SSRM I - Exam Questions PDF

BA in Communication and Media Science Social Science Research Methods I
Corvinus University of Budapest Gábor Kovács, PhD.
Exam Questions
Chapter 1
#1
What are the three major traditional approaches to communication research?
#2
List at least three specific research methods that belong to the qualitative research strategy.
#3
What is the key difference between the rhetorical and the qualitative research strategies?
#4
What is meant by the requirement that quantitative research must be replicable?
#5
What is meant by the requirement that measurements/observations in quantitative research must

be valid?
#6
The purpose of most quantitative studies is to generalise from a s________ to a p________. What
are the missing words?
#7
In some rare cases, the researcher can collect data from each member of the whole population of
interest (rather than a subset of the population). In such cases, the researcher is said to have
conducted a c__________. (Write the technical term.)
#8
List the four types of variable used in quantitative research. (Just provide the terms, you need not
define or illustrate each type.)
#9
Define the term “nominal variable” and illustrate with an example.
1
#10
Define the term “ordinal variable” and illustrate with an example.
#11
Define the term “interval variable” and illustrate with an example.
#12
Define the term “ratio variable” and illustrate with an example.
#13
List at least two specific research methods that belong to the quantitative research strategy.
#14
What are the technical terms for the two types of variable in an experimental design?
#15
What is the key advantage of experiments over questionnaire surveys?
#16
Describe an experimental study using “Causal Design with Control”.
#17
List the seven key steps in quantitative research.
#18
What is operationalisation? (Provide a definition.)
#19
Give an example for the operationalisation of a variable. (Name the variable and describe how it
could be operationalised.)
#20
Write at least two advantages of modern Web-based forms over traditional pen-and-paper
questionnaires.
2
Chapter 2
#21
Suppose you conduct a small-scale questionnaire survey, and one of your items in the questionnaire
asks about the respondent’s level of education. The respondent must choose one of the following
options: (1) No schooling [N], (2) Primary school [PS], (3) Secondary school [SS], (4) Bachelor’s degree
[BA], (5) Master’s degree [MA], or (6) PhD [PhD]. You gather data from 20 people and obtain the
following answers:
SS, BA, BA, MA, SS, BA, SS, PS, PhD, N, SS, SS, BA, SS, MA, BA, SS, SS, PS, BA
Find the frequency of each category. (In your answer, indicate unambiguously which frequency
belongs to which category, e.g. “N = …, PS = …” etc.).
#22
Suppose you conduct a small-scale questionnaire survey, and one of your items in the questionnaire
asks about the respondent’s level of education. The respondent must choose one of the following
options: (1) No schooling [N], (2) Primary school [PS], (3) Secondary school [SS], (4) Bachelor’s degree
[BA], (5) Master’s degree [MA], or (6) PhD [PhD]. You gather data from 20 people and obtain the
following answers:
SS, BA, BA, MA, SS, BA, SS, PS, PhD, N, SS, SS, BA, SS, MA, BA, SS, SS, PS, BA
What percentage of our respondents belong to each category? Round each percentage to the
nearest whole percent, e.g. if the result is 10.526%, write 11%. (In your answer, indicate
unambiguously which percentage belongs to which category, e.g. “N = …%, PS = …%” etc.).
#23
A researcher new to SPSS is trying to set up a new data set. He begins by naming the first variable like
this:
However, when he presses Enter, he gets the following error message:
Explain the reason for the error message, and what the researcher should do.
3
#24
Below, you can see the list of settings in SPSS Variable View.
Explain the difference between a variable’s Name and its Label.
#25
In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.
Suppose you conduct a global questionnaire survey, which contains the following question: “In which
continent have you spent most of your life?” The answer choices are: Asia, Africa, North America,
South America, Europe, and Australia. What is the correct “Measure” setting for this variable?
#26
Suppose you conduct a questionnaire survey, which contains the following question: “How often do
you listen to music online?” The answer choices are: “Never”, “Less often than once a month”, “At
least once a week”, “Several times a week”, “Every day”. What is the correct “Measure” setting for
this variable?
#27
Suppose you conduct a study to find out whether tall people tend to communicate more assertively
than short people. Participants have to fill in a questionnaire, which contains the following item:
“Please provide your height in centimetres.” What is the correct “Measure” setting for this variable?
4
#28
What is the correct “Measure” setting for an interval variable?
#29
What is the correct “Measure” setting for a ratio variable?
#30
What is the correct “Measure” setting for a continuous variable?
5
#31
In SPSS, this is how I have set up the Value Labels for a variable that indicates the education level of
the participants in a study:
In Data View, however, I can still see numbers rather than the labels I provided:
The toolbar below has 16 buttons. Which of these buttons should I click to change the numbers into
descriptive labels: “Secondary school, “BA”, “BA”, etc.? (Describe what the button looks like, or
specify its position, e.g. “the nth button from the left/right”.)
6
#32
Explain the difference between Percent and Valid Percent in the SPSS output below.
#33
In the SPSS frequency table below, the Cumulative Percent in the row “BA” is equal to 85.
Explain what this value means.
#34
What are the two most common types of graph that can visually represent the
frequencies/percentages of people that belong to different categories? (In other words, what types
of graph can you use to represent the distribution of a categorical variable?)
#35
List three different measures of central tendency. (You needn’t explain what they are.)
7
#36
Here are the ages (in years) of 5 people who took part in a study: 18, 21, 22, 26, 28. What is the mean
age of this small sample? (Round the result to one decimal place, e.g. 28.7).
#37
Here are the ages (in years) of 5 people who took part in a study: 18, 26, 28, 22, 21. What is the
median age of this small sample?
#38
Here are the ages (in years) of 6 people who took part in a study: 31, 21, 26, 30, 31, 24. What is the
median age of this small sample?
#39
Here are the ages (in years) of 6 people who took part in a study: 31, 21, 26, 30, 31, 24. What is the
mode of these values?
#40
List three different measures of dispersion. (You needn’t explain what they are.)
#41
A researcher conducts an observational study on the Budapest Metro line. The researcher observes
young people travelling on the metro line and records the time (in seconds) that passes between the
moment that the person enters the carriage and the moment he/she first looks at his/her smart
phone. The observation of 5 young people yielded the following times: 12, 13, 21, 28, 36. Calculate
the range of these values.
#42
the variance of these values. (Round the result to one decimal place, e.g. 114.7).
#43
the standard deviation of these values. (Round the result to two decimal places, e.g. 12.93.)
8
#44
