Quantitative Methods: Describing Data

Question 1

What is a population?

Answer 1

A complete set of objects

Question 2

What is a sample?

Answer 2

A subset of a given population

Question 3

What is ‘cherry picking’?

Answer 3

When samples are modifed/subdivided
for the sake of deriving a better conclusion

Question 4

What is a variable?

Answer 4

A set of related events that can take on more than one value

E.g. weight, exam mark, academic degree, hometown

Question 5

What is the Independent Variable?

Answer 5

The variable representing the value being changed or manipulated

It is controlled or selected to determine its relationship on an observed outcome

Question 6

What is the dependent variable?

Answer 6

The observed result of the IV being manipulated

It is something that (may) depend on the IV

Question 7

IV & DV example:

If a coach wants to investigate which tennis racket results in a faster
service, which is the IV and which is the DV?

Answer 7

IV = type of tennis racket

DV = speed of service

Question 8

IV & DV example:

Sophie wants to examine whether three different types of exercise,
cycling, walking and yoga, have different effects on weight loss. She
plans a study asking participants one of the three exercises and checking the weight change after the exercise.

There is [#] DV = ?
There are [#] IV = ?
There are [#] levels of IV = ?

Answer 8

There is one DV = amount of weight loss

There are one IV = type of exercise

There are three levels of IV = cycling, walking and yoga

Question 9

What is the control variable?

Answer 9

Variables that are kept constant to prevent them influencing the
effect of IV on DV

Question 10

What are the 4 types of data?

Answer 10

• Nominal (categorical)
• Ordinal (
• Interval
• Ratio

Question 11

What is nominal data?

Answer 11

Cannot be ordered or counted (country, gender, occupation)

Question 12

What is ordinal data?

Answer 12

Can be ordered, but cannot be added or subtracted (spice level (mild to hell)

Question 13

What is interval data?

Answer 13

Can be ordered, differences can be measured, but you cannot compute ratio between two values = no meaningful zero exists (exam mark, date, year)

Question 14

What is ratio data?

Answer 14

interval + can take ratio between two = has a meaningful zero (distance, height)

Question 15

What 2 types of data are qualitative?

= Categorical in Jamovi

Answer 15

Nominal and ordinal

Question 16

What 2 types of data are quantitative

= Continuous in Jamovi

Answer 16

Interval and ratio