Solutions Manual for An Introduction to Statistical
Concepts, 4e Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, Richard Lomax
(All Chapters Answers at the end of each Chapter)
PROBLEMS
Conceptual Problems
1. A mental health counselor is conducting a research study on satisfaction that married
couples have with their marriage. “Marital status” (e.g., single, married, divorced,
widowed), in this scenario, is which one of the following?
a. Constant
b. Variable
2. Belle randomly samples 100 library patrons and gathers data on the genre of the "first book"
that they checked out from the library. She finds that 85 library patrons checked out a fiction
book and 15 library patrons checked out a non-fiction book. Which of the following best
characterizes the type of "first book" checked out in this study?
a. Constant
b. Variable
3. For interval level variables, which of the following properties does not apply?
a. "A" is two units greater than ‘B’
b. "A" is greater than ‘B’
c. "A" is twice as good as ‘B’
d. "A" differs from ‘B’
4. Which of the following properties is appropriate for ordinal, but not for nominal variables?
a. "A" differs from ‘B’
b. "A" is greater than ‘B’
c. "A" is ten units greater than ‘B’
d. "A" is twice as good as ‘B’
5. Which scale of measurement is implied by the following statement: “JoAnn’s score is three
times greater than Oscar’s score?”
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
,6. Which scale of measurement is produced the following survey item: "Which season do you
prefer to spend your time? Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter?"
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
7. A band director collects data on the number of years in which students in the band have
played a musical instrument. Which scale of measurement is implied by this scenario?
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
8. Kristen has an IQ of 120. I assert that Kristen is 20% more intelligent than the average
person having an IQ of 100. Am I correct?
9. Population is to parameter as sample is to statistic. True or false?
10. A dichotomous variable is also a categorical variable. True or false?
11. The amount of time spent studying in one week for a population of students is an inferential
statistic. True or false?
12. A sample of 50 students take an exam and the instructor decides to give the top 5 scores a
bonus of 5 points. Compared to the original set of scores (no bonus), will the ranks of the
new set of scores (including bonus) be exactly the same?
13. Malani and Laila have class ranks of 5 and 6. Ingrid and Toomas have class ranks of 55 and
56. Will the GPAs of Malani and Laila be the same distance apart as the GPAs of Ingrid and
Toomas?
14. Aurora is studying sleep disorders in adults. She gathers data on whether or not they take
medication to assist their sleep. Aurora finds that 1/3 of the adults take medication, and 2/3
do not. Which of the following best characterizes "whether or not medication is taken?"
a. Constant
b. Variable
15. A researcher has collected data that compares an intervention program to a comparison
program. The researcher finds that the intervention program produces results that are four
times better than the comparison program. Which measurement scale is implied and that
will allow the researcher to make this type of interpretation? Select all that apply.
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
,16. A researcher has access to 22 local health clinics which are part of a network of 56 health
clinics in the state. The researcher conducts a study which includes the 22 regional health
clinics. In this scenario, the 22 local health clinics are which one of the following?
a. Dichotomous
b. Interval
c. Sample
d. Population
17. A researcher has access to 22 regional health clinics which are part of a network of 56
health clinics in the state. The researcher conducts a study which includes the 22 regional
health clinics. In this scenario, the 56 health clinics in the state are which one of the
following?
a. Dichotomous
b. Interval
c. Sample
d. Population
18. Which of the following is an example of a dichotomous variable?
a. Dance type (ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap)
b. Interest (no interest, somewhat interested, much interest)
c. Total cost (measured in whole dollars ranging from $0 to infinity)
d. Age (ages <40 and ages 40+)
19. Which of the following is an example of an ordinal variable?
a. Dance type (ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap)
b. Interest (no interest, somewhat interested, much interest)
c. Total cost (measured in whole dollars ranging from $0 to infinity)
d. Age (ages <40 and ages 40+)