Write the name of the chart type that is most commonly used to visually represent the distribution of
a continuous variable?
#45
I wish to create a histogram of IQ scores using the Chart Builder facility in SPSS. To which area of the
canvas should I drag the variable “IQ Score”? (Name one of the areas marked with a dashed border.)
9
#46
I wish to add the normal curve to the histogram below.
Which button in the tool bar should I click? (Describe the position of the button, e.g. “the ith button
from the left/right in row j.”)
10
#47
The histogram below shows the distribution of the number of hours (per week) that teenagers spend
using social media sites or apps.
Comment on the shape of the distribution.
#48
Graph (a) as well as the dotted line in graphs (b) and (c) represent the normal distribution.
The distributions (b) and (c) are both symmetric, yet different from the normal distribution. What is
the technical term for this type of deviation from the normal distribution.
11
#49
In a study, 236 adolescent boys and girls were asked how many hours per week they spend playing
video games. The histogram below represents the distribution of their answers.
Comment on the shape of the distribution.
#50
If a study concludes that there is a relationship between two variables when in fact there is no such
relationship, we say that the researchers have made a __________ error. (Fill in the gap.)
#51
If a study concludes that there is not enough evidence for a relationship between two variables when
in fact the relationship does exist, we say that the researchers have made a __________ error. (Fill in
the gap.)
12
Chapter 3/A
#52
Suppose you conduct an experiment to find out whether the type of media used for studying has an
effect on learning outcomes. You randomly assign your participants (secondary school students) into
two groups: members of group A receive hard copies of a history book and are instructed to study a
particular section for 30 minutes, while group B can access the same material online, using their
laptops. After 30 minutes’ studying, each group is given a test to measure how much of the material
they can recall.
Name the statistical procedure that would be appropriate to analyse the data obtained from this
study.
#53
Suppose you conduct an experiment to find out whether the type of media used for studying has an
effect on learning outcomes. You randomly assign your participants (secondary school students) into
two groups: members of group A receive hard copies of a history book and are instructed to study a
particular section for 30 minutes, while group B can access the same material online, using their
laptops. After 30 minutes’ studying, each group is given a test to measure how much of the material
they can recall.
What is the independent variable in this study? What is the dependent variable?
#54
Explain when the t-test is the appropriate procedure to analyse the data obtained from a study.
What are the key requirements concerning the independent and the dependent variable?
#55
Give an example for a study in which the data you obtain should be analysed with the t-test.
#56
The t-test is also called “_________’s t-test” because the person who developed it first published the
procedure under the pseudonym “_________”. What is the missing word? (The same word fits both
gaps.)
#57
A study is conducted to find out whether people are more likely to disclose personal information in a
good mood vs. in a bad mood. The participants are not divided into two groups, but each participant
is tested under both mood conditions. In this case, instead of the “independent samples t-test”,
another type of t-test must be used. What is it called?
13
#58
If the analysis of our data indicates that the difference between the two groups in our sample would
have been (highly) unlikely to occur by mere chance (if the two groups do not in fact differ), we say
that the result of the analysis is statistically s__________. What is the missing word?
#59
What is the advantage of increasing the sample size in a study?
#60
Suppose you do a small-scale study to find evidence for the common observation that women
compliment their colleagues on their appearance (clothes, hair etc.) more often than men do. You
recruit 5 women and 4 men to participate in the study. You ask each of the participants to keep an
online diary for 7 days and make a record every evening about whether (and how many times) they
complimented a colleague during the day. At the end, you simply count how many times each person
made a compliment.
The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6
The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0
Calculate the difference between the sample means. Subtract the mean for men from the mean for
women, rather than the other way around, so that the result is positive number. (Round the result to
2 decimal places.)
#61
made a compliment.
Calculate the pooled estimate of variance. (Round the result to 3 decimal places.)
14
#62
made a compliment.
Calculate the t-statistic, which you would use to determine whether you have evidence for a
difference between the genders. (When calculating the difference between the sample means,
subtract the mean for men from the mean for women, rather than the other way round, so that the
result is positive number. Round the final result to 3 decimal places.)
#63
made a compliment.
You wish to conduct a two-tailed test at the .05 level of significance. Use the relevant table to find
the critical value of the t-statistic. Provide the critical value as it is given in the table, rounded to 3
decimal places. (Note: you needn’t calculate the t-statistic itself!)
#64
made a compliment.
The t-statistic you obtain is equal to 3.788. Perform a two-tailed test at the .05 level of significance to
determine whether you have sufficient evidence to conclude that the two genders differ. (Find the
critical value, compare it to the t-statistic, and draw the appropriate conclusion.)
15
#65
When performing a t-test, the t-statistic that we compute must be compared to a c_________
v_______ that we can look up in a table.
#66
When performing a t-test, the t-statistic that we compute must be compared to a critical value that
we can look up in a table. When can we conclude that we have evidence for difference between the
two groups?
#67
When performing a t-test, we may choose to conduct a one-tailed test or a two-tailed test. What is
the difference between the two cases?
#68
When performing an independent samples t-test, what are the two key assumptions about the
distribution of the dependent variable in the two populations?
16
Chapter 3/B
#69
A researcher asked 4 men and 5 women keep a diary about all compliments they pay their
colleagues. As part of the analysis, the researcher counted how many times each participant
complimented a colleague during a 7-day period. She entered the data in SPSS as follows.
Explain why the research made a mistake, and how the data should be arranged instead.
#70
A researcher wishes to obtain evidence for her hypothesis that on average men use more hesitation
phenomena in their speech than women. As you can see in the screenshot below, SPSS offers a range
of procedures in the submenu called “Compare Means”: which of these procedures should the
researcher use for the analysis?
17
#71
A researcher wishes to test the hypothesis that men do not pay their colleagues compliments as
