PSYC 2019H - Lecture 1: Intro to Statistics

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of descriptive statistics?

  • To manipulate sample data for hypothesis testing
  • To draw conclusions about causal relationships
  • To estimate parameters of a larger population
  • To summarize and communicate numerical observations (correct)

What distinguishes inferential statistics from descriptive statistics?

  • Inferential statistics estimate population parameters from samples (correct)
  • Inferential statistics analyze frequency distributions
  • Inferential statistics summarize numerical observations
  • Inferential statistics are used to describe data

Which of the following best defines a population in the context of statistics?

  • The entire group of individuals or measurements of interest (correct)
  • The collected results from a specific study
  • A variable that can take on different values
  • A small, random subset of individuals from a larger group

What type of variable is considered discrete and can only take specific values?

<p>Nominal variable (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about continuous observations is true?

<p>They can take an infinite number of potential values. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the example comparing sleep duration between younger and older adults, what was the conclusion?

<p>Older adults sleep significantly less than younger adults. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which variable type is often referred to as a scale variable?

<p>Interval and ratio variables (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What should researchers be cautious about when generalizing from sample results?

<p>The potential for bias in their sampling method (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of countries have 2 volcanoes according to the frequency distribution?

<p>23.53% (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the grouped frequency table, how many countries fall within the 10-19 volcanoes interval?

<p>5 (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the frequency of countries that have no volcanoes according to the frequency distribution?

<p>46 (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes a normal distribution as described?

<p>It is bell-shaped and symmetric. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes a skewed distribution?

<p>One tail is longer than the other. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What interval contains the highest frequency of countries in the grouped frequency table?

<p>0-9 (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which country was excluded as an outlier for the number of volcanoes?

<p>Indonesia (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the frequency of countries that have 6 or more volcanoes based on the frequency distribution?

<p>10 (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of operational definitions in research?

<p>To specify the operations or procedures for measuring or manipulating variables (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one key limitation of correlational studies?

<p>They do not allow causal statements to be made (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes a between-groups design from a within-subjects design?

<p>In a between-groups design, each participant experiences only one level of the independent variable (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What element is critical for random assignment in experiments?

<p>Having an equal chance for each participant to be assigned to any group (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes open science?

<p>It promotes collaboration and sharing of methodologies and data (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which design allows all participants in a study to experience different levels of the independent variable?

<p>Within-subjects design (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is typically a goal of hypothesis testing?

<p>To determine if a relationship between variables is supported by evidence (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential issue with conducting surveys for a study on pregnancy and infant health?

<p>Self-reported data can introduce bias and inaccuracies (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes an ordinal variable?

<p>It is used for observations that have rankings as values. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following correctly describes a ratio variable?

<p>It has equal intervals between consecutive values. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What aspect differentiates a confounding variable from others?

<p>It varies systematically with the independent variable. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes reliability in measurement?

<p>It indicates the consistency of a measure across different samples. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a preregistered review plan?

<p>To outline a research design and analysis plan before starting a study. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In hypothesis testing, what is the primary purpose of the independent variable?

<p>To manipulate or observe its levels affecting the outcome. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the concept of HARKing?

<p>Hypothesizing after the results are known. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following does not represent a scale variable?

<p>Brand names of products. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a frequency distribution primarily used for?

<p>To summarize how often each value occurs within a dataset. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of validity in measurement?

<p>It measures what it claims to measure accurately. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the context of the 2006 Winter Olympics, which variable type is 'Rank'?

<p>Ordinal variable (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true about raw scores?

<p>They are data points that have not yet been transformed or analyzed. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In a frequency table, how is data typically organized?

<p>Values are listed in the first column and their frequency in the second column. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Considering the frequency table provided, which countries are identified as having the highest volcanic activity?

<p>Indonesia and the United States (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does a histogram visually represent?

<p>The distribution of data over a specified range. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What can be inferred about outliers in frequency distributions?

<p>They can significantly affect the overall analysis of the data. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Population

A collection of all subjects or measurements of interest in a study.

Sample

A smaller group of individuals or measurements selected from the population to represent the whole.

Data

The information gathered during a study, which comes from the sample.

Variable

Characteristics that can be measured or observed that vary among individuals.

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Discrete Variable

A variable that can only take on specific values, like whole numbers.

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Continuous Variable

A variable that can take on any value within a range, like height or weight.

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Nominal Variable

A type of variable that classifies data into categories without any order or ranking.

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Ordinal Variable

A type of variable that classifies data into categories with a natural order or ranking.

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Interval Variable

A variable with numerical values where the difference between consecutive numbers is meaningful and equal.

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Ratio Variable

A variable that has all properties of an interval variable, but also has a meaningful zero point.

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Scale Variable

A variable that can be either an interval or a ratio variable.

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Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or observed to see its effect on the dependent variable.

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Dependent Variable

The variable that is measured to see how it's affected by the independent variable.

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Confounding Variable

A variable that systematically varies with the independent variable, making it difficult to determine which variable is responsible for observed effects.

