PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 1 Assignment
Basics of Research and Statistics
Criterion: Explain data in a table.
Instructions: Read the following and answer the question.
Gun ownership in the United States. Data from Gallup polls over a 40-year period show how gun ownership in the United States has changed. The results are described in the table below, with the percentage of Americans who own guns given in each of 5 decades:
Year %
1972 43
1982 42
1992 48
2002 40
2012 43
Source: Reported at http://www.gallup.com/poll/1645/Guns.aspx
1. Are the percentages reported here an example of descriptive statistics or interferential statistics?
2. Based on the percentages given in the table, how has gun ownership in the United States changed over the past 40 years?
Problem Set 1.3: Understanding Sample and Population
Criterion: Describes the relationship between population and sample.
Instructions: Read the following and answer the question.
Height and educational attainment. Szklarska et al. (2007) hypothesized that taller young men are more likely to move up the scale of educational attainment compared with shorter individuals from the same social background. They recruited 91,373 19-year-old men to participate in the study.
Do these participants most likely represent a sample or population? Explain.
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Problem Set 1.4: Constants and Variables
Criterion: Identify constants and variables.
Instructions: Identify whether the following are constants or variables.
1. 8: ___________________
2. −5: __________________
3. –x: __________________
4. y: ___________________
5. 0: ___________________
6. xy: __________________
Problem Set 1.5: Create a Data Set for Use in JASP
Criterion: Enter and display data for use in JASP.
Data: Five social media users spent the following number of minutes viewing Twitter:
15.21, 46.18, 12.45, 65.486, 26.852.
Instructions: Use the supplied data to complete the steps below.
1. Open Excel.
2. In cell A1, type Minutes. The variable of Minutes is continuous.
3. In cells A2-A6, enter the supplied data in the column labeled Minutes.
4. Save your data set as a .csv file
5. Open JASP.
6. In the sandwich menu, scroll down to OPEN, then select COMPUTER. Locate your .csv file and click it to open it.
7. Take a screenshot of your data in JASP and paste it below.
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 2 Assignment
Data:
1. The frequency of businesses with at least 20 employees: __________
2. The frequency of college students with less than a 3.0 GPA: __________
3. The percentage of women completing 1, 2, 3, or 4 tasks simultaneously: __________
4. The proportion of pregnancies performed in public or private hospitals: __________
5. The percentage of alcoholics with more than 2 years of substance abuse: __________
Problem Set 2.3: Reading a Chart
Criterion: Locate data on a chart.
Instructions: Read the following and answer the questions.
Participant Characteristics
Profession Count
Type Token
College Professor
Clinical Psychologist
Unknown 24,541
23,617
479 878,261
751,188
927
Total 1,630,376
1. Do college professors or clinical psychologists in this sample speak more words overall (Token Count)? _______________
2. Do college professors or clinical psychologists in this sample speak more different words (Type Count)? _______________
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Problem Set 2.4: Understanding Percentages
Criterion: Identify distribution type and number of people.
Instructions: Read the following and answer the questions.
Perceptions of same-sex marriage. In June 2016, a CBS News poll asked a sample of adults worldwide whether it should be legal or not legal for same-sex couples to marry (reported at http://www.pollingreport.com). The opinions of adults worldwide were as follows: 58%, legal; 33%, not legal; and 9%, unsure/no answer.
1. What type of distribution is this? __________________________
2. Knowing that 1,280 adults were polled nationwide, how many Americans polled felt that same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry? __________________________
Problem Set 2.5: Create an Ascending Frequency Table in JASP
Criterion: Create an ascending frequency table in JASP.
Data: Use Clicks data set. This data set is a record of the number of clicks per hour in forty different tweets.
Instructions: Complete the steps below.
1. Download Clicks data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click Descriptives.
3. Select Clicks and then click Arrow to send it over to the Variables box.
4. Click Tables. In the menu that opens, check Frequency Tables.
5. Copy and paste the ascending values frequency table into the Word document.
Note: You will continue to use this data set in the next two problems.
Problem Set 2.6: Construct a Bar Graph in JASP
Criterion: Construct a bar graph in JASP.
Data: Use Clicks data set. This data set is a record of the number of clicks per hour in forty different tweets.
Instructions: Complete the following steps to create a bar chart to examine the data:
1. Download Clicks data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click Descriptives.
3. Select Clicks and then click Arrow to send it over to the Variables box.
4. Click Basic Plots, then check Distribution Plots.
5. Copy and Paste the bar graph below.
6. Optional to answer: What is the shape of the distribution?
Note: You will continue to use this data set for the next problem.
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Problem Set 2.7: Construct a Pie Chart in JASP
Criterion: Construct a pie chart in JASP.
Data: Use Clicks data set. This data set is a record of the number of clicks per hour in forty different tweets.
Instructions: Complete the following steps to create a pie chart.