often as women do. In the SPSS dialogue box below, which variables should be dragged to which
box?
#72
In the SPSS screenshot below, you can see that the button “OK” is disabled, and therefore the t-test
cannot be performed yet. Explain what the researcher will have to do first.
18
#73
A researcher conducted an independent samples t-test to test the hypothesis that the two genders
differ in terms of how often they compliment their colleagues on their appearance. Consider the
partial SPSS printout below.
How many men/women took part in the study?
#74
On average, how many compliments did the men/women pay over the 7-day period?
19
#75
Which gender group were more variable in terms of how often they complimented colleagues? How
do you know?
#76
Find and interpret the p-value of the test, assuming equal variances in the two populations.
#77
Suppose you conduct a statistical test to see if you have evidence for a relationship between two
variables. You conduct the test at the α = .05 significance level and find that p = .035. What is the
conclusion that can draw from this result?
20
#78
Suppose you conduct a statistical test to see if you have evidence for a relationship between two
variables. You conduct the test at the α = .05 significance level and find that p = .082 What is the
conclusion that can draw from this result?
#79
differ in terms of how often they compliment their colleagues on their appearance. The independent
variable was gender: group 1 consisted of the male participants and group 2 consisted of the female
participants. The dependent variable was the number times that a participant complimented a
colleague over a 7-day period. Consider the partial SPSS printout below.
The results show that we can be 95% sure that on average women pay their colleagues at least
______ more compliments per week than men do. (Write the number that fits the gap.)
#80
differ in terms of how often they compliment their colleagues on their appearance. The independent
variable was gender: group 1 consisted of the male participants and group 2 consisted of the female
participants. The dependent variable was the number times that a participant complimented a
colleague over a 7-day period. Consider the partial SPSS printout below.
The results show that we can be 95% sure that on average women pay their colleagues at most
______ more compliments per week than men do. (Write the number that fits the gap.)
21
#81
An independent samples t-test has been conducted. Consider the partial SPSS printout below.
Suppose the “equality of variances” assumption is tested at the conventional α = .05 level of
significance. Explain which of the two rows of the table should be taken into account and why.
#82
Suppose the “equality of variances” assumption is tested at the conventional α = .05 level of
significance. Explain which of the two rows of the table should be taken into account and why.
22
#83
Calculate the values that SPSS would display in each of the cells marked by a question mark.
Mean Difference (in either row) = ?
Degrees of Freedom = ?
t=?
#84
Suppose the purpose of a study is to compare the verbal aggression level expressed by men and
women in simulated debates. If you conduct a two-tailed t-test at the 5% level of significance and
there is in fact no difference between the genders, then there will be a ____% chance you will
erroneously conclude that men are more verbally aggressive than women and a _____% chance you
will erroneously conclude that women are more verbally aggressive than men. Write the number
that fits both the gaps. (Do not write the percentage sign.)
#85
women in simulated debates. What would be the null hypothesis in this study?
23
#86
women in simulated debates. Verbal aggression level is measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 10.
Before the analysis, the researcher makes the assumption (based on previous research) that if there
is difference between the genders, it must be men who exhibit a higher level of aggression than
women, rather than the other way round. Therefore, a one-tailed t-test is conducted. Consider the
partial SPSS output below.
What is the one-tailed p-value and what conclusion can you draw from it? Conduct the test at the α =
.05 level of significance.
24
#87
The result of the comparison is displayed in the bar chart below.
What does the abbreviation 95% CI stand for?
25
#88
The researcher uses the Explore dialogue box in SPSS to obtain the following output:
We can be 95% sure that the mean verbal aggression level of all men in the population is at least
_______ and at most ________. (Write the missing values.)
26
#89
The researcher uses the Explore dialogue box in SPSS to obtain the following output:
We can be 95% sure that the mean verbal aggression level of all women in the population is at least
_______ and at most ________. (Write the missing values.)
27
Chapter 4/A
#90
We can use the One-Way ANOVA procedure whenever the independent variable is c__________ and
the dependent variable is c___________. (Fill in the gaps.)
#91
The test statistic we compute in One-Way ANOVA is denoted as __. (Fill in the gap.)
#92
What is the name of the procedure that we conduct to determine whether we have evidence for
difference between the population means of any number of groups?
#93
What is the null hypothesis that we test in a One-Way ANOVA procedure?
#94
The One-Way ANOVA is often followed up by p_____-_____ comparisons. (Write the missing term.)
#95
The One-Way ANOVA is often followed up by post-hoc comparisons. Explain why we need these
comparisons and what we can learn from them.
28
#96
Suppose you do a study to find out whether a particular candidate in a presidential election is equally
popular in groups with different levels of education. You take a random sample of voters: (1) some of
them have completed primary school, (2) some of them have completed secondary school, and (3)
some of them have a college or university degree. You ask each participant to indicate his/her
attitude toward the candidate on a 1–5 scale, where 1 means and extremely negative attitude (i.e.
hate) and 5 means an extremely positive attitude (i.e. admiration). When you compare the mean
attitudes in the three groups, this is what you can see:
You conduct the ANOVA F-test, and it indicates that there is evidence that the three groups have
different attitudes to the candidate. So, at this point you know that the level of education matters: it
is one of the many potential factors that influences people’s attitudes toward the candidate. But you
still cannot see the complete picture. The follow-up analysis will help you distinguish between 3
possible cases. Describe what these possibilities are.
#97
After a One-Way ANOVA indicates a significant difference between groups, it is typically followed by
a post-hoc procedure which compares all possible pairs of groups. With 4 groups, how many
comparisons are made in the post-hoc analysis?
#98
#99
29
#100
Suppose you do a small-scale study to find out whether relationship satisfaction is related to
relationship status (dating, engaged, or married). You take a random sample of 9 participants, 3 of
which belong to each of the relationship status groups. You ask each participant to rate their level of
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. These are the data that you collect.
Relationship Status Relationship Satisfaction Scores

