Chapter 13 Test Items

1. The statistical notation “H1” represents what concept?

a. a hypothetical question

b. a research question

c. the null hypothesis

d. the alternative hypothesis

2. In quantitative research, what is the standard confidence level used by scientists?

a. 95%

b. 30%

c. 100%

d. 99%

3. What is the process of analyzing quantitative data to determine if a null hypothesis is probably either true or false?

a. probability testing

b. sampling

c. significance testing

d. population testing

4. When comparing calculated values to critical values on a critical value table, for the calculated value to be statistically significant, what must the calculated value be?

a. less than .10

b. greater than the critical value

c. less than the critical value

d. greater than 9.5

5. Sara has conducted a study using a random sample. In her study, her hypothesis was supported, but in the population where her sample was taken from, she should have accepted the null hypothesis. What has occurred?

a. confidence interval

b. Type I error

c. Type II error

d. power

6. Which of the following is the standard probability level?

a. .05

b. .07

c. .02

d. .01

7. Ginny is conducting a research study on the relationship between humor and employee productivity. After collecting data, Ginny uses a statistical program (SPSS) to complete a mathematical formula to analyze the hypothesized relationship. The statistical test generated a value to indicate the relationship between humor and employee productivity. What is the name of the value generated?

a. crucial value

b. critical value

c. error value

d. calculated value

8. What process determines if chance causes a difference or relationship between two or more variables?

a. significance testing

b. probability testing

c. confidence interval

d. error testing

9. Jerry is investigating the relationship between one’s perception of social networking sites and willingness to communicate. Jerry chooses to leave open the direction of the relationship investigated. What type of hypothesis is Jerry utilizing?

a. one-tailed hypothesis

b. two-tailed hypothesis

c. directional hypothesis

d. nondirectional hypothesis

10. Which type of error occurs when a researcher accepts a null hypothesis based on a sample when the null should be rejected?

a. confidence interval

b. Type I error

c. Type II error

d. power

11. Ralph is conducting a study and hypothesizes the following:

There will be a positive relationship between verbal aggression and physical aggression.

What does the following represent?

There will not be a relationship between verbal aggression and physical aggression.

a. null hypothesis

b. hypothesis

c. alternative hypothesis

d. descriptive hypothesis

12. What determines whether or not a researcher can reject a false null hypothesis?

a. calculated value

b. power

c. probability level

d. confidence interval

13. Geraldine is conducting a statistical test by hand. The end result of her calculations is called a what?

a. calculated value

b. critical value

c. p value

d. confidence value

14. Bob conducts a statistical test and receives a p value of .0005. Based on this information, what can we say about the statistical test Bob calculated?

a. the test is statistically significant

b. the test is practically significant

c. the test indicates a clear effect size

d. the test shows that the study has power

15. Dominique is in the process of conducting a study. In her study, as hypothesized, she found that there was a significant difference between females and males and their level of communication apprehension. However, in the larger population (or reality) there isn’t a difference between females and males and their levels of communication apprehension. What aspect of error does this represent?

a. Type I error

b. Type II error

c. confidence interval

d. power

16. A __________ is a statement about the relationship between independent and dependent variables.

a. alternative hypothesis

b. hypothesis

c. null hypothesis

d. research question

17. In her study, Donna has the following alternative hypothesis:

“There will be a difference between females and males and their public speaking anxiety.”

What is the null hypothesis?

a. There will be a relationship between gender and public speaking anxiety.

b. There will be no relationship between females and males and public speaking anxiety.

c. There is no difference between females and males and their public speaking anxiety.

d. There will be a difference between gender and public speaking anxiety.

18. In his study, Jon has the following research question:

“Will females report higher levels of concept orientation family communication patterns when compared to males?

This is an example of what?

a. directional research question

b. nondirectional research question

c. directional hypothesis

d. hypothesis

19. ___________ is the degree to which a sample probably differs with respect to a specific variable from a population.

a. regression to the mean

b. sampling frame

c. probability

d. sampling error

20. In her study examining the difference between females and males and the amount they smile, Pamela calculated a p-value of .005. Which of the following is a TRUE statement based on this finding?

a. The null hypothesis was correct.

b. There is a difference between females and males and the amount they smile.

c. The confidence level is 90%.

d. There is not enough power to determine if a difference exists.

21. The null hypothesis allows researchers to determine the probability that the results found in a sample are consistent with the overall population.

a. True

b. False

22. Hypothesis testing is the process a researcher goes through using descriptive statistics to determine whether or not to reject or accept the null hypothesis.

a. True

b. False

23. Type I error occurs when a researcher accepts the null hypothesis based on a sample when the null should be rejected.

a. True

b. False

24. Power is the strength of a relationship or the magnitude of difference occurring between two variables or the degree to which a null hypothesis is false.

a. True

b. False

25. The probability level is sometimes called the critical value.

a. True

b. False

26. H₀ is the notation used to represent the null hypothesis.

a. True

b. False

27. H₁ is the notation used to represent the alternative hypothesis.

a. True

b. False

28. The standard probability level is always going to be .005.

a. True

b. False

Essays:

29. What is the importance of the confidence interval in scientific research?

30. Explain the importance of power in statistics.

31. Explain the difference between one-tailed and two-tailed hypotheses.

32. Provide the null and alternative hypotheses for an experiment and for a study examining relationships.

33. What does it mean to test for significance?

34. What is considered when determining critical values?

35. If a researcher decides that it is appropriate to use a one-tailed hypothesis, how is the critical value affected?

Matching:

36. Match each of the following terms with the correct statement.

a. Two-Tailed Hypothesis = A prediction that there is a significant difference or relationship but does not indicate the specific nature of the difference or relationship.

b. Nondirectional Research Question = When a researcher inquires if there is a difference or relationship between two or more variables.

c. Type One Error = When a research rejects a null hypothesis based on a sample when the null should be accepted.

d. One-Tailed Hypothesis = Predicting the specific nature of the relationship (positive/negative) or difference.

e. Directional Research Question = Questions that occur when a researcher asks if there is either a specific significant difference between two or more variables or a positive or negative relationship between two or more variables.