Descriptive Statistics: A Guide to Understanding Data in Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 2

For data that follows a normal distribution, which measure of central tendency is most appropriate for representing the typical value?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Answer

Range

Question 3

Which statistical measure calculates the average value of a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Answer

Variance

Question 4

Which of the following is a measure of variability, rather than a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 5

In a skewed distribution, which measure of central tendency is least affected by extreme values?

Accepted Answer

Median

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Answer

Standard deviation

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 7

Which of the following is a measure of variability, as opposed to a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 8

Which of the following is a measure of variability, not central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency in a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 10

Which of these describes how spread out data points are, rather than where they tend to cluster?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 11

In a research study, the mean score on a test was 75 and the standard deviation was 10. What does the standard deviation of 10 tell us about the distribution of scores?

Accepted Answer

Most scores were within 10 points of the mean.

Answer

The scores were evenly spread out across the entire possible range of scores.

Answer

The scores were all very similar.

Answer

The standard deviation is not meaningful without more information about the sample size.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 13

What is a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Correlation coefficient

Answer

Hypothesis test

Question 14

Which of the following is a measure of variability, not central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency used to describe the typical value in a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency used to describe the average or typical value of a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency in descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 19

Which of the following is a measure of variability?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 20

Which of the following is a measure of variability, rather than a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 22

Which of the following is a measure of variability, not a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency in a data set?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 24

Which of the following is a measure of variability, not a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 25

In a skewed distribution, how does the mean compare to the median?

Accepted Answer

The relationship between the mean and median depends on the direction of skewness.

Answer

The mean is always greater than the median.

Answer

The mean is always less than the median.

Question 26

Which measure of central tendency is most susceptible to significant changes when outliers are present in a normally distributed dataset?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 27

When working with skewed data in descriptive statistics, which measure of central tendency is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Median

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Answer

Range

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT a measure of variability in descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Range

Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Variance

Question 29

Which scenario describes a positive correlation between variables x and y?

Accepted Answer

x and y increase together.

Answer

x increases while y decreases.

Answer

x and y have no relationship.

Answer

x decreases while y increases.

Question 30

Given a dataset with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10, calculate the z-score for a data point with a value of 65.

Accepted Answer

1.50

Answer

1.00

Answer

2.00

Question 31

What is a limitation of using descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Cannot be used to make inferences about a population

Answer

Can be used to summarize large datasets

Answer

Is not easy to interpret and understand

Answer

Provides a basis for inferential statistics

Question 32

How does increasing the sample size affect the accuracy and reliability of measures of central tendency (e.g., mean, median) and variability (e.g., range, standard deviation)?

Accepted Answer

Increases both accuracy and reliability.

Answer

Increases accuracy but decreases reliability.

Answer

Decreases both accuracy and reliability.

Question 33

In a dataset's distribution, how do skewness and kurtosis help us understand its characteristics?

Accepted Answer

Kurtosis measures the peakedness or flatness of a distribution, while skewness measures the direction of asymmetry.

Answer

Skewness indicates the spread of data, while kurtosis measures its symmetry.

Answer

Skewness measures the degree of normal distribution, while kurtosis describes the outliers.

Answer

Kurtosis indicates the presence or absence of a mode, while skewness describes the number of outliers.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Question 35

Which measure of central tendency is least affected by outliers?

Accepted Answer

Median

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Question 36

A correlation coefficient of 0.50 indicates a:

Accepted Answer

Weak and positive relationship

Answer

Strong and positive relationship

Answer

Strong and negative relationship

Question 37

Which of the following is a characteristic of descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Summarizes data

Answer

Tests hypotheses about a population

Answer

Organizes data

Question 38

When should the mean be used as a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

When the data is normally distributed

Answer

When the data is skewed

Answer

When there is a clear outlier

Question 39

Which of the following is an advantage of descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Provides a concise summary of data

Answer

Can be used to make predictions

Answer

Can describe complex relationships

Question 40

What is the main purpose of a histogram?

Accepted Answer

To display the frequency of occurrence of different data values

Answer

To calculate the mean and median

Answer

To test for normality

Question 41

Which of the following is a non-parametric measure of variability?

