Phil 12 Winter 2008 Directions and Sample Questions for Final Exam Part I Correlation A Answer the following multiple choice questions 20 points 1 To make a prediction for a new value of the predictor variable based on a correlation between two score values you a multiply the Pearson correlation coefficient by the new predictor value and add the value of the y intercept b multiply the new predictor value by the slope of the regression line and add the value of the y intercept c divide the new predictor value by the slope of the correlation line and add the value of the y intercept d add the new predictor value to the slope of the correlation line and divide by the value of the y intercept 2 For SAT scores to be a legitimate factor in determining college admissions a colleges must align their curriculum with the questions used on the SAT b SAT scores must be a direct proximal cause of success in college c SAT scores must be a cause direct or indirect of success in college d there must be a correlation between SAT scores and success in college 3 The diagram to the right is an example of a a histogram illustrating a lack of correlation between tobacco and alcohol b scatterplot illustrating a perfect correlation between tobacco and alcohol c scatterplot illustrating a positive correlation between tobacco and alcohol d histogram illustrating a positive correlation between tobacco and alcohol 4 Which of the following choices best explains the concept of an operational definition a It supplies sufficient conditions for a variable b It provides necessary conditions for a variable c It provides necessary and sufficient conditions for a variable d It relates variables used in an hypothesis to measurable variables 5 Using the number of items a person can recall has high construct validity as a measure of memory if it a does not involve an operational definition of memory b is only employed in a limited range of settings c reliably assigns the same scores to the same individuals on different occasions d actually measures memory Final Exam Directions and Sample Questions p 2 6 You have found a correlation of 42 between two variables in a sample of people Why do you need to determine whether the correlation is statistically significant a there could be a correlation in the sample but none in the actual population b there could be a correlation in the actual population but none in the sample c although there is a correlation it might not be very important d there may be very different reasons for the correlation in the actual population than in the sample 7 Which of the following makes no sense a p 10 b r 5 c p 05 d r 95 8 Suppose that a study claimed p 001 The probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is in fact true a cannot be determined from the information given b depends upon whether there was a proper control group c greater than 999 d less than 001 9 In doing a test of statistical significance you will have made a Type I error if you conclude that a there is no difference between means in the population when in fact there is a difference b there is a difference between means in the population when in fact there is no difference c the absence of a difference in the samples is due to chance d any difference in the samples is due to chance 10 A test preparation company offers a money back guarantee that those whose verbal score was less than 250 on a previous SAT exam which is scored between 200 and 800 will improve by at least 10 points after taking their course Such a company a is likely to lose a lot of money since most students probably cannot improve that much b can avoid losing a lot of money only by being very effective in teaching verbal skills c is not likely to have to make many refunds due to the hot hand phenomenon d is not likely to have to make many refunds due to the phenomenon of regression to the mean 11 Which of the following expressions makes no sense a measured independent variable b manipulated independent variable c measured dependent variable d manipulated dependent variable Final Exam Directions and Sample Questions p 3 12 How could there be a large difference between the means of two sample populations and it still be wrong to conclude that there is a difference in the means of the two actual populations a there were errors in the measurement of the difference in the actual population b the difference between the sample populations was of the size that could have arisen by chance c the difference between the sample populations was not statistically significant d the nominal variable in terms of which the sample populations was divided was not operationally defined B Answer the following questions in a paragraph 15 points 1 Explain why establishing correlation does not suffice to demonstrate causation What are some ways in which variables A and B may be correlated without A causing B 2 Explain why in a purely correlational study one does not need to distinguish between independent and dependent variables Part II Causation A Answer the following multiple choice questions 20 points 1 Mill s methods allow us to a Identify actual effects from among possible effects b Identify actual causes from among possible causes c Avoid performing costly experiments d Determine what variables are correlated with others 2 A cause is a cause near the beginning of a chain of causation a Proximate b Ultimate c Partial d Necessary 3 Which of the following is true of a necessary cause a If it fails to occur the effect will not occur b If it occurs then the effect will also occur c Every effect has only one necessary cause d If it fails to occur the effect might still occur 4 You have read that owning a cell phone is a sufficient cause of getting dates What would show you that this is incorrect a getting dates but not owning a cell phone b not owning a cell phone and not getting dates c owning a cell phone and not getting dates d getting a fancy car and getting dates Final Exam Directions and Sample Questions p 4 4 In order to determine what caused some of her puppies to die and others to live Ali decided to employ one of Mill s methods She Had Had the Stayed Puppies constructed the table to the right and from enough proper with her died the results concluded it was leaving the food shots brother puppies with her brother Which of Mill s Yes No Yes Yes methods was Ali employing No Yes Yes Yes a agreement Yes No No No b difference Yes No No No c residues d concomitant variation