly  survey  10%  of  them.    
(a)  What  is  the  population?    
(b)  What  is  the  sample?    
(c)  What  is  the  parameter?    
(d)  What  is  the  statistic?    
 
8. We   are   interested   in   the   IQ   scores   of   students   at   our   college.   We   randomly   test  
10%  of  them  and  calculate  the  mean  IQ  score.    
a) What  is  the  population?    
b) What  is  the  sample?    
c) What  is  the  statistic?    
d) What  is  the  parameter?    
e) What  kind  of  variable  is  being  measured?  
 
9. A  psychologist  wants  to  study  a  small  population  of  40  students  in  a  local  private  
school.   If   the   researcher   was   interested   in   selecting   the   entire   population   of  
students  for  this  study,  then  how  many  students  must  the  psychologist  include?    

10. A  researcher  measured  behavior  among  all  individuals  in  some  small  population.  
Are   inferential   statistics   necessary   to   draw   conclusions   concerning   this  
population?  Explain.      

11. For  the  following  examples,  is  the  individual  primarily  using  descriptive  statistics  
or  inferential  statistics?    
(a) A   pollster   asks   a   group   of   voters   how   they   intend   to   vote   in   the  
upcoming  election  for  governor.    
(b) A   researcher   tests   a   new   diet   drug   on   a   group   of   overweight  
individuals.    
(c) A  teacher  organizes  test  grades  into  a  distribution,  from  best  to  worst.  
(d) A   sports   fan   ranks   a   team’s   players   according   to   their   batting  
averages.    
 
12. Inferential  statistics  is  a  process  that  involves  all  of  the  following  EXCEPT:  
a) estimating  a  parameter  
b) estimating  a  statistic  
c) testing  a  hypothesis  
d) making  generalizations  
 
13. What   is   the   difference   between   variables   and   constants?   Explain   using   an  
appropriate  research  example.  
 
14. A   client   rates   her   satisfaction   with   her   vocational   counselor   as   a   3   on   a   4-­‐point  
scale  from  1  =  not  at  all  satisfied  to  4  =  very  satisfied.  What  is  the  (a)  variable,  (b)  
possible  values,  and  (c)  this  client’s  score?  
 

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 15. A  participant  in  a  cognitive  psychology  study  is  given  50  words  to  remember  and  
later  asked  to  recall  as  many  as  he  can  of  those  50  words.  This  participant  recalls  
17  words.  What  is  the  (a)  variable,  (b)  possible  values,  and  (c)  score?  
 
16. State   whether   each   of   the   following   describes   a   study   measuring   qualitative   or  
quantitative  data.    

a) A  researcher  distributed  open-­‐ended  questions  to  participants  asking  how  

they  feel  when  they  are  in  love.      
b) A  researcher  records  the  blood  pressure  of  participants  during  a  task  meant  
to  induce  stress.      
c) A   psychologist   interested   in   drug   addiction   injects   rats   with   an   attention-­‐
inducing  drug  and  then  measures  the  rate  of  lever  pressing.      
d) A  witness  to  a  crime  gives  a  description  of  the  suspect  to  the  police.  
 
17. Quoting  suitable  examples,  examine  discrete  and  continuous  variables.    
 
18. If   the   effect   of   the   act   of   measurement   is   disregarded,   which   of   the   following  
variables  are  best  regarded  fundamentally  as  forming  a  discrete  series,  and  which  
a  continuous  series?  (a)  Temperature.  (b)  Time.  (c)  Sex.  (d)  Brands  of  orange  juice.  
(e)   Size   of   family.   (f)   Achievement   score   in   mathematics.   (g)   Merit   ratings   of  
employees.  (h)  Score  on  an  introversion–extroversion  scale.  
19. Indicate  whether  the  following  variables  fall  into  a  discrete  or  a  continuous  series:    

a) size  of  elementary  school  classes    

b) football  scores    
c) distance  travelled  by  a  car    
d) census  data  
e) number  of  pages  in  a  book  
 
20. Suppose   you   measure   the   time   it   takes   to   download   an   MP3   file   from   the   Internet.  
Is  the  variable  discrete  or  continuous?  
 