Dating 8, 6, 9
Engaged 7, 6, 8
Married 7, 5, 4
Calculate the Total Sum of Squares for these data.
#101

Dating 8, 6, 9
Engaged 7, 6, 8
Married 7, 5, 4
Calculate the Sum of Squares for Groups.
#102

Dating 8, 6, 9
Engaged 7, 6, 8
Married 7, 5, 4
Calculate the Sum of Squares for Error.
#103
whom belong to each of the relationship status groups. You ask each participant to rate their level of
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. What is the degrees of freedom for groups?
30
#104
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. What is the degrees of freedom for error?
#105
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. What is the total degrees of freedom?
#106
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. You wish to conduct a One-Way ANOVA to test
whether the differences between the groups are significant. Initial calculations reveal that the Total
Sum of Squares is equal to 96.8, and the Sum of Squares for Groups is 17.2. Find the value of the F-
statistic.
#107
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. You wish to conduct a One-Way ANOVA to test
whether the differences between the groups are significant. Initial calculations reveal that the Total
Sum of Squares is equal to 96.8, and the Sum of Squares for Groups is 17.2. Find the Mean Square for
Error.
#108
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. You decide to conduct the test at the .05 level
of significance. What will be the critical value for the F-statistic?
#109
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. You decide to conduct the test at the .05 level
of significance. The F-statistic you obtain is equal to 2.149. Finish the analysis and interpret the
results.
31
#110
satisfaction with their relationship on a 1 to 10 scale. You decide to conduct the test at the 0.05 level
of significance. The F-statistic you obtain is equal to 5.046. Finish the analysis and interpret the
results.
#111
A study is conducted to find out whether the native language vocabulary size in children aged
between 4–5 years is related to how many older siblings they have in the family. The study is
conducted at a nursery school. Vocabulary size is measured by asking each child to name common
objects in a picture book containing 50 drawings and recording the number of objects that child can
correctly name. Additionally, parents fill in a questionnaire and their answers show that that the
children can be classified into three groups: (A) those who have no older siblings, (B) those who have
one older sibling, and (C) those who have two or more older siblings. The One-Way ANOVA yields the
following results:
Calculate eta-squared. (Provide your answer as a number between 0 and 1, rounded to 2 decimal
digits.)
32
Chapter 4/B
#112
List the three assumptions that must be satisfied for a One-Way ANOVA to yield accurate results?
(You need not explain what each assumption means.)
#113
One important assumption required for a valid One-Way ANOVA is the independence of
observations/measures. How can the researcher ensure that this assumption is satisfied in a pure
experiment? (In a typical pure experiment, we observe how people behave under different
conditions.)
#114
One important assumption required for a valid One-Way ANOVA is the independence of
observations/measures. How can the researcher ensure that this assumption is satisfied in a quasi-
experiment? (In a typical quasi-experiment, we compare the behaviours of naturally occurring
groups, such as people living in different regions, people belonging to different generations etc.)
#115
Suppose the following graph represents the true distribution of a continuous variable in 3
populations.
In this case the One-Way ANOVA may not be an appropriate procedure to use for comparing samples
taken from the three populations because one of the assumptions for a valid ANOVA is violated.
Which one?
33
#116
Suppose the following graph represents the true distribution of a continuous variable in 3
populations.
In this case the One-Way ANOVA may not be an appropriate procedure to use for comparing samples
taken from the three populations because one of the assumptions for a valid ANOVA is violated.
Which one?
#117
When conducting a One-Way ANOVA, small or moderate violations of the assumption of

