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PSYC*1010 > PSYC*1010 Chapter 2: Frequency Distributions > Flashcards

PSYC*1010 Chapter 2: Frequency Distributions Flashcards

1
Q

What is a frequency distribution?

A

An organized tabulation of the number of individuals located in each category on a scale of measurement

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2
Q

What are three things that frequency distributions provide information about?

A
  • Whether scores are generally high or low
  • Whether scores are concentrated in one area or spread out across the entire scale
  • The location of any individual score relative to others in the set
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3
Q

What two elements are presented in both frequency distribution tables and frequency distribution graphs?

A
  • The set of categories that make up the original scale of measurement
  • A record of the frequency/ number of individuals in each category
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4
Q

How can the number of participants be calculated with the information provided by a frequency distribution?

A

By adding all the frequencies in a distribution

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5
Q

How is the sum of scores obtained from a frequency distribution?

A

Each X value is multiplied by its frequency and the products are totalled

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6
Q

What are the two most common measures that describe distribution of scores and can be incorporated into a frequency distribution table?

A

Proportion and percentage

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7
Q

What does proportion measure?

A

The fraction of the total group associated with each score

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8
Q

How is proportion most frequently expressed?

A

Proportion is most frequently expressed as a decimal rather than a fraction

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9
Q

How is the proportion of a score in a frequency distribution calculated?

A

Proportion of a score is calculated by dividing its frequency by the total number of scores

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10
Q

How is the percentage of a score in a frequency distribution calculated?

A

The percentage associated with each score is the product of the proportion multiplied by 100

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11
Q

What is a grouped frequency distribution?

A

A frequency distribution where scores are grouped into intervals rather than listed as individual values

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12
Q

What is range, and how is it calculated?

A
  • Range: the distance between the absolute highest and lowest points in a distribution
  • Range = highest score - lowest score
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13
Q

What is a class interval?

A

The group of scores in a grouped frequency distribution

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14
Q

What are the five guidelines for creating class intervals?

A
  • There should be about 10 intervals
  • The width should be a relatively simple number
  • The bottom score of each interval should be a multiple of the width
  • All intervals should be the same width
  • The intervals should completely cover the range of scores with no gaps or overlaps
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15
Q

How are the sizes of class intervals determined?

A

Calculate the (range + 1)/10 and chose a convenient interval size as close to that value as possible

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16
Q

What type(s) of limits do continuous variables have?

A
  • Real limits
  • Apparent limits
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17
Q

What are the apparent limits of a class interval?

A

The score values that appear to be the lowest and highest of an interval

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18
Q

What are the real limits of a class interval?

A

The upper real limit of the first score in a class interval and the lower real limit of the last score in a class interval

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19
Q

When are real limits used to describe class intervals?

A

When measuring and organizing continuous variables

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20
Q

What is the abscissa of a graph?

A

The x-axis

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21
Q

What is the ordinate of a graph?

A

The y-axis

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22
Q

What are two guidelines that help avoid creating misleading graphs?

A
  • The point of intersection of both axes has a score of zero
  • The y-axis is approximately two-thirds to three-quarters the length of the x-axis
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23
Q

What is a histogram?

A
  • A graph showing a bar above each score or interval corresponding to their frequencies
  • There are no gaps between bars
24
Q

What do the heights and widths of bars in histograms correspond to?

A
  • Height = Frequency
  • Width = class interval size, extending to real limits
25
Q

What is a modified histogram?

A

Instead of drawing a bar above each score, a stack of “blocks” is used to represent the number of individuals

26
Q

T or F: Modified histograms can be used as a substitute for regular histograms.

A
  • False
  • A modified histogram is not a substitute for an accurately drawn histogram with two labelled axes
27
Q

What is a polygon?

A

A graph consisting of a line that connects a series of dots

28
Q

What does the height of a dot in a polygon correspond to?

A

The height of each dot placed above intervals/scores corresponds to the frequency of that interval/score

29
Q

How is nominal and ordinal data typically displayed?

A

A bar graph

30
Q

What is a bar graph?

A
  • A graph showing a bar above each score or interval corresponding to their frequencies
  • There are gaps between adjacent bars
31
Q

What do the spaces between adjacent bars in a bar graph represent when displaying nominal data?

A

For a nominal scale, the space between bars emphasizes that the scale consists of separate and distinct categories

32
Q

What do the spaces between adjacent bars in a bar graph represent when displaying ordinal data?

A

For an ordinal scale, the space between bars are present because it cannot be assumed that all categories are the same size/have the same sized intervals

33
Q

What are the two special features of graphs for population distributions?

A
  • Relative frequencies
  • Smooth curves
34
Q

What is a relative frequency?

A

A proportion of the total distributor rather than the absolute frequency

35
Q

When are relative frequencies used?

A

When the total number of individuals is unknown for each category

36
Q

How can relative frequencies be presented/ displayed?

A

By using a relative frequency graph that does not display absolute numbers, simply the proportions of a category relative to each other

37
Q

What does a smooth curve demonstrate?

A

The relative changes that occur from one score to the next in a population

38
Q

What are the characteristics of a normal distribution curve?

A

Symmetrical, with the greatest frequency in the middle and relatively smaller frequencies toward either extreme

39
Q

Which three characteristics completely describe any distribution?

A
  • Central tendency
  • Variability
  • Shape
40
Q

How is the shape of a distribution technically defined?

A

By an equation that describes the exact relationship between each X and Y value on the graph

41
Q

How is the shape of a distribution classified?

A

The shape of nearly all distributions can be classified as either symmetrical or skewed

42
Q

What is a symmetrical distribution?

A

If a vertical line was drawn through the distribution curve, each side would be a mirror image of the other

43
Q

What is a skewed distribution?

A

Occurs when the scores pile up toward one end of the scale and taper off gradually at the other end

44
Q

What is the tail of distribution?

A

The section where the scores taper off toward one end of a distribution

45
Q

What does a positively skewed distribution look like?

A

The tail points toward the positive end of the x-axis (on the right-hand side)

46
Q

What does a negatively skewed distribution look like?

A

The tail points toward the negative end of the x-axis (on the left-hand side)

47
Q

What is the floor effect?

A

A situation in which a constraint prevents a variable from taking values below a certain point

48
Q

How might the floor effect influence distribution?

A

It may lead to a positively skewed distribution

49
Q

What is the ceiling effect?

A

A situation in which a constraint prevents a variable from taking on values above a given number

50
Q

How might the ceiling effect influence a distribution?

A

It may lead to a negatively skewed distribution

51
Q

What are stem and leaf displays?

A

A technique for organizing data that requires each score be separated into two parts

52
Q

What do the “stem” and “leaf” in a stem and leaf display represent?

A
  • Stem: the first digit(s) of a score
  • Leaf: the last digit of a score
53
Q

What does each stem in a stem and leaf display correspond to?

A

Each stem corresponds to a class interval

54
Q

What does the number of leafs in a stem and leaf display correspond to?

A

The number of leafs shows the frequency associated with each stem

55
Q

What is the advantage of a stem and leaf display over a traditional grouped frequency distribution?

A

Stem and leaf displays allow you to identify each individual score in the data

56
Q

What factors need to be considered when determining the type of statistical analyses needed in a study?

A
  • The type of study (correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental)
  • What type of variables are being used (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio)

PSYC*1010 (13 decks)

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