(Read and answer questions )
Research Methods in Psychology
1. Read the attached published article and answer the questions below.
a. What were the independent and dependent variables in the study? Note: There was 1 IV and 3 DVs.
b. How was each of the above variables (independent and dependent) operationally defined? You will not get full credit for general statements. I want details about the manipulation (IV) and measurement (DV)! Be specific!
- Describe 1 extraneous variable (potential confound) that was or should have been controlled in the study. Be sure to explain in your description how this variable could affect the results if not taken into account.
- Using your own creativity, operationally define stress as either (1) an independent variable that you could manipulate OR as (2) a dependent variable that you could measure. Be specific!
Read Chapters 2, 4, & 15 of “A Crash Course in SPSS.” Then do the following:
- Enter the data from Table 5.1 (cotton production and lynchings, p 31) into the SPSS Data Editor. Once the data have been entered, generate (1) a summary or descriptive statistics for the cotton ($m) and lynchings variables; be sure to choose Mean, Sum, SD, Min, Max, and Kurtosis, and (2) a scatterplot (with detailed and appropriately labeled axes) to illustrate the relationship between lynchings and cotton production (see section 15.5). Hand in a printout of your summary results and your scatterplot. 5 pts
Read Chapter 0 (0.0-0.4) from Seeing Statistics (
www.seeingstatistics.com
). Then answer the following questions:
- At the bottom of the page in Chapter 0.1.3 Navigation, click on “Survey” and take the “Statistical Knowledge Quiz.” Score it electronically (by clicking the appropriate button). What score did you get (out of 20)?
- In Chapter 0.2.2, you will see a die. Click on the die 6 times. What 6 numbers did the die land on? Answer the two questions asked by the author of Seeing Statistics, in your own words. To question 2 add this: What kind of results would demonstrate randomness/fairness?