homogeneity of variance do not severely affect the results of the analysis provided that the sample
sizes are (approximately) e__________. What is the missing word?
34
#118
You wish to conduct an analysis to determine whether members of the X, Y, and Z generations differ
in how much time they spend watching TV (per week) on average. You take random samples of
people from each generation and obtain TV viewing times with an online diary which they fill in every
evening before going to bed. You wish to obtain evidence that the average TV viewing times are not
equal in all the three generations. In SPSS, which dialogue box would you use to obtain a comparison
between the three groups? Indicate the appropriate choice by naming the correct option within the
“Compare Means” submenu.
#119
You are conducting a study to determine whether the educational level of voters is related to their
attitudes towards a presidential candidate. You use SPSS to do the analysis. In the dialogue box
below, specify which variable you should drag to which box.
35
#120
attitudes towards a presidential candidate. You run the analysis in SPSS and receive the following
output.
What is the value of the test statistic?
#121
attitude towards a presidential candidate. You run the analysis in SPSS and receive the following
output.
What is the p-value of the test? If you conduct the test at the α = .05 level of significance, what will
be your conclusion?
36
#122
attitude towards a presidential candidate. You run the analysis in SPSS and receive the following
output.
Find an interpret the p-value of the test. Finish the following sentence: “If people with different
education levels have the same average attitude towards this candidate, then…”
#123
You conduct a One-Way ANOVA to compare the average attitudes towards a presidential candidate
among voters with different educational backgrounds. The output generated by SPSS is given below.
Finish the following sentence: “We can be 95% sure that if we had asked all voters in the population
who own a college/university degree, their mean attitude would be between ____ and ____ .” (Write
two numbers.)
37
#124
What is the probability that in the population the mean attitude of all those voters who completed
secondary school (but do not own a college/university degree) is outside the range 2.46–3.94?
38
#125
Does the assumption of the homogeneity of variances appear to be violated? State your conclusion
and describe how you arrived at that conclusion. (Test at α = .05).
39
#126
Does the assumption of the homogeneity of variances appear to be violated? State your conclusion
and describe how you arrived at that conclusion. (Test at α = .05).
40
#127
You have just conducted a One-Way ANOVA to compare average recall for online advertisements
under three different conditions. The analysis indicates that the average recall rate is not the same
under the three conditions. At this point, however, it may be the case that all three conditions
produce different recall rates, but it may also be the case that one condition differs from the other
two (which produce equal recall rates). In order to discover the pattern of differences, the ANOVA
must be followed up by a set of tests, comparing each condition to each of the remaining conditions.
In the dialogue box below, which button you need to click to accomplish this?
#128
Write the names of at least two post-hoc procedures that can be used to follow-up a significant One-
Way ANOVA.
#129
Calculate the familywise error rate when conducting 2 tests, each at the 0.05 level of significance.
(I.e. what is the probability that you will make at least one Type I error?)
#130
#131
41
#132
Fully interpret the pattern of results revealed by the ANOVA and the post-hoc analysis. Do we have
evidence for any differences between the groups, and if yes, which groups are different from which?
Conduct all tests at the α = .05 level of significance.
42
#133
Fully interpret the pattern of results revealed by the ANOVA and the post-hoc analysis. Do we have
evidence for any differences between the groups, and if yes, which groups are different from which?
Conduct all tests at the α = .05 level of significance.
43
#134
A One-Way ANOVA yields the following results.
Should the omnibus F-test be followed up by a post-hoc analysis? Explain your decision. (Use α = .05).
#135
A One-Way ANOVA yields the following results.
Should the omnibus F-test be followed up by a post-hoc analysis? Explain your decision. (Use α = .05).
44
Chapter 8/A
#136
In a study you take a random sample of issues of a magazine for a 5-year period, and classify the
person on the front page of each issue according to (1) gender (male/female) and (2) probable age
(child, adolescent, adult, or elderly). What procedure would you use to test whether the frequencies
of different age groups are different for the males and females?
#137
The chi-square test is used to determine whether there is a relationship between two variables when
both variables are _________________. (Finish the sentence.)
#138
When you wish to determine whether there is a relationship between two categorical (i.e. nominal
or ordinal) variables, the appropriate test procedure will be the __________________. (Write the
name of the procedure.)
#139
An alternative name for the chi-square statistic is the g________-___-f___ statistic. (What’s the
missing term?)
#140
Write at least two terms which are synonymous with “cross-tabulation”.
#141
You conduct a study to determine whether men and women have different colour preferences when
buying a new car. In a questionnaire, you ask respondents to indicate their sex (male/female) and
which of four possible colours they would choose when buying a new car. Consider the incomplete
cross-tabulation below.
White Blue Red Green Total

Male 19 9 11 60
Female 25 23 6
Total 121
How many people said that they would choose the colour blue?
45
#142

Male 12 22 5 12
Female
Total 29 21 18 95
How many of the respondents were women?
#143

Male 16 23 7
Female 65
Total 30 132
How many women said that they would choose the colour green?
#144
which of four possible colours they would choose when buying a new car. You collect the following
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
What proportion of the respondents were women who said that they would choose the colour red?
(Provide your answer as a number between 0 and 1, rounded to three decimal places, e.g. 0.078).
46
#145
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
If we assume that in the population there are no differences between men and women in colour
preference, what is the expected proportion of men who say that they would choose the colour
green? (Provide your answer as a number between 0 and 1, rounded to three decimal places, e.g.
0.061).
#146
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
If we assume that in the population there are no differences between men and women in colour
preference, what is the expected frequency of men who say that they would choose the colour
green? (Provide your answer as a number rounded to two decimal places, e.g. 12.53).
47
#147
which of four possible colours they would choose when buying a new car. The table below shows the
frequencies you observed:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
The expected frequencies under the null hypothesis that there are no differences between men and
women in colour preference are as follows:

Male 20.00 11.00 11.00 10.00 52.00
Female 20.00 11.00 11.00 10.00 52.00
Total 40.00 22.00 22.00 20.00 104.00
Based on the information given in these tables, calculate the chi-square statistic. (Provide your
answer as a number rounded to two decimal places, e.g. 6.83).
#148
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
What is the degrees of freedom for the test you are going to conduct?
#149
You wish to conduct a chi-square test on a cross-tabulation with 4 rows and 3 columns at the .05
level of significance. What will be the degrees of freedom for the test?
48
#150
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
If you wish to conduct a test at the .05 level of significance, what will be the critical value of the test
statistic? (Note: you need not compute the actual value of the test statistic; just provide the critical
value!)
#151
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
If you wish to conduct a test at the .01 level of significance, what will be the critical value of the test
statistic? (Note: you need not compute the actual value of the test statistic; just provide the critical
value!)
#152
You wish to conduct a chi-square test on a cross-tabulation with 4 rows and 3 columns at the .05
level of significance. What will be the critical value of the test statistic? (Provide your answer as a
number rounded to two decimal places.)
49
#153
data:

