Archive for year: 2019

Details:

Complete the following exercises located at the end of each chapter and put them into a Word document to be submitted as directed by the instructor.

Show all relevant work; use the equation editor in Microsoft Word when necessary.

6.7 (a) Estimate whether the following pairs of scores for X and Y refl ect a positive relationship, a negative relationship, or no relationship. Hint: Note any tendency for pairs of X and Y scores to occupy similar or dis-similar relative locations.

X Y

64 66

40 79

30 98

71 65

55 76

31 83

61 68

42 80

57 72

(b) Construct a scatterplot for X and Y . Verify that the scatterplot does not describe a pronounced curvilinear trend. (c) Calculate r using the computation formula (6.1). 6.8 Calculate the value of r using the computational formula (6.1) for the following data:

X Y

2 8

4 6

5 2

3 3

1 4

7 1

2 4

*6.10 On the basis of an extensive survey, the California Department of Education reported an r of 2 .32 for the relationship between the amount of time spent watching TV and the achievement test scores of schoolchildren. Each of the following statements represents a possible interpretation of this finding. Indicate whether each is true or false.

(a) Every child who watches a lot of TV will perform poorly on the achievement tests.

(b) Extensive TV viewing causes a decline in test scores.

(c) Children who watch little TV will tend to perform well on the tests.

(d) Children who perform well on the tests will tend to watch little TV.

(e) If Gretchen’s TV-viewing time is reduced by one-half, we can expect a substantial improvement in her test scores.

(f) TV viewing could not possibly cause a decline in test scores.

6.11 Assume that an r of .80 describes the relationship between daily food intake, measured in ounces, and body weight, measured in pounds, for a group of adults. Would a shift in the units of measurement from ounces to grams and from pounds to kilograms change the value of r ? Justify your answer.

7.8 Each of the following pairs represents the number of licensed drivers ( X ) and the number of cars ( Y ) for seven houses in my neighborhood:

Drivers(x) Cars(Y)

5 4

5 3

2 2

2 2

3 2

1 1

2 2

(a) Construct a scatterplot to verify a lack of pronounced curvilinearity.

(b) Determine the least squares equation for these data. (Remember, you will first have to calculate r , SS y , and SS x .)

(c) Determine the standard error of estimate, s y | x , given that n 5 7.

(d) Predict the number of cars for each of two new families with two and five drivers.

7.10 Assume that r 2 equals .50 for the relationship between height and weight for adults. Indicate whether the following statements are true or false.

(a) Fifty percent of the variability in heights can be explained by variability in weights.

(b) There is a cause-effect relationship between height and weight.

(c) The heights of 50 percent of adults can be predicted exactly from their weights.

(d) Fifty percent of the variability in weights is predictable from heights.

7.13 In the original study of regression toward the mean, Sir Francis Galton noted a tendency for offspring of both tall and short parents to drift toward the mean height for offspring and referred to this tendency as “regression toward mediocrity.” What is wrong with the conclusion that eventually all heights will be close to their mean?

Weekly Discussion 1

Systems and Professional Integrity

Ethics is a code of thinking and behavior governed by a combination of personal, moral, legal, and social standards of what is right. Although the definition of “right” varies with situations and cultures, its meaning in the context of a community work involves many guiding principles with which most community activists and service providers would probably agree. Above all else, do no harm. Hippocrates put this in words over 2,000 years ago, and it’s still Rule Number One.

You have volunteered to run a community violence-prevention program, working with kids who are gang members or gang hangers-on. The kids trust you, and sometimes tell you about some of their less-than-savory activities. The police also know you work with gang members and often ask you for information about kids. What are you obligated to tell them or to keep from them?

If you are actively striving to do “good,” how far does that obligation take you? If there are issues affecting the community that have nothing to do directly with the one you’re concerned with, do you nonetheless have an obligation to become involved? What if you don’t really understand the whole situation, and your involvement may do as much harm as good—do you still have an ethical obligation to support or become active on the right side? What if your support or activism endangers or compromises your community intervention? Your initial post should be at least 300 words in length. Respond to at least two of your classmates by Day 7.

Discussion Week 7 What limitations did encounter in your research? How did your results compare to what has already been published on careers in the sub-field you studied, or barriers faced in pursuing careers in that field?

 

Discussion Forum  Module 5

Describe the best practices in conducting interviews. How did you use your knowledge of best practices to set up and conduct your interviews? Did you face any challenges during the process? Did you have to change any of your proposed method of interview because of your participants? How long did each interview take?

 

Discussion Forum

What limitations did encounter in your research? How did your results compare to what has already been published on careers in the sub-field you studied, or barriers faced in pursuing careers in that field?

 

Discussion Forum MODULE 8

Have the results of your research study changed your views of the sub-fields of psychology or your proposed career plans? If so, in what ways? Respond to at least one other student’s post.

Some groups and organizations tend to want to present research findings only when it agrees with their beliefs or is favorable to them.  Militaries are often known to practice this, allowing results to be public only after they approve them.  Religious groups may also attempt to deny access to their members, or prevent research findings from being made public if the findings disagree with their religious beliefs.    Of course, this is not good research practice.  In fact, by making findings public, it gives others the opportunity to analyze the findings and validate the procedures.  Remember, many of the errors in research are due more to the interpretation of findings rather than the procedures themselves.  We should also remember that any research can only tell us a small piece of knowledge and can in fact be incorrect in its design and results.  Humans are imperfect in our research efforts, even though we want to pursue perfection in what we do. For these reasons, we know research is imperfect, but so are our efforts to understand scripture.      For this discussion, imagine you have just conducted what you believe is a well-designed ground breaking research.  You have conducted the research and analyzed your findings.  You can think in generalities, or think of some specific topic area where this could happen.  If your findings seemed to contradict what you believed about scripture, how would you reconcile that?  It’s not as easy as saying, “I would just follow the scriptures.”  First, because you could be wrong in your understanding of scripture, or you could have made some error in the research design.  Second, because now that you have discovered something in your research, there is some level of obligation to present it to the public, even though you don’t like or agree with the findings.  How would you reconcile this in your mind?  What actions might it lead you to take?  And how would you present the research to the public in light of the apparent discrepancy?    Be sure to use depth of thought in your discussion and thorough (at least 250 words).  Also include at least two replies to other students that contribute to the discussion (usually at least 100 words).  Be respectful of other’s views even though you are free to disagree with them.