1. Download Clicks data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click Descriptives.
3. Select Clicks and then click Arrow to send it over to the Variables box.
4. Click Basic Plots, then check Pie charts.
5. Copy and paste the pie graph below.
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 3 Assignment
Central Tendency
Instructions: Complete the following steps:
o Install the data analytics package in Excel.
o If you are unsure about how to do this, visit Load the Analysis Toolpak in Microsoft Excel, which has tutorials for both Windows and Mac. Used with permission from Microsoft.
o Enter the data above into Excel using the variable name Data. In cell A1, type the word “Data.” Then, enter the data above in cells A2 to A11.
o In the Toolbar, click Data Analysis, Select Descriptive Statistics, then click OK.
o Next to input range type: $A$2:$A$11
o Double check that summary statistics has a check next to it.
o Click OK. A new sheet will appear to the right with your data.
o Copy and paste the descriptive statistics table below.
o Highlight the range, mean, and standard deviation.
Problem Set 3.5: Range, Variance, and Standard Deviation in JASP
Criterion: Calculate measures of variability in JASP.
Data: Use Likes data set. This data set is a sample of likes per post on Facebook.
Instructions: Complete the steps below.
1. Download Likes data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click Descriptives.
3. Select Likes and then click Arrow to send it over to the Variables box.
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4. Check Transpose descriptives table.
5. Select Statistics. In the menu that opens, check the boxes for Mean, Std. deviation, Variance, and Range. Deselect all other boxes.
6. Copy and paste the descriptive statistics table below.
7. Highlight the range, mean, and standard deviation.
8. Answer: Does your mean equal the mean calculated in Problem Set 3.4? __________
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 4 Assignment
Probability
Instructions: Read the following and answer the questions.
Judging the humorousness of “lawyer” jokes. Stillman et al. (2008) conducted a study where participants listened to a variety of jokes. To determine how funny the jokes were, the researchers asked a group of 86 undergraduates to rate the jokes on a scale from 1 (very unfunny) to 21 (very funny). Participants rated a “lawyer joke” as one of the funniest jokes, with a rating of 14.48 ± 4.38 (M ± SD).
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Assuming that these data are normally distributed:
1. What was the rating that marks the cutoff for the top 10% of participant ratings for this joke?
2. How many of the 86 undergraduates gave the joke a rating of at least 10? ___________________________
Problem Set 4.4: Calculating z Scores in JASP
Criterion: Calculate z scores using JASP.
Data: Use the Ratings data set. This data set is a record of how a sample of senior citizens rated the Internet on a 1–10 scale, with 1 being “really distrust it” and 10 being “completely trust it”:
Instructions: Complete the steps below.
1. Download Ratings data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. Just below the Toolbar, click the + sign next to the column labeled Rating.
3. Type “Z scores” in the box, then click Create Column. A formula box will appear below the Toolbar.
4. Use the scrollbar on the right side of the formula box to scroll down and select zScores(y).
5. On the left side of the box, click Rating, then drag it into the formula box to replace the word values. Click Compute column at the bottom of the formula box. You will see that the z scores have been added to the file. Paste a screenshot of the data set, showing the z scores, into the Word document.
6. Answer: Which number of ratings is closest to the z score of 0?
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 5 Assignment
Hypothesis, Effect Size, and Power
Instructions: Read each of the following three scenarios and answer the questions.
1. Two researchers make a test concerning the effectiveness of a drug use treatment. Researcher A determines that the effect size in the population of males is d = 0.36; Researcher B determines that the effect size in the population of females is d = 0.20. All other things being equal, which researcher has more power to detect an effect? Explain. ______________________________________________________________________
2. Two researchers make a test concerning the levels of marital satisfaction among military families. Researcher A collects a sample of 22 married couples (n = 22); Researcher B collects a sample of 40 married couples (n = 40). All other things being equal, which researcher has more power to detect an effect? Explain.
3. Two researchers make a test concerning standardized exam performance among senior high school students in one of two local communities. Researcher A tests performance from the population in the northern community, where the standard deviation of test scores is 110 ( ); Researcher B tests performance from the population in the southern community, where the standard deviation of test scores is 60 ( ). All other things being equal, which researcher has more power to detect an effect? Explain.
Problem Set 5.3: Hypothesis, Direction, and Population Mean
Criterion: Explain the relationship between hypothesis, tests, and population mean.
Instructions: Read the following and answer the question.
Directional versus nondirectional hypothesis testing. Cho and Abe (2013) provided a commentary on the appropriate use of one-tailed and two-tailed tests in behavioral research. In their discussion, they outlined the following hypothetical null and alternative hypotheses to test a research hypothesis that males self-disclose more than females:
• H0: µmales − µfemales ≤ 0
• H1: µmales − µfemales > 0
1. What type of test is set up with these hypotheses, a directional test or a nondirectional test?
2. Do these hypotheses encompass all possibilities for the population mean? Explain.
Problem Set 5.4: Hypothesis, Direction, and Population Mean
Criterion: Explain decisions for p values.