Male 19 15 4 14 52
Female 21 7 18 6 52
Total 40 22 22 20 104
You compute the test statistic and the result is 15.12 Test at the .01 level of significance whether this
study has provided sufficient evidence that men and women have different colour preferences when
buying a new car. (State your conclusion and explain how you arrived at that conclusion.)
#154
A chi-square test may yield invalid results if the expected frequency in one of more cells of the
contingency table is ________________. (Finish the sentence.)
#155
In today’s changing media environment more and more young people decide not to purchase a
television set and/or television subscription for their homes. Suppose you hypothesize that young
people typically have a television set in their homes while they live together with their parents, but
once they become independent and move to a place to live alone or with a partner, they are less
likely to buy a TV for their new home. To find out whether your hypothesis is correct, you gather data
from young people with a questionnaire containing the following two questions:
(1) Do you live (for most of the days in a typical week) in same house/flat as you parents? (Yes/No).
(2) Is there a working television set in the house/flat where you spend most of the days in a typical
week? (Yes/No).
The following cross-tabulation summarises the data you obtained from this study.
TV at home No TV at home Total

Lives with parents 34 5 39
Lives alone or with partner/friends 19 9 28
Total 53 14 67
If you conduct a chi-square test to test your hypothesis, can you expect the test to yield a valid
result? State your conclusion and explain how you arrived at that conclusion.
50
#156
In today’s changing media environment more and more young people decide not to purchase a
television set and/or television subscription for their homes. Suppose you hypothesize that young
people typically have a television set in their homes while they live together with their parents, but
once they become independent and move to a place to live alone or with a partner, they are less
likely to buy a TV for their new home. To find out whether your hypothesis is correct, you gather data
from young people with a questionnaire containing the following two questions:
(1) Do you live (for most of the days in a typical week) in same house/flat as you parents? (Yes/No).
(2) Is there a working television set in the house/flat where you spend most of the days in a typical
week? (Yes/No).
The following cross-tabulation summarises the data you obtained from this study.
TV at home No TV at home Total

