PSY 205: Research Methods I - Saint Leo University



PSY 205: Research Methods I

Module 6: Assignment

1. Use this data set and create the following for the data set:

A. A frequency distribution using class intervals.

B. A histogram.

29 22

28 20

14 10

15 12

25 14

10 16

4 3

5 4

8 1

2 19

2. For each of the following, use Excel to create the most appropriate chart (graph).

A. The proportion of adult residents in community based residence for the mildly mentally retarded selecting music, art, or Wii games as an evening activity for a six weeks program.

Music Art Wii

34% 24% 42%

B. The number of new clients at a community based mental health agency during the four quarters of the fiscal year.

First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

10 21 15 16

C. The number of psychology majors at a small liberal arts college indicating interest in taking the following electives.

Physiological Psychology Cultural Psychology Psychology of Aging

16 24 31

3. A researcher is doing applied research on preventing falls in the elderly. He wants to run an experiment on the impact of a series of Wii (computer assisted) exercises on the balance ability of elderly residents of an assisted living facility. He randomly assigns half his participants to engage in the Wii program for six weeks and the other half to engage in traditional balance promoting exercises.

It will be important that the two groups have equal spatial ability before he runs the experiment. Using the Analysis Toolpak in Excel calculate the descriptive statistics for the experimental (Wii) group and the control (traditional exercises) group. Compare them in terms of measures central tendency, variation, skewness, and kurtosis. What do they tell you about the two groups?

Spatial Ability Scores

Wii Group Traditional Exercise Group

|100 |110 |

|108 |103 |

|88 |104 |

|70 |98 |

|82 |102 |

|110 |95 |

|104 |100 |

|94 |101 |

|98 |121 |

|118 |103 |

|88 |106 |

|89 |103 |

|101 |106 |

|96 |99 |

|91 |105 |

4. Use the following data to produce a pivot table. Explain what it tells you.

|ID |Risk Level |Locus of Control |

|1 |1 |A |

|2 |2 |B |

|3 |2 |B |

|4 |2 |B |

|5 |1 |A |

|6 |3 |B |

|7 |3 |B |

|8 |3 |A |

|9 |2 |B |

|10 |2 |A |

|11 |3 |B |

|12 |3 |B |

|13 |1 |A |

|14 |2 |A |

|15 |2 |B |

|16 |2 |B |

|17 |3 |B |

|18 |2 |A |

|19 |2 |B |

|20 |3 |B |

| | | |

| |1 = Low |A = Internal |

| |2 = Medium |B = External |

| |= High | |

5. For each of the following correlations report:

• the type of correlation (positive or negative)

• what the correlation means in words. (For example, in a positive correlation we could say “As ____ increases, _____ increases.”

• the general interpretation of the correlation coefficient, i.e., whether it is a very strong relationship, a moderate relationship, a weak relationship, etc.

a) The correlation between grades in basic math and advanced math classes at a small liberal arts college where r = +.78.

b) The correlation between reading ability and social science grades in a middle school where r = +.52.

c) The correlation between test anxiety scores and grade on an achievement test where r = -.42.

d) The correlation between math aptitude scores and musical aptitude scores in second graders where r = +.28.

e) The correlation between the number of books read over a year and the scores on a popular video game where r = -.38.

6. A researcher in animal behavior was interested increasing veterinarian care for dogs. He was particularly interested in the effect of the time spent in the waiting room of a vet’s office on the dog’s heart rate when first taken in the examination room.

Use the following data to:

A. compute a correlation coefficient using Excel.

B. create a scatterplot using Excel.

C. explain in words what the correlation coefficient tells you about the relationship between time in the waiting room and heart rate. What does it not tell you?

Time in Waiting Room Heart Rate

14 116

15 104

10 102

21 98

11 103

16 114

12 116

18 90

16 103

10 123

7. Which type of correlation would be appropriate to calculate for each of the following sets of data?

A. Correlating gender and whether one is a college graduate (yes/no)

B. Correlating rank in a graduating class (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) and score on a test of optimism

C. Correlating gender and score on a test of optimism.

D. Correlating scores on a test of optimism and scores on a test of subjective well-being

E. Correlating rank in a graduating class of traditional college students and rank in initial salary offering for first job after graduating

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