21. Temperature  is  considered  to  be  an  example  of  a  continuous  variable.  What  kind  of  
variable  is  formed  when  we  measure  temperature  to  the  nearest  tenth  of  a  degree?  
Explain.    
 
22. The  weights  of  nine  students  were  recorded  to  the  nearest  tenth  of  a  kilogram  and  
the   total   weight   was   found   to   be   361   kg.   What   do   you   think   about   reporting   the  
average  weight  (361/9)  as  40.1111  kg.  Explain.  

23. Give  the  level  of  measurement  for  each  of  the  following  variables:    

a) ethnic  group  to  which  a  person  belongs  

b) number  of  times  a  mouse  makes  a  wrong  turn  in  a  laboratory  maze  
c) position  one  finishes  in  a  race    
d) a  person’s  score  on  a  standard  IQ  test    
e) a  person’s  place  on  a  waiting  list    
f) a  person’s  weight    
g) kind  of  food  a  person  prefers  the  most    
h) memory  span  scores  obtained  on  a  given  test.    
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24. In  one  state,  voters  register  as  Republican,  Democrat,  or  Independent  and  records  
of  the  total  registration  are  kept.  Which  scale  of  measurement  is  used?    
 
25. Instructor,  assistant  professor,  associate  professor,  and  professor  form  what  kind  
of  scale?  
 
26. Reema  obtained  a  score  of  40  on  a  reading  ability  test  and  Seema  a  score  of  20.  Can  
we  say  that  Reema  is  twice  as  good  as  Seema  in  reading  ability?  Explain.    
 
27. Ramya   obtained   a   score   of   0   on   a   test   of   creativity.   Can   we   say   that   Ramya   doesn’t  
have  any  creative  ability?  Explain.    

28. What   level   of   measurement   is   most   often   achieved   (a)   in   the   physical   sciences   and  
(b)  in  the  behavioral  sciences  and  education?      

29. A  score  of  0  on  an  achievement  test  does  not  necessarily  mean  that  the  individual  
knows  nothing  about  the  subject.  Explain.      

30. With  an  interval  scale,  is  it  proper  to  consider  that  an  increase  of  20  points  is  twice  
as  much  as  an  increase  of  10  points?  Explain.  

31. Assume  that  the  following  series  of  numbers  form  an  interval  scale:  0,  1,  2,  3,  ...,19,  
20.   (a)   Would   it   still   be   an   interval   scale   if   we   added   10   points   to   each   score?  
Explain.   (b)   Would   it   still   be   an   interval   scale   if   we   multiplied   each   score   by   10?  
Explain.  

32. (a)  If  the  numbers  in  the  above  problem  form  a  ratio  scale,  and  10  points  are  added  
to   each,   would   we   still   have   a   ratio   scale?   Explain.   (b)   If   we   multiply   each   score   by  
10?  Explain.  

33. Dr.  Jones,  the  history  professor,  administers  a  30-­‐item  test  the  first  day  of  class  to  
ascertain  his  students’  initial  level  of  knowledge  of  American  history.  Bob  got  a  0,  
Joe  a  10,  Betty  a  20,  and  Mark  and  Sheela  each  got  a  perfect  30.    
(a) In  all  likelihood,  what  kind  of  scale  of  measurement  is  this?  Explain.    
(b) Can   Dr.   Jones   conclude   that   Bob   does   not   know   anything   about  
American  history?  Explain.    
(c) Is   Betty’s   knowledge   of   American   history   twice   as   great   as   Joe’s?  
Explain.    
(d) Can   Dr.   Jones   conclude   that   Mark   and   Sheela   have   an   equally   good  
knowledge  of  American  history?  Explain.    
 

 
 

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