Scales of Measurement & Descriptive Stats

Question 1

Of the four scales of measurement, the___scale is the least mathematically complex. When we measure a characteristic with this scale there is no inherent____to the scale categories and we cannot say that one person has more or less of the characteristic being measured than another person.The only quantitative operation that we can perform when data are measured on this scale is to count the___of observations that fall into each category.

Answer 1

nominal; order; frequency(number)

Question 2

The ordinal scale of measurement has the mathematical property of____. When using this scale we can say that one person has____of the characteristic being measured than another person.

Answer 2

order; more or less

Question 3

The interval scale is more mathematically complex than the ordinal scale. It not only has teh property of___but also the property of____intervals between successive points on the measuring scale. As a result, we can perform the mathematical operations of___and conclude that a score of 100 is___between the scores of 90 and 110.

Answer 3

order; equal;addition and subtraction;midway

Question 4

The most mathematically complex measurement scale is the____ scale. It has the properties of order and equal intervals as well as property of an____zero point.The latter property makes it possible not only to add and subtract scores but also to____them and conclude that a person who receives a score of 150 has____times as much of the characteristic being measured as a person who receives a score of 50.

Answer 4

ratio; absolute;multiply and divide; three

Question 5

A frequency polygon can be described in terms of itsshape. A “normal distribution” is symmetrical and ___shaped.

Answer 5

bell

Question 6

Distributions can ofcourse deviate from the normal. When a distribution ismore “peaked” than the normal distribution it is said tobe____: when a distribution is flatter than the normal distribution,it is_____.

Answer 6

leptokurtic;platykurtic

Question 7

Distributions can also be asymmetrical.In a___distribution, over 50% of the scores fall on one side of the distributions.

Answer 7

skewed

Question 8

When scores are concentrated in the positive side of the distribution with only a relatively fewscores in the negative side(tail) the distribution is said to be___skewed.

Answer 8

negatively

Question 9

When scores are concentrated in the negative side of the distribution with only arelatively few scores in the positively side tail, the distribution is called___skewed.

Answer 9

positively

Question 10

The mean,median, and mode are all measures of _____tendency that summarize a distribution of data by providing a “typical” score.

Answer 10

central

Question 11

The mode is the most___occuring score or category in a distribution.

Answer 11

frequently

Question 12

The median is the___score in an ordered set of data.

Answer 12

middle

Question 13

The mean is the arithmetic____. The mean can be calculated only when the variable has been measured using a(n)___scale.

Answer 13

average;interval or ratio

Question 14

In a normal distribution, the three measures of central tendency are equal to the same value. However, in a______skewed distribution, the mean is greater than the median, which is greaterthan the mode.

Answer 14

positively

Question 15

In a ____skewed distribution, the opposite is true, the mean is less than the median, which is less than the mode.

Answer 15

negatively

Question 16

Measures of variability indicate the degreeof___in a distribution of scores. Thesimplest measure of variability is the____which is calculated by subtracting the lowest score in the distribution from the ____score.

Answer 16

dispersion(heterogeneity); range;highest

Question 17

The variance and standard deviation are more thorough measures of variability because their calculation includes___of the scores inthe distribution. These measures indicate on the average how much the scores in a distribution vary from the distribution’s ____.

Answer 17

all;mean

Question 18

The standard deviation is equal to the__of the variance. It is usually preferred to the variance as a descriptive technique because it expresses a distribution’s variability in the same unit of____as the original scores and is easier to interpret. For instance, if a distribution of IQ scores has a mean of 100 and a variance of 225 its standard deviation is equal to____. Assumming that the population distribution is normal, this means that in the population, about___percent of people have IQ scores between 85 and 115; about___percent ahve scores between 70 and 130; and about___percent have scores between 55 and 145.

Answer 18

square root;measurement; 15(square root of 225); 68%; 95%;99%

Question 19

When a constant is___to each score in a distribution, the measures of central tendency change but the measures of variability stay the same. In contrast when each score is ___by a constant the measures of central tendency and variability all change.

Answer 19

added or subtracted; multiplied or divided