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Inferential Statistics

The process of determining if a relationship between variables is supported by evidence.

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Correlational Study

A study that investigates a possible association between two or more variables. Researchers can't determine cause-and-effect.

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Between-Groups Design

An experiment where participants are randomly assigned to different groups, each experiencing a unique level of the independent variable.

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Operational Definition

Specifies how a variable will be measured or manipulated. It bridges the gap between abstract concepts and concrete experiments.

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Within-Subjects Design

All participants experience all levels of the independent variable within the study.

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Experiment

An experiment where participants are randomly assigned to one or more levels of an independent variable, allowing researchers to study cause-and-effect relationships.

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Open Science

An approach to research that encourages collaboration and transparency, enabling others to examine and even replicate research findings.

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Preregistration

A pre-registration of a study's research plan, including hypotheses, methods, and analysis plan, before data collection.

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HARKing

The practice of creating a hypothesis after the results of a study are known, which can lead to biased conclusions.

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Raw score

A data point that has not been transformed or analyzed.

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Frequency distribution

A description of how often each value occurs in a set of numbers. It shows the pattern of the data.

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Frequency Table

A visual representation of data showing the frequency of each value, with values listed in one column and frequencies in another.

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Grouped Frequency Table

A table where values are grouped into ranges, and frequencies for each range are shown.

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Histogram

A visual representation of a frequency distribution, using bars to show the frequency of each value or range of values.

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Outlier

An extreme value in a distribution, usually significantly larger or smaller than other values.

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Normal Distribution

A specific type of frequency distribution where data points are symmetrically distributed around the mean, creating a bell-shaped curve.

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Skewed Distribution

A type of frequency distribution where data points are unevenly distributed around the mean, resulting in a skewed curve. It can be either positively skewed (tail to the right) or negatively skewed (tail to the left).

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Frequency

A numerical value that represents the frequency of a specific data point in a dataset.

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Percentage

The percentage of times a particular value appears in a data set, expressed as a proportion of the total observations.

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Number of Volcanoes

A numerical value that represents the number of instances or occurrences of a specific data point in a data set.

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Study Notes

PSYC 2019H - Lecture 1: Introduction and Basic Concepts

  • The lecture covers basic terminology, hypothesis testing, frequency distributions, and shapes of distributions in psychology.
  • Descriptive Statistics: Organizing, summarizing, and communicating numerical observations. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 3)
  • Inferential Statistics: Using sample data to make estimates about a larger population. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 3)
  • Population: Includes all possible observations of interest. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 3)
  • Sample: A set of observations drawn from a population. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 3)

Basic Terminology

  • Variable: Observations of physical, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics that can take different values. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 4)
  • Discrete Observations: Variables that can only take specific values (e.g., whole numbers). (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 4)
  • Continuous Observations: Variables that can take a full range of values (e.g., numbers with decimals). (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 4)
  • Nominal Variables: Variables representing categories or names. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 5)
  • Ordinal Variables: Variables with rankings (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd). (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 5)
  • Interval Variables: Variables with numerical values where the distance between consecutive numbers is equal. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 5)
  • Ratio Variables: Variables that have a meaningful zero point, and meet the criteria for interval variables.(Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 5)
  • Scale Variables: Interval or ratio variables.
  • Independent Variable: A variable manipulated or observed to determine its effect on another variable. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 7)
  • Dependent Variable: The outcome variable hypothesized to be related to or caused by changes in the independent variable. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 7)
  • Confounding Variable: A variable that systematically changes with the independent variable, making it difficult to determine which variable is truly affecting the outcome. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 7)
  • Reliability: The consistency of a measure. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 8)
  • Validity: The extent to which a test measures what it's intended to measure. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 8)

Introduction to Hypothesis Testing

  • Hypothesis Testing: The process of drawing conclusions about whether a relationship between variables is supported by the evidence. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 10)
  • Operational Definition: Specifying the operations or procedures used to measure or manipulate a variable. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 10)

Frequency Distributions

  • Raw Score: A data point that hasn't been transformed or analyzed. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 31)
  • Frequency Distribution: Describes the pattern of a set of numbers by displaying the frequency (count or proportion) for each possible value of a variable. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 31)
  • Frequency Table: A visual depiction of data showing how often each value occurred.
  • Values in first column, frequency in second.
  • Grouped Frequency Table: Reports frequencies within a given interval.
  • Histogram: A graph (like a bar graph) showing the frequency distribution of a variable.
  • Values of the variable on x-axis
  • Frequencies on y-axis

Shapes of Distributions

  • Normal Distribution: A specific frequency distribution that is bell-shaped, symmetrical, and unimodal. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 42)
  • Skewed Distribution: A distribution where one tail is pulled away from the center. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 42)

Introduction to Data Ethics

  • Open Science: An approach encouraging collaboration, sharing of research methodology, data and analyses to allow others to question and recreate findings. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p.15)
  • Preregistration: Outlining the research design and analysis plan before completing a study. (Nolan & Heinzen, 2021, p. 16)
  • HARKing: Hypothesizing after the results are known.

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