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 fto fConceptual fProblems
1. Constant f(all findividuals fin fthe fstudy fare fmarried, fthus fthe fmarital fstatus fwill fbe
f"married" ffor feveryone fparticipating; fin fother fwords, fthere fis fno fvariation fin f"marital
fstatus" ffor fthis fparticular fscenario)
2. Variable f(while fthere fis fnot fa flot fof fvariation fgiven fthat f85 fof f100 fpatrons fcheck fout
ffiction fbooks, fthere fis fsome fvariation fin fthis fscenario)
3. c f(true fratios fcannot fbe fformed fwith finterval fvariables)
4. b f(greater fthan fstatements fdo fnot fapply fto fnominal fvariables)
5. d f(true fratios fcan fonly fbe fformed fwith fratio fvariables)
6. a f("season", fas fin fspring, fsummer, fwinter, ffall, fis fa fnominal fvariable)
7. d f(an fabsolute fvalue fof fzero fwould findicate fan fabsence fof fwhat fwas fmeasured—i.e.,
fthe fnumber fof fyears fplaying fin fa fband—and fthus fratio fis fthe fscale fof fmeasure;
falthough fan fanswer fof fzero fis fnot flikely fgiven fthat fthe fstudents fin fthe fband fare fthose
fbeing fmeasured, fif fsomeone fwere fto frespond fwith fan fanswer fof fzero, fthat fvalue fwould
ftruly findicate f"no fyears fplaying fan finstrument")
8. No f(true fratios fcannot fbe fformed fwith finterval fvariables)
9. True f(there fare fonly fpopulation fparameters fand fsample fstatistics; fno fother
fcombinations fexist)
10. True f(categorical fvariables fcan fhave fany fnumber fof fqualitative fvalues; fdichotomous
fvariables fare flimited fto fonly ftwo fvalues)
11. False f(as fthis fis fa fpopulation fparameter, fno finference fneed fbe fmade)
12. Yes f(although fthe ftop f5 fscores fwill fbe fincreased, fthe franks fof fevery fscore fwill
fremain fthe fsame)
13. No f(class frank fis fordinal fand fequal fintervals fis fnot fa fcharacteristic fof fan fordinal fvariable)
14. Variable f(given fthat fsome ftook fmedication fand fothers fdid fnot, fthis findicates fvariation fin
fwhat fwas fmeasured)
15. d f(ratio fvariables fwill fallow finterpretations fsuch fas f"four ftimes fgreater" fto fbe fmade
ffrom fthe fdata fas fthey fhave fequal fintervals fand fa ftrue fzero fpoint)
16. c f(with faccess fto f22 fof fthe f56 ftotal fhealth fclinics, fthe fresearcher fis fworking fwith fa
fsample fof f22 ffrom fthe fpopulation fof f56)
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 fto fConceptual fProblems
1. Constant f(all findividuals fin fthe fstudy fare fmarried, fthus fthe fmarital fstatus fwill fbe
f"married" ffor feveryone fparticipating; fin fother fwords, fthere fis fno fvariation fin f"marital
fstatus" ffor fthis fparticular fscenario)
2. Variable f(while fthere fis fnot fa flot fof fvariation fgiven fthat f85 fof f100 fpatrons fcheck fout
ffiction fbooks, fthere fis fsome fvariation fin fthis fscenario)
3. c f(true fratios fcannot fbe fformed fwith finterval fvariables)
4. b f(greater fthan fstatements fdo fnot fapply fto fnominal fvariables)
5. d f(true fratios fcan fonly fbe fformed fwith fratio fvariables)
6. a f("season", fas fin fspring, fsummer, fwinter, ffall, fis fa fnominal fvariable)
7. d f(an fabsolute fvalue fof fzero fwould findicate fan fabsence fof fwhat fwas fmeasured—i.e.,
fthe fnumber fof fyears fplaying fin fa fband—and fthus fratio fis fthe fscale fof fmeasure;
falthough fan fanswer fof fzero fis fnot flikely fgiven fthat fthe fstudents fin fthe fband fare fthose
fbeing fmeasured, fif fsomeone fwere fto frespond fwith fan fanswer fof fzero, fthat fvalue fwould
ftruly findicate f"no fyears fplaying fan finstrument")
8. No f(true fratios fcannot fbe fformed fwith finterval fvariables)
9. True f(there fare fonly fpopulation fparameters fand fsample fstatistics; fno fother
fcombinations fexist)
10. True f(categorical fvariables fcan fhave fany fnumber fof fqualitative fvalues; fdichotomous
fvariables fare flimited fto fonly ftwo fvalues)
11. False f(as fthis fis fa fpopulation fparameter, fno finference fneed fbe fmade)
12. Yes f(although fthe ftop f5 fscores fwill fbe fincreased, fthe franks fof fevery fscore fwill
fremain fthe fsame)
13. No f(class frank fis fordinal fand fequal fintervals fis fnot fa fcharacteristic fof fan fordinal fvariable)
14. Variable f(given fthat fsome ftook fmedication fand fothers fdid fnot, fthis findicates fvariation fin
fwhat fwas fmeasured)
15. d f(ratio fvariables fwill fallow finterpretations fsuch fas f"four ftimes fgreater" fto fbe fmade
ffrom fthe fdata fas fthey fhave fequal fintervals fand fa ftrue fzero fpoint)
16. c f(with faccess fto f22 fof fthe f56 ftotal fhealth fclinics, fthe fresearcher fis fworking fwith fa
fsample fof f22 ffrom fthe fpopulation fof f56)