Instructions: Read the following and respond to the prompt.
The value of a p value. In a critical commentary on the use of significance testing, Lambdin (2012) explained, “If a p < .05 result is ‘significant,’ then a p = .067 result is not ‘marginally significant’” (p. 76).
Explain what the author is referring to in terms of the two decisions that a researcher can make.
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 6 Assignment
t Tests
Instructions: Complete the steps below.
1. Download Scores data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click T-tests. In the menu that appears, under Classical, select Independent-samples T-test.
3. Select Score and then click the top Arrow to send it over to the Dependent Variables box.
4. Select Group and then click the bottom Arrow to send it over to the Grouping Variable box.
5. Make sure the Student box is selected. Also select Descriptives and deselect any other boxes.
6. Copy and paste the output into the Word document.
Problem Set 6.4: Independent Samples t Test
Criterion: Identify IV, DV, and hypotheses and evaluate the null hypothesis for an independent samples t test.
Data: Use the information from Problem Set 6.3.
Instructions: Complete the following:
a. Identify the IV and DV in the study. _____________________________________
b. State the null hypothesis and the directional (one-tailed) alternative hypothesis. ___________________________________________________
c. Can you reject the null hypothesis at α = .05? Explain why or why not. ___________________________________________________
Problem Set 6.5: Independent t Test using Excel
Criterion: Calculate an independent samples t test in Excel.
Instructions: Complete the following steps:
a. Open Excel.
b. On an empty tab, enter the data from this information:
Depression Scores: Group 1: 34, 25, 4, 64, 14, 49, 54 ; Group 2: 24, 78, 59, 68, 84, 79, 57
c. Use column A for group 1 and column B for Group 2. In Cell A1, enter 1. In cell B1, enter 2.
d. Enter the data for each group below the label.
e. Click Data Analysis, select t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances. Click OK.
f. In Variable 1 Range enter $A$2:$A$8. (Or, click the graph icon at the right of the box and highlight your data for Group 1. Then, click the graph icon.)
g. In Variable 2 Range enter $B$2:$B$8.
h. Then click OK. Your results will appear on a new tab to the left.
i. Return to your data. Click Data Analysis, select t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances. Then click OK.
j. In Variable 1 Range enter $A$2:$A$8. (Or, click the graph icon at the right of the box and highlight your data for Group 1. Then, click the graph icon.)
k. In Variable 2 Range enter $B$2:$B$8.
l. Then click OK. Your results will appear on a new tab to the left.
m. Copy the results from both t tests below.
PSYC4700 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Week 7 Assignment
ANOVA
Instruction: Read the following and answer the question.
Data: Life satisfaction among sport coaches. Drakou et al. (2006) tested differences in life satisfaction among sport coaches. They tested differences by sex, age, marital status, and education. The results of each test in the following table are similar to the way in which the data were given in their article.
Independent Variables Life Satisfaction
M SD F p
Sex 0.68 .409
Men 3.99 0.51
Women 3.94 0.49
Age 3.04 .029
20s 3.85 0.42
30s 4.03 0.52
40s 3.97 0.57
50s 4.02 0.50
Marital status 12.46 .000
Single 3.85 0.48
Married 4.10 0.50
Divorced 4.00 0.35
Education 0.82 .536
High school 3.92 0.48
Postsecondary 3.85 0.54
University degree 4.00 0.51
Masters 4.00 0.59
1. Which factors were significant at a .05 level of significance? ______________________
2. State the number of levels for each factor. ____________________________________
Problem Set 7.3: One-way ANOVA in JASP
Criterion: Calculate an ANOVA in JASP.
Data: Use the Stress data set. This data set is a record of the amount of fat (in grams) consumed in a buffet-style lunch among professional bodybuilders under conditions of high, moderate, and low stress.
Instructions: Complete the steps below.
1. Download Stress data set. Double-click the icon to open the data set in JASP.
2. In the Toolbar, click ANOVA. In the menu that appears, under Classical, select ANOVA.
3. Select Fat grams consumed and then click the upper Arrow to send it over to the Dependent Variable box.
4. Select Stress level and then click the lower Arrow to send it over to the Fixed factors box.
5. Check the Descriptive statistics box.
6. Copy and paste the output below.
Note: You will continue to use this data set for Problem Set 7.6.
Problem Set 7.4: One-way ANOVA in Excel
Criterion: Calculate an ANOVA in Excel.
Instructions: Use the data from the table below to complete the following steps:
a. Open Excel to an empty sheet.
b. Enter the data from this table:
Stress Levels
High Moderate Low
10 9 9
7 4 4
8 7 6
12 &nbs
