In an experiment, researchers measure two types of variables: independent and dependent variables. (a) Which variable is manipulated to create the groups? Independent variable (b) Which variable is measured in each group? Dependent variable 7. Can a nominal variable be numeric? Explain. Yes. Just as described in the textbook (Page 100), numbers on a nominal scale identify something or someone; they provide no additional information.
Common examples of nominal numbers include ZIP codes, license plate numbers, credit card numbers, country codes, telephone numbers, and Social Security numbers. These numbers simply identify locations, vehicles, or individuals and nothing more. One credit card number, for example, is not greater than another; it is simply different. What’s more, a nominal variable could be converted to a numeric value by coding. 13. A researcher measured behavior among all individuals in a small population.
Are inferential statistics necessary to draw conclusions concerning this population? Explain. Inferential statistics are procedures used that allow researchers to infer or generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were selected (Page 87). So if the research had limited access to the population, then the inferential statistics are necessary; if the small population is small enough to allow the research to have full access, then inferential statistics are not necessary. 17.
A researcher measures the height and income f participants and finds that taller men tend to earn greater incomes than do shorter men. What type of research method did the researcher use in this example? It’s correlation method. The correlation method involves measuring the relationship between pairs of scores. No variable is manipulated and the two variables are measured for each participant, and the extent to which those variables are related is measured. In this case, the researcher measures the relationship between the height and income of participants. 1 . Researchers are interested in studying whether personality is related to the month in which someone was born. (a) What scale of measurement is the month of birth? Nominal scale. (b) Is it appropriate to code the data? Explain. It’s not necessary because coding is the procedure of converting a nominal or categorical variable to a numeric value and the month of birth is already numeric.