20. Which of the following is an example of a ratio variable?
a. Scores on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory
b. Number of pieces of cake eaten at birthday parties (measured in whole numbers)
c. Pleasure experienced on vacation (none, some, much)
d. Types of plants preferred by homeowners (bushes, flowers, grasses, trees)
, Answers ato aConceptual aProblems
1. Constant a(all aindividuals ain athe astudy aare amarried, athus athe amarital astatus awill abe
a"married" afor aeveryone aparticipating; ain aother awords, athere ais ano avariation ain a"marital
astatus" afor athis aparticular ascenario)
2. Variable a(while athere ais anot aa alot aof avariation agiven athat a85 aof a100 apatrons acheck
aout afiction abooks, athere ais asome avariation ain athis ascenario)
3. c a(true aratios acannot abe aformed awith ainterval avariables)
4. b a(greater athan astatements ado anot aapply ato anominal avariables)
5. d a(true aratios acan aonly abe aformed awith aratio avariables)
6. a a("season", aas ain aspring, asummer, awinter, afall, ais aa anominal avariable)
7. d a(an aabsolute avalue aof azero awould aindicate aan aabsence aof awhat awas ameasured—i.e.,
athe anumber aof ayears aplaying ain aa aband—and athus aratio ais athe ascale aof ameasure;
aalthough aan aanswer aof azero ais anot alikely agiven athat athe astudents ain athe aband aare
athose abeing ameasured, aif asomeone awere ato arespond awith aan aanswer aof azero, athat
avalue awould atruly aindicate a"no ayears aplaying aan ainstrument")
8. No a(true aratios acannot abe aformed awith ainterval avariables)
9. True a(there aare aonly apopulation aparameters aand asample astatistics; ano aother
acombinations aexist)
10. True a(categorical avariables acan ahave aany anumber aof aqualitative avalues; adichotomous
avariables aare alimited ato aonly atwo avalues)
11. False a(as athis ais aa apopulation aparameter, ano ainference aneed abe amade)
12. Yes a(although athe atop a5 ascores awill abe aincreased, athe aranks aof aevery ascore awill
aremain athe asame)
13. No a(class arank ais aordinal aand aequal aintervals ais anot aa acharacteristic aof aan aordinal
avariable)
14. Variable a(given athat asome atook amedication aand aothers adid anot, athis aindicates avariation
ain awhat awas ameasured)
15. d a(ratio avariables awill aallow ainterpretations asuch aas a"four atimes agreater" ato abe amade
afrom athe adata aas athey ahave aequal aintervals aand aa atrue azero apoint)
16. c a(with aaccess ato a22 aof athe a56 atotal ahealth aclinics, athe aresearcher ais aworking awith aa
asample aof a22 afrom athe apopulation aof a56)
Concepts, 4e Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, Richard Lomax
(All Chapters Answers at the end of each Chapter)
PROBLEMS
Conceptual Problems
1. A mental health counselor is conducting a research study on satisfaction that married
couples have with their marriage. “Marital status” (e.g., single, married, divorced,
widowed), in this scenario, is which one of the following?
a. Constant
b. Variable
2. Belle randomly samples 100 library patrons and gathers data on the genre of the "first book"
that they checked out from the library. She finds that 85 library patrons checked out a fiction
book and 15 library patrons checked out a non-fiction book. Which of the following best
characterizes the type of "first book" checked out in this study?
a. Constant
b. Variable
3. For interval level variables, which of the following properties does not apply?
a. "A" is two units greater than ‘B’
b. "A" is greater than ‘B’
c. "A" is twice as good as ‘B’
d. "A" differs from ‘B’
4. Which of the following properties is appropriate for ordinal, but not for nominal variables?
a. "A" differs from ‘B’
b. "A" is greater than ‘B’
c. "A" is ten units greater than ‘B’
d. "A" is twice as good as ‘B’
5. Which scale of measurement is implied by the following statement: “JoAnn’s score is three
times greater than Oscar’s score?”
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
,6. Which scale of measurement is produced the following survey item: "Which season do you
prefer to spend your time? Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter?"
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
7. A band director collects data on the number of years in which students in the band have
played a musical instrument. Which scale of measurement is implied by this scenario?
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
8. Kristen has an IQ of 120. I assert that Kristen is 20% more intelligent than the average
person having an IQ of 100. Am I correct?
9. Population is to parameter as sample is to statistic. True or false?
10. A dichotomous variable is also a categorical variable. True or false?
11. The amount of time spent studying in one week for a population of students is an inferential
statistic. True or false?
12. A sample of 50 students take an exam and the instructor decides to give the top 5 scores a
bonus of 5 points. Compared to the original set of scores (no bonus), will the ranks of the
new set of scores (including bonus) be exactly the same?
13. Malani and Laila have class ranks of 5 and 6. Ingrid and Toomas have class ranks of 55 and
56. Will the GPAs of Malani and Laila be the same distance apart as the GPAs of Ingrid and
Toomas?
14. Aurora is studying sleep disorders in adults. She gathers data on whether or not they take
medication to assist their sleep. Aurora finds that 1/3 of the adults take medication, and 2/3
do not. Which of the following best characterizes "whether or not medication is taken?"
a. Constant
b. Variable
15. A researcher has collected data that compares an intervention program to a comparison
program. The researcher finds that the intervention program produces results that are four
times better than the comparison program. Which measurement scale is implied and that
will allow the researcher to make this type of interpretation? Select all that apply.
a. Nominal
b. Ordinal
c. Interval
d. Ratio
,16. A researcher has access to 22 local health clinics which are part of a network of 56 health
clinics in the state. The researcher conducts a study which includes the 22 regional health
clinics. In this scenario, the 22 local health clinics are which one of the following?
a. Dichotomous
b. Interval
c. Sample
d. Population
17. A researcher has access to 22 regional health clinics which are part of a network of 56
health clinics in the state. The researcher conducts a study which includes the 22 regional
health clinics. In this scenario, the 56 health clinics in the state are which one of the
following?
a. Dichotomous
b. Interval
c. Sample
d. Population
18. Which of the following is an example of a dichotomous variable?
a. Dance type (ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap)
b. Interest (no interest, somewhat interested, much interest)
c. Total cost (measured in whole dollars ranging from $0 to infinity)
d. Age (ages <40 and ages 40+)
19. Which of the following is an example of an ordinal variable?
a. Dance type (ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, tap)
b. Interest (no interest, somewhat interested, much interest)
c. Total cost (measured in whole dollars ranging from $0 to infinity)
d. Age (ages <40 and ages 40+)
20. Which of the following is an example of a ratio variable?
a. Scores on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality inventory
b. Number of pieces of cake eaten at birthday parties (measured in whole numbers)
c. Pleasure experienced on vacation (none, some, much)
d. Types of plants preferred by homeowners (bushes, flowers, grasses, trees)
, Answers ato aConceptual aProblems
1. Constant a(all aindividuals ain athe astudy aare amarried, athus athe amarital astatus awill abe
a"married" afor aeveryone aparticipating; ain aother awords, athere ais ano avariation ain a"marital
astatus" afor athis aparticular ascenario)
2. Variable a(while athere ais anot aa alot aof avariation agiven athat a85 aof a100 apatrons acheck
aout afiction abooks, athere ais asome avariation ain athis ascenario)
3. c a(true aratios acannot abe aformed awith ainterval avariables)
4. b a(greater athan astatements ado anot aapply ato anominal avariables)
5. d a(true aratios acan aonly abe aformed awith aratio avariables)
6. a a("season", aas ain aspring, asummer, awinter, afall, ais aa anominal avariable)
7. d a(an aabsolute avalue aof azero awould aindicate aan aabsence aof awhat awas ameasured—i.e.,
athe anumber aof ayears aplaying ain aa aband—and athus aratio ais athe ascale aof ameasure;
aalthough aan aanswer aof azero ais anot alikely agiven athat athe astudents ain athe aband aare
athose abeing ameasured, aif asomeone awere ato arespond awith aan aanswer aof azero, athat
avalue awould atruly aindicate a"no ayears aplaying aan ainstrument")
8. No a(true aratios acannot abe aformed awith ainterval avariables)
9. True a(there aare aonly apopulation aparameters aand asample astatistics; ano aother
acombinations aexist)
10. True a(categorical avariables acan ahave aany anumber aof aqualitative avalues; adichotomous
avariables aare alimited ato aonly atwo avalues)
11. False a(as athis ais aa apopulation aparameter, ano ainference aneed abe amade)
12. Yes a(although athe atop a5 ascores awill abe aincreased, athe aranks aof aevery ascore awill
aremain athe asame)
13. No a(class arank ais aordinal aand aequal aintervals ais anot aa acharacteristic aof aan aordinal
avariable)
14. Variable a(given athat asome atook amedication aand aothers adid anot, athis aindicates avariation
ain awhat awas ameasured)
15. d a(ratio avariables awill aallow ainterpretations asuch aas a"four atimes agreater" ato abe amade
afrom athe adata aas athey ahave aequal aintervals aand aa atrue azero apoint)
16. c a(with aaccess ato a22 aof athe a56 atotal ahealth aclinics, athe aresearcher ais aworking awith aa
asample aof a22 afrom athe apopulation aof a56)