Lives with parents 34 3 37
Lives alone or with partner/friends 19 7 26
Total 53 10 63
If you conduct a chi-square test to test your hypothesis, can you expect the test to yield a valid
result? State your conclusion and explain how you arrived at that conclusion.
51
Chapter 8/B
#157
In a study, an observer recorded whether each one of 252 men washed their hands after using a
public toilet. Each man was tested under one of three conditions: after exposure to posters
containing a high prevalence message (most people wash their hands regularly), a low prevalence
message (few people wash their hands regularly), or no message at all. Suppose the researcher does
not wish to enter 252 rows of data in SPSS, but records the data in the following way:
Which option will the researcher need to pick in the following menu, if she wishes to do a chi-square
test on the data set recorded in this manner?
Write the name of the appropriate menu item.
52
#158
The screenshot below shows the Descriptive Statistics submenu in SPSS.
If a researcher wishes to generate a two-way contingency table, which option on the right will he/she
have to choose? (Name the correct choice.)
#159
The screenshot below shows the Descriptive Statistics submenu in SPSS.
If a researcher wishes to conduct a chi-square test, which option on the right will he/she have to
choose? (Name the correct choice.)
53
#160
message (few people wash their hands regularly), or no message at all.
The researcher would like to generate a cross-tabulation which shows what proportion of men did
and did not wash their hands under each condition (irrespective of the actual number of men who
were tested under each condition). Name the checkbox that the researcher must tick in the panel on
the right to obtain such a cross-tabulation.
54
#161
The researcher would like to generate a cross-tabulation which shows what proportion of all the men
who washed their hands fell in each condition (irrespective of the actual number of men who washed
their hands). Name the checkbox that the researcher must tick in the panel on the right to obtain
such a cross-tabulation.
55
#162
The researcher would like to generate a cross-tabulation which shows what proportion of men did
and did not wash their hands under each condition (irrespective of the actual number of men who
were tested under each condition). Name the checkbox that the researcher must tick in the panel on
the right to obtain such a cross-tabulation.
56
#163
The researcher would like to generate a cross-tabulation which shows what proportion of all the men
who washed their hands fell in each condition (irrespective of the actual number of men who washed
their hands). Name the checkbox that the researcher must tick in the panel on the right to obtain
such a cross-tabulation.
#164
The researcher uses SPSS to generate the cross-tabulation below.
Interpret the value 81.4% in the table.
57
#165
The researcher uses SPSS to generate the following two cross-tabulations.
The advantage of the table at the bottom is that the percentages in each row can be meaningfully
compared. However, when you create a table like this, some information will be hidden. What is it
that you cannot learn from the table at the bottom but which can be seen in the table at the top?
58
#166
You conduct an experiment in which randomly selected young women are solicited in the street by a
good-looking young man who approaches each woman with the following line: “Excuse me! I think
you look ravishingly pretty! I just thought you might be happy to know… I’m going to work now, but
do you think we could have a drink somewhere in the afternoon? If you give me your phone number,
I’ll ring you up.” It is recorded whether the woman complies with the man’s request and shares her
phone number with him. The purpose of the experiment is to find out whether women’s decisions
are influenced by what the man is wearing. You test a random sample of 50 women under each of
the following conditions: (A) the man is wearing an elegant suit, (B) the man is wearing casual clothes
but well-known and expensive brands, (C) the man is wearing no-name jeans and a T-shirt.
A chi-square test is conducted in SPSS and yields the following output:
Find the p-value (the observed significance level) of the test. (Provide your answer as a number
rounded to 3 decimal places.)
59
#167
Suppose the test is conducted at the α = 0.05 level of significance. Interpret the results. Draw the
appropriate conclusion and justify it.
60
#168
61
#169
62
#170
Explain why the note under the Chi-Square Tests table is important and what you can conclude from
it.
63
#171
Explain why the note under the Chi-Square Tests table is important and what you can conclude from
it.
64
#172
SPSS is used to generate the following cross-tabulation:
If we conduct a chi-square test on these data, can we expect the test to yield a valid result? Justify
your answer.
65
#173
You present your results in the graph below.
What is the technical term for this type of chart?
66
#174
You present your results in the graph below.
What is the technical term for this type of chart?
67
#175
Suppose the that the main chi-square test yields a significant result and therefore you decide to
conduct post-hoc analysis to determine which pairs of conditions differ significantly. Because you will
conduct 3 comparisons, you wish to keep the familywise error rate at (or below) 0.05, and therefore
you decide to use the Bonferroni adjustment. At what level of significance will you conduct each
post-hoc comparison? (Provide your answer as a number rounded to three decimal places.)
68
Chapter 9/A
#176
A simple linear correlation between two continuous variables is called b________ correlation. (Write
the missing term.)
#177
Write an example for a positive correlation that you think may be true.
#178
Write an example for a negative correlation that you think may be true.
#179
“The noisier the children in the class, the more stress the teacher will experience.” This is an example
for a __________ bivariate correlation. (Fill in the gap with a word that describes the direction of the
relationship.)
#180
“The more you smoke, the fewer years you can expect to live.” This is an example for a __________
bivariate correlation. (Fill in the gap with a word that describes the direction of the relationship.)
#181
The correlation between two continuous variables can be represented on a type of graph called the
_________. (Fill in the gap.)
#182
Arrange the following four scatterplots by the strength of the correlation they represent, from
strongest to weakest. Write the letters A, B, C, and D in the correct order.
A B C D
#183
weakest to strongest. Write the letters A, B, C, and D in the correct order.
69
A B C D
#184
weakest to strongest. Write the letters A, B, C, and D in the correct order.
A B C D
#185
The strength and direction of the linear correlation between two continuous variables is measured
by a statistic called the correlation __________. (Fill in the gap with the proper term.)
#186
The value of a correlation coefficient must be between… (Finish the sentence by specifying the lower
and upper limits.)
#187
Consider the following set of scatterplots.
In which of these cases would you expect the value of r to be close to zero? (Write the letter.)
#188
What will be the value of r in case “A”?
70
#189
What will be the value of r in case “G”?
#190
Suppose that you know that r = 0.4 for one of the above graphs and r = 0.8 for another graph. Which
r value corresponds to which graph?
#191
Suppose that you know that r = –0.4 for one of the above graphs and r = –0.8 for another graph.
Which r value corresponds to which graph?
#192
The value of r for each of these data sets will be (approximately) equal to _____. (Write the value.)
71
#193
You ask 5 of your friends how many lectures they attended in a course and what results they
achieved (in percentage points) on the final exam. You obtain the following data.
Student ID Lectures attended (x) Exam score (y)

1 0 63
2 3 45
3 7 75
4 11 100
5 12 92
Calculate the deviation of x from the mean for student 4. Do not round the result.
#194

1 0 63
2 3 45
3 7 75
4 11 100
5 12 92
Calculate the squared deviation of y from the mean for student 2. Do not round the result.
#195

1 0 63
2 3 45
3 7 75
4 11 100
5 12 92
Calculate the cross-product deviation for student 3. Do not round the result.
72
#196

1 0 63
2 3 45
3 7 75
4 11 100
5 12 92
The mean number of lectures attended is 6.6 and the mean exam score is 75. Therefore, the
deviations from the means are as follows.
Student ID 𝑥 − 𝑥̅ 𝑦 − 𝑦̅
1 –6.6 –12
2 –3.6 –30
3 0.4 0
4 4.4 25
5 5.4 17
Using this information, calculate the sum of cross-product deviations. Do not round the result.
#197