Accepted Answer

Interquartile range

Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Variance

Question 42

In qualitative research, descriptive statistics are primarily used for which of the following purposes?

Accepted Answer

Identifying patterns and themes

Answer

Summarizing data numerically

Answer

Predicting future outcomes

Answer

Testing hypotheses

Question 43

In the context of descriptive statistics, which ethical consideration holds the utmost importance when summarizing and presenting data?

Accepted Answer

Accuracy

Answer

Generalizability

Answer

Relevance

Answer

Data Anonymization

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

Accepted Answer

Range

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Answer

Median

Question 45

A distribution with a high standard deviation indicates:

Accepted Answer

The data is spread out widely.

Answer

The mean is representative of most data points.

Answer

The data is clustered closely.

Answer

Outliers are present.

Question 46

The median of a dataset is 50. This means that:

Accepted Answer

Half of the data points are above 50, and half are below 50.

Answer

Most of the data points are close to 50.

Answer

The mean of the dataset is also 50.

Question 47

A histogram is used to visualize:

Accepted Answer

Frequency distribution of data

Answer

Outliers in data

Answer

Correlation between variables

Answer

Central tendency of data

Question 48

A boxplot is commonly used to:

Accepted Answer

Identify outliers and visualize data distribution

Answer

Determine the correlation between variables

Answer

Calculate the mean and standard deviation

Answer

Summarize qualitative data

Question 49

The primary purpose of descriptive statistics is to:

Accepted Answer

Describe and summarize data

Answer

Test hypotheses

Answer

Make inferences about a population

Answer

Predict future outcomes

Question 50

Which measure of central tendency corresponds to the middle value of a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Median

Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Mean

Answer

Mode

Question 51

The variance of a dataset measures its level of:

Accepted Answer

Spread or dispersion

Answer

Highest value

Answer

Shape or distribution

Answer

Central tendency

Question 52

Which graphical representation illustrates the frequency distribution of a dataset?

Accepted Answer

Histogram

Answer

Scatterplot

Answer

Box plot

Question 53

The most frequently occurring value within a dataset is known as the:

Accepted Answer

Mode

Answer

Mean

Answer

Median

Answer

Range

Question 54

Which advantage is associated with the use of descriptive statistics?

Accepted Answer

Condensing complex data into a manageable format

Answer

Testing experimental hypotheses

Answer

Drawing inferences about a population

Answer

Predicting future outcomes

Question 55

The standard deviation of a dataset represents its:

Accepted Answer

Average distance from the mean

Answer

Range

Answer

Highest value

Answer

Lowest value

Question 56

A scatterplot is used to graphically represent the:

Accepted Answer

Relationship between two variables

Answer

Mean and standard deviation of a dataset

Answer

Correlation between multiple variables

Answer

Frequency distribution of a single variable

Question 57

In a positively correlated dataset, as the value of one variable rises, the value of the other:

Accepted Answer

Also rises

Answer

Decreases non-linearly

Answer

Also decreases

Answer

Stays the same

Question 58

Which of the following is an example of a practical application of descriptive statistics in psychology?

Accepted Answer

Analyzing survey data to describe personality traits

Answer

Testing hypotheses about brain function

Answer

Predicting behavior in clinical settings

Question 59

Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme values?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Standard deviation

Answer

Median

Answer

Mode

Question 60

For a dataset, the range is equal to:

Accepted Answer

Maximum value minus minimum value

Answer

Median value minus maximum value

Answer

Mean value divided by maximum value

Answer

Mean value minus minimum value

Question 61

A positive correlation coefficient indicates that as one variable:

Accepted Answer

Increases, the other variable tends to increase

Answer

Increases, the other variable decreases

Answer

Increases, the other variable remains the same

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT a measure of dispersion?

Accepted Answer

Mean

Answer

Range

Answer

Variance

Answer

Standard deviation

Question 63

Which of the following formulas calculates the standard deviation?

Accepted Answer

√(Σ(x - μ)² / (N - 1))

Answer

Σ(x - μ) / (N - 1)

Answer

(Σ(x - μ)² / N²)²

Answer

Σ(x - μ)² / N

Question 64

A histogram is best suited for displaying the distribution of:

Accepted Answer

Continuous data

Answer

Categorical data

Answer

Both continuous and categorical data