Data collection and drawing conclusions

Which of the following is a measure of central tendency?

• Mean

• Standard deviation

• Range

• Variance

What does Pearson’s correlation coefficient measure?

• The strength and direction of linear relationships

• The average value in a data set

• The difference between the highest and lowest values

• The spread of data around the mean

Which of the following best describes an evidence-based conclusion in psychological research?

• A conclusion based on personal opinion

• A conclusion consistent with psychological evidence and relevant to the hypothesis or inquiry questions

• A conclusion based on random selection

• A conclusion that ignores the data collected

If a student is able to interpret Pearson’s correlation coefficient, what skill are they demonstrating?

• Understanding the strength and direction of linear relationships

• Calculating the mean only

• Drawing random conclusions

• Memorizing vocabulary words

Given a set of data, how would you determine if your conclusion is relevant to the study?

• By ensuring it is based on evidence and addresses the hypothesis or inquiry questions

• By making a guess based on the data

• By ignoring the data and using intuition

• By choosing the most common answer

What is a scatter graph (or scatter plot) useful for?

• To show the relationship between two variables when there is a large amount of data

• To display the frequency of a single variable

• To compare parts of a whole

• To show changes over time for one variable

Which of the following is an example of data that can be represented using a scatter plot?

• Global temperature plotted against time in years

• The number of students in a class

• The colors of cars in a parking lot

• The names of countries in a continent

Why might a scientist choose to use a scatter plot instead of a bar graph?

• To establish a relationship between two variables with a large amount of data

• To compare the sizes of different categories

• To show the composition of a whole

• To display a single variable over time

Based on the scatter plot described, what trend is likely observed in global temperatures over the years?

• An overall increase in global temperatures

• A constant global temperature

• A decrease in global temperatures

• No observable pattern in global temperatures

On a scatter graph, which axis is used to plot the independent variable?

• Vertical (upright) axis

• Diagonal axis

• Horizontal (sideways) axis

• Curved axis