1 0 63
2 3 45
3 7 75
4 11 100
5 12 92
After doing some calculations, it turns out that the sum of squared deviations for x is 105.2, the sum
of squared deviations for y is 1958, and the sum of squared cross-product deviations is 389. Using
this information, calculate the value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Round the result to two
decimal places.
73
#198
In a study, the researchers examined the relationship between extroversion and self-confidence. It
turns out that the value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient is 0.57. What percentage of the
variability in self-confidence can be explained by differences in the degree of extroversion? Provide
your answer as a percentage (i.e. a number between 0 and 100) rounded to 1 decimal place, without
the percentage mark (e.g. 56.3).
#199
In a study, the researchers examine the relationship between extroversion and self-confidence. They
measure both variables with a questionnaire. They obtain responses from 163 people. What is the
degrees of freedom for the test they will conduct to determine whether they have enough evidence
for a linear correlation between the two variables?
#200
measure both variables with a questionnaire. They obtain responses from 30 people. They are going
to conduct a test to determine whether they have enough evidence for a linear correlation between
the two variables. Suppose that the researchers assume that if there is a relationship between
extroversion and self-confidence, then these two variables must be positively correlated. (In other
words, the rule out the possibility of a negative correlation by principle.) If they wish to conduct the
test at the .05 level of significance, what is going to be the critical value for Pearson’s correlation
coefficient? (Provide your answer as number between 0 and 1, rounded to 3 decimal places.)
#201
measure both variables with a questionnaire. They obtain responses from 30 people. They are going
to conduct a test to determine whether they have enough evidence for a linear correlation between
the two variables. Suppose that the researchers have no specific expectations about the direction of
the relationship. If they wish to conduct the test at the .05 level of significance, what is going to be
the critical value for Pearson’s correlation coefficient? (Provide your answer as number between 0
and 1, rounded to 3 decimal places.)
#202
measure both variables with a questionnaire. They obtain responses from 30 people. The researchers
have no specific expectations about the direction of the relationship. The analysis of the data reveals
a positive correlation in the sample, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient is equal to 0.331. Conduct
the appropriate test to determine whether the researchers have obtained enough evidence for a
relationship between extroversion and self-confidence. Use α = .05. State and justify your conclusion.
74
#203
measure both variables with a questionnaire. They obtain responses from 30 people. The researchers
have no specific expectations about the direction of the relationship. The analysis of the data reveals
a positive correlation in the sample, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient is equal to 0.385. Conduct
the appropriate test to determine whether the researchers have obtained enough evidence for a
relationship between extroversion and self-confidence. Use α = .05. State and justify your conclusion.
#204
If two continuous variables are unrelated (and so the population correlation coefficient is equal to
zero), then in a sample of 25 units, we would obtain a correlation coefficient that is greater than
0.337 in _____% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the “Formulae
and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a percentage, i.e. a number between
0 and 100, but without the percentage mark.)
#205
0.462 in _____% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the “Formulae
and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a percentage, i.e. a number between
0 and 100, but without the percentage mark.)
#206
0.396 or less than –0.396 in _____% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate
table in the “Formulae and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a percentage,
i.e. a number between 0 and 100, but without the percentage mark.)
#207
0.505 or less than –0.505 in _____% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate
table in the “Formulae and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a percentage,
i.e. a number between 0 and 100, but without the percentage mark.)
#208
_____ in only 5% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the “Formulae
and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a number between 0 and 1, rounded
to 3 decimal places.)
75
#209
_____ in 1% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the “Formulae and
Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a number between 0 and 1, rounded to 3
decimal places.)
#210
zero), then in a sample of 25 units, we would obtain a correlation coefficient whose absolute value is
greater than _____ in 5% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the
“Formulae and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a number between 0 and
1, rounded to 3 decimal places.)
#211
zero), then in a sample of 25 units, we would obtain a correlation coefficient whose absolute value is
greater than _____ in 1% of the cases by accident. (Fill in the gap. Use the appropriate table in the
“Formulae and Tables” booklet to find the answer. Provide your answer as a number between 0 and
1, rounded to 3 decimal places.)
#212
A study revealed that the 95% confidence interval for the correlation coefficient between
extroversion and self-confidence is (0.14; 0.29). This means that we can be 95% confident that…
(Finish the sentence.)
76
Chapter 9/B
#213
When calculating Pearson’s correlation coefficient, we assume that both variables follow a
__________ distribution. (Fill in the gap with a technical term for the distribution.)
#214
The scatterplot below represents the relationship between the amount of anxiety and performance.
The scatterplot suggests that Pearson’s correlation coefficient will not be an adequate measure of
the relationship between the level of anxiety and performance because the relationship is
c_________ rather than linear. (Write the missing term.)
#215
When calculating Pearson’s correlation coefficient between two variables x and y, we assume that
for each value of x, the distribution of y has the same constant variance. What is the technical term
for this assumption?
77
#216
Compare the two scatterplots below:
Scatterplot A Scatterplot B
While the data shown in Scatterplot A appears to satisfy all the assumptions of the Pearson’s
correlation coefficient, the data in Scatterplot B appears to violate one of the assumptions. Name the
assumption that appears to be violated by the data represented in Scatterplot B.
78
#217
You wish to run an analysis in SPSS to determine whether you have enough evidence for a
relationship between media multitasking and inattention. You speculate that if there is a relationship
between the two variables, it must be a positive relationship, i.e. more multitasking must lead to
more attention problems. Previous research indicates that a negative relationship (i.e. more
multitasking leading to fewer attention problems) can be ruled out by principle, so you will not take
that possibility into account. If you wish to conduct the analysis under these assumptions, you must
change one of the settings in the dialogue box below. Which setting must be changed?
79
#218
You wish to run an analysis in SPSS to determine whether you have enough evidence for a
relationship between media multitasking and inattention. You speculate that if there is a relationship
between the two variables, it may be either a positive or a negative relationship: it may be the case
that more multitasking leads to more attention problems, but it may also be the case that media
multitasking functions as a kind of training for the attention system, and as a result, it actually
improves attention. If you wish to conduct the analysis in such a way that you remain open to both of
these possibilities, you must change one of the settings in the dialogue box below. Which setting
must be changed?
80
#219
A researcher has obtained measures of IQ, vocabulary and life satisfaction from a sample of 75
participants in order to determine whether there are significant correlations between these
variables. SPSS yields the following correlation matrix:
Which of the three correlations is the strongest? What is the value of r in that case?
#220
Which of the three correlations is the weakest? What is the value of r in that case?
81
#221
What is the p-value for the correlation between vocabulary and life satisfaction? Is this correlation
significant at the α = .05 level?
#222
Which of the correlation(s) is/are significant at the α = .05 level?
82
#223
Interpret the p-value of the correlation test between intelligence and life satisfaction, by completing
the following sentence: “If intelligence and life satisfaction are unrelated in the population, then – in
a sample of 75 participants – there is still a probability of 18.2% that I obtain a Pearