Variables and Data Collection

Read these sections and complete the questions at the end of each section. This section introduces several types of data and their distinguishing features. You will learn about independent and dependent variables and how common data can be coded and collected.

Variables

Questions

Question 1 out of 6.

Which of the following are qualitative variables?

  • height measured in number of feet
  • weight measured in number of pounds
  • number of days it snowed
  • hair color
  • gender
  • average daily temperature


Question 2 out of 6.

In a study of the effect of handedness on athletic ability, participants were divided into three groups: right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous. Athletic ability was measured on a 12-point scale. The independent variable is _________; the number of levels of the independent variable is _______.

  • athletic ability; three
  • athletic ability; twelve
  • handedness; three
  • handedness; twelve


Question 3 out of 6.

In a study of the effect of handedness on athletic ability, participants were divided into three groups: right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous. Athletic ability was measured on a 12-point scale. The dependent variable is

  1.  handedness.
  2.  athletic ability.
  3.  not described.
  4.  both a and b


Question 4 out of 6.

In a study of the effect of handedness on athletic ability, participants were divided into three groups: right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous. Athletic ability was measured on a 12-point scale. Check all that apply. The variable athletic ability is

  • discrete.
  • qualitative.
  • continuous.
  • quantitative.
  • a dependent variable.
  • an independent variable.


Question 5 out of 6.

In an experiment on the effect of sleep on memory, the independent variable is

  • number of hours of sleep
  • recall score on a memory test
  • gender of the subjects
  • gender of the experimenter


Question 6 out of 6.

In an experiment on the effect of sleep on memory, the dependent variable is

  • number of hours of sleep
  • recall score on a memory test
  • gender of the subjects
  • gender of the experimenter