Intro to Biomedical Statistics (National University)
, Week 1 Assignment BST 322
1. (1 pt) For each of the following (a through d), indicate which is a variable and which is a constant:
a. The number of minutes in an hour. CONSTANT
b. Systolic blood pressure. VARIABLE
c. Freezing temperature of water in degrees Kelvin. CONSTANT
d. Ratings of daily anxiety. VARIABLE
2. (1 pt) For each of the following research questions, identify the independent variable and the dependent
variable within each case (a through d):
a. Does a person's age affect psychological adjustment following burn injury?
a. Independent: Age
b. Dependent: psychological adjustment followlng burn injury
b. How do physically handicapped children differ from nonhandicapped children with respect to health
concepts?
a. Independent: Handicapped/not handicapped
b. Dependent: Health concepts
c. Do patients with a family support system in place have lower pain ratings than patients with no
family support system in place?
a. Independent: Presence of family support system
b. Dependent: Pain level
d. Is the intracranial pressure of comatose patients affected by acupuncture treatments?
a. Independent: Acupuncture treatments
b. Dependent: Intracranial pressure
3. (1 pt) For each of the variables listed below, indicate which is discrete and which is continuous:
a. Number of patients in an ICU ward DISCRETE
b. Length of a chin implant CONTINUOUS
c. Number of hospital beds in a step down facility DISCRETE
d. Tidal volume, measured in mLs, of a patient recovering from surgery CONTINUOUS
4. (2 pts) For each of the variables listed below, indicate whether the measure is nominal, ordinal, interval, or
ratio:
a. Degrees, on the Celsius scale INTERVAL
b. Student's class rank ORDINAL
c. Ratings of a hospital based on care surveys ranked as “Poor, Fine, Good, Exceptional” ORDINAL
d. Survival 5 years out after surgery (yes/no) NOMINAL
e. Average cholesterol level of a group of control patients in a study RATIO
f. Settings of tick exposure for Lyme disease designated as “Woodland, Park, City, Suburb” NOM INAL
g. HDL Cholesterol levels RATIO
h. Faculty rank (Clinical Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor) ORDINAL