PSYC 2005 FINAL PRACTICE QUESTIONS
What is necessary to establish causation?
A: alternative explanations have been ruled out
B: time order relationship
C: unobtrusive observation
D: covariation of events - answer -a,b,d
Alternative explanations have been ruled out, time order relationship, covariation of
events
The median is the best measure of central tendency when...
A: strong kurtosis
B: highly skewed
C: bimodal
D: nominal variables - answer -b
Highly skewed
What does the top of a boxplot tell you?
A: median score
B: the point beyond which the scores are outliers
C: 75% percentile
D: high end of a 95% confidence interval - answer -c
75% percentile
Which of these is a z-score you would use if conducting a two-tailed z test with an alpha
level of 0.05?
A: 1.64
B: 1.96
C: 2.58 - answer -b
1.96
Which of these is a z-score you would use if conducting a two-tailed z test with an alpha
level of 0.10?
A: 1.64
B: 1.96
C: 2.58 - answer -a
1.64
Name one of the specific types of research designs used by developmental
psychologists when they want to understand behavior change over time and don't want
cohort effects to undermine the generalizability of their results.
A: cross sectional
B: longitudinal - answer -b
Longitudinal
, What are the total degrees of freedom, df, for an independent means t test with total n =
467? - answer -465
A t distribution for df = 20 will have ____ tails compared to the z distribution, so the cut
off scores for that t distribution will be ____ .
A: thinner; less extreme
B: fatter; more extreme
C: fatter; less extreme
D: thinner; more extreme - answer -b
Fatter, more extreme
The phenomenon of study participants behaving differently than they might normally
because they know that they are being observed is called - answer -measurement
reactivity
When figuring the pooled population variance estimate in a t test for independent
means,
A: the variance of both of the original populations must be known, as opposed to
estimated.
B: the variance of at least one of the original populations must be known, as opposed to
estimated, but the other can be estimated from sample scores.
C: the variance estimates based on each of the samples are averaged in such as way
as to give more influence to the estimate based on more participants.
D: the scores from both samples are combined to form a single sample, and the
estimated variance is figured in the usual way using this combined sample. - answer -c
The variance estimates based on each of the samples are averaged in such as way as
to give more influence to the estimate based on more participants.
In actual practice, the usual reason for determining power before conducting a study is -
answer -determine amount of participants needed
The variance of a sample is a "biased" estimate of the population variance because...
A: sample is generally shaped like a t distribution
B:the sample mean is a biased estimate of the population mean
C: the sample generally does not have enough degrees of freedom
D: sample is generally less variable than the population - answer -d
Sample is less variable than the population
Which of the following is a consequence of increasing the sample size of a study?
What is necessary to establish causation?
A: alternative explanations have been ruled out
B: time order relationship
C: unobtrusive observation
D: covariation of events - answer -a,b,d
Alternative explanations have been ruled out, time order relationship, covariation of
events
The median is the best measure of central tendency when...
A: strong kurtosis
B: highly skewed
C: bimodal
D: nominal variables - answer -b
Highly skewed
What does the top of a boxplot tell you?
A: median score
B: the point beyond which the scores are outliers
C: 75% percentile
D: high end of a 95% confidence interval - answer -c
75% percentile
Which of these is a z-score you would use if conducting a two-tailed z test with an alpha
level of 0.05?
A: 1.64
B: 1.96
C: 2.58 - answer -b
1.96
Which of these is a z-score you would use if conducting a two-tailed z test with an alpha
level of 0.10?
A: 1.64
B: 1.96
C: 2.58 - answer -a
1.64
Name one of the specific types of research designs used by developmental
psychologists when they want to understand behavior change over time and don't want
cohort effects to undermine the generalizability of their results.
A: cross sectional
B: longitudinal - answer -b
Longitudinal
, What are the total degrees of freedom, df, for an independent means t test with total n =
467? - answer -465
A t distribution for df = 20 will have ____ tails compared to the z distribution, so the cut
off scores for that t distribution will be ____ .
A: thinner; less extreme
B: fatter; more extreme
C: fatter; less extreme
D: thinner; more extreme - answer -b
Fatter, more extreme
The phenomenon of study participants behaving differently than they might normally
because they know that they are being observed is called - answer -measurement
reactivity
When figuring the pooled population variance estimate in a t test for independent
means,
A: the variance of both of the original populations must be known, as opposed to
estimated.
B: the variance of at least one of the original populations must be known, as opposed to
estimated, but the other can be estimated from sample scores.
C: the variance estimates based on each of the samples are averaged in such as way
as to give more influence to the estimate based on more participants.
D: the scores from both samples are combined to form a single sample, and the
estimated variance is figured in the usual way using this combined sample. - answer -c
The variance estimates based on each of the samples are averaged in such as way as
to give more influence to the estimate based on more participants.
In actual practice, the usual reason for determining power before conducting a study is -
answer -determine amount of participants needed
The variance of a sample is a "biased" estimate of the population variance because...
A: sample is generally shaped like a t distribution
B:the sample mean is a biased estimate of the population mean
C: the sample generally does not have enough degrees of freedom
D: sample is generally less variable than the population - answer -d
Sample is less variable than the population
Which of the following is a consequence of increasing the sample size of a study?
