Statistics

· Answer questions associated with data introduction and frequency, distribution, percentiles, and graphical representations.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Context

Before you embark on your learning journey, it is important to understand the meaning of statistics. Statistics refers to scientific methods, principles, and procedures used to collect, analyze, and present numeric data. Today, statistical analysis is carried out by software (for example, SPSS, SAS, et cetera). Researchers use these statistical tools to solve practical problems.

You may wonder, if the nature of statistics is to understand numbers, then what is the relationship between statistics and mathematics? Math and statistics are different but related. Statistics is generally considered to be a distinct mathematical science rather than a branch of mathematics. While you do not need to be a mathematician to understand statistics, you do need a solid foundation in basic high school math to understand the formulae employed in statistical analysis. Ultimately, we want you to be able to select the proper statistical methods and procedures to tie the results of a study to its hypothesis.

Resources

Required Resources

The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Capella Resources

Click the links provided to view the following resources:

. assessment1a.sav .

. assessment1b.sav .

SPSS Software

You are required to have the following software to complete your assessments throughout the course:

. SPSS Statistics Premium Campus Edition, Base GradPack or Standard GradPack (version 22 for Windows or Mac).

Note: Versioning: This software is routinely updated. While version 22 of the IBM SPSS Statistics is recommended, older versions may be used if you already own or have access to them for the duration of this course. Arrange the required statistical software for your operating system (PC or Macintosh).

If you have access to statistical software such as SAS or Excel with the appropriate add-in such as XLSTAT, you may use these as long as they meet the requirements of this course.

As a Capella learner, you may purchase this software at a substantially reduced price from the  bookstore . Read the descriptions carefully to make sure you buy the correct software for your operating platform (PC or Macintosh) and course needs.

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Capella Multimedia

Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:

. Modules: 1 and 2  |  Transcript

4. Module 1. Math Review, Vocabulary, and Symbols.

4. Module 2. Measurement Scales.

. Measurement Scales  |  Transcript .

5. You may use these concepts in this assessment.

. Modules: 3 and 4  |  Transcript .

6. Module 3. Frequency and Percentile Tables.

6. Module 4. Graphs and Plots.

Library Resources

The following e-books and articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course.

. Mvududu, N., & Kanyongo, G. Y. (2011).  Using real life examples to teach abstract statistical concepts .Teaching Statistics, 33(1), 12–16.

Course Library Guide

A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the  PSYC-FP4700 – Statistics for the Behavior Sciences Library Guide  to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

. Sophia Learning . (2014). Retrieved from http://www.sophia.org

8. Capella University partners with Sophia Learning to provide tutorials and other learning resources online.

. StatisticsLectures.com . (2012). Retrieved from http://statisticslectures.com/

9. This Web site offers resources that cover many topics in statistics, including presentations that illustrate how to use software to implement statistical methods.

. Khan Academy . (2013). Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org

10. This Web site offers resources covering a range of subjects including statistics.

. Stat Trek . (2014). Retrieved from http://stattrek.com/

. Stat Soft: Electronic Statistics Textbook . (2014). Retrieved from http://www.statsoft.com/Textbook

Bookstore Resources

The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the  Capella University Bookstore . When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

. Steinberg, W. J. (2011). Statistics alive! (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

· Assessment Instructions

Answer the questions below, following the Submission Requirements as specified at the end of the assessment.

Assessment Concepts
Question	Topic
Question 1	Rounding
Question 2	Order of Operations
Question 3	Scales of Measurement
Question 4	Scales of Measurement
Question 5	Continuous Versus Discrete Tables
Question 6	Frequency Tables
Question 7	Grouped Frequency Tables
Question 8	SPSS: Creating Ascending and Descending Frequency Tables
Question 9	Symmetry and Skew
Question 10	SPSS: Creating Histograms and Line, Bar, and Pie Graphs
Question 11	SPSS: Creating Variables in Variable View

Question 1

Round the following numbers to two decimal places:

. 438.002.

. 512.345.

. 173.552.

Question 2

Apply order of operations rules and solve:

. √ (3 * 3 + 6 – 22 – 2).

. (8 + 42 – 4)/5.

. 8 – 2 * 3 + 4/2.

. 40 – 6 * 5 – 2.

. √([10–7] * 3) – 2.

Question 3

Identify the highest possible scale (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) for the following:

. Preferred political party.

. Number of children.

. Number of sodas you drank today.

. Temperature in Fahrenheit.

. Class rank.

Question 4

Identify the highest possible scale (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) for the following:

. Gender.

. Weight of an object.

. Book genre.

. Extraversion.

. Award categories at the Oscars.

Question 5

Identify the variables below as continuous (C) or discrete (D):

. Time it takes to fall asleep.

. Number of languages you speak.

. Number of adults living in a household.

. Speed of an airplane.

. Weight of cars.

Question 6

Twenty people were asked how many computers they own. Use the provided data to create a table showing frequency and cumulative frequency.

1, 2, 0, 1, 3, 4, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 4, 0, 1, 1.

Frequency and Cumulative Frequency
Number of Computers	Frequency	Cumulative Frequency
4
3
2
1
0

Question 7

A psychology professor wants to examine how many times her students missed class during the previous semester. She had 40 students registered in her class, and her attendance records revealed the following:

0, 2, 0, 6, 3, 6, 7, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 4, 0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 5, 8, 4, 2, 1, 0, 2, 1, 0, 6, 8, 1, 2, 1, 1, 0.

. Using the above data, create a grouped frequency table in 2-miss intervals.

. Using the above data, create a grouped frequency table in 4-miss intervals.

. Using the above data, create a grouped frequency table in 6-miss intervals.

. Which of these tables provides the clearest picture of the data and why?

Question 8

Complete the following steps:

· Open the SPSS file assessment1a.sav linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.

· At the top of the screen, click on Analyze, select Descriptive Statistics, then select Frequencies.

· Click on Score, then click on the arrow to send it over to the right side of the table.

· Click on OK. Copy and paste the ascending values frequency table to your Word document.

· Go back to Data View, click on Analyze, select Descriptive Statistics, then select Frequencies.

· Click on Format, then on Descending Values. Click Continue and then OK. Copy and paste the descending values frequency table to your Word document.

Question 9

Identify the probable shape of the frequency curve (normal, negatively skewed, or positively skewed) for the following:

· Class test scores on a very difficult final exam.

· Population IQ scores.

· SAT scores of Ivy League students.

· Class test scores on a very easy final exam.

· SAT scores of all students who have taken the exam in the last five years.

Question 10

Complete the following steps:

· Open the SPSS file assessment1a.sav.

· At the top of the screen, click on Graphs, select Legacy Dialogs, then select Histogram.

· Click on Score, then click on the arrow to send it over to the variable box.

· Click on OK. Copy and paste the histogram to your Word document.

· Go back to Data View, click on Graphs, select Legacy Dialogs, then select Line.

· Click on Simple, then on Define. Click on Score, then click on the arrow to send it over to the Category Axis box.

· Click on OK. Copy and paste the line graph to your Word document.

· Open the SPSS file assessment1b.sav linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading.

· At the top of the screen, click on Graphs, select Legacy Dialogs, then select Bar.

· Click on Simple, then on Define. Click on Political Party, then click on the arrow to send it over to theCategory Axis box.

· Click on OK. Copy and paste the bar graph to your Word document.

· Go back to Data View, click on Graphs, select Legacy Dialogs, then select Pie.

· Click on Summaries for groups of case, then on Define. Click on Political Party, then click on thearrow to send it over to the Define Slices By box.

· Click on OK. Copy and paste the pie graph to your Word document.

Question 11

Twenty first graders were asked to identify their favorite color. Using the following results, create a data file in SPSS (you will enter the date in Data View and define your variables in Variable View) and create a bar graph. Copy and paste the bar graph to your Word document.

· Blue = 8.

· Red = 6.

· Green = 2.

· Yellow = 4.

Submission Requirements

· Submit all answers in one Word document (do not submit multiple files).

· Show your work for questions that require calculations.

· Ensure your answer to each problem is clearly visible (you may want to highlight your answer or use a different font color to set it apart).