Inferential Statistics

Why is proof often considered virtually impossible in psychology research according to the text?

• Because psychology does not follow the scientific method

• Because it is difficult to control enough variables to isolate a relationship definitively

• Because psychology research does not involve human or nonhuman subjects

• Because the results of psychology research are not important

What is the general agreement among most researchers regarding the likelihood that research findings are correct?

• Findings are always 100% correct

• Findings are correct about 50% of the time

• Findings are correct to a reasonable degree on 95 percent

• Findings cannot be correct at all

What is the purpose of a sample in psychological research?

• To prove the researcher's hypothesis without any doubt

• To represent the population for the purposes of the study

• To gather a group of subjects that are not affected by mood, relationships, or traffic

• To ensure that every member of a population takes a test

What does the baseline provided by a sample in a research study represent?

• The maximum score that can be achieved by the population

• The average proficiency of the general population

• The minimum level of dependability of the results

• The exact results that will be obtained from the entire population

What is inferential statistics primarily concerned with?

• Calculating the exact values for a population

• Inferring population characteristics from a sample

• Proving something about a sample

• Estimating the mean of a sample

What is parameter estimation?

Why do we try to estimate the population mean through parameter estimation?

• Because we can always know the population statistics

• Because the sample mean is always equal to the population mean

• Because we rarely know what the population is like

• Because it is easier than calculating the sample mean

What is the null hypothesis in the context of inferential statistics?

• The assumption that the sample mean is accurate

• The assumption that the treatment has no effect

• The belief that the population mean is known

• The expectation that the sample mean is different from the population mean

What is the critical value in statistical hypothesis testing?

• The value that indicates the sample mean is accurate

• The value that represents the population mean

• The value our statistic must reach to be considered significant

• The value that confirms the null hypothesis is true

What does the alpha level commonly refer to in research?

• The probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis

• The maximum acceptable probability of committing a Type I error

• The likelihood of the treatment being effective

• The calculated value needed to achieve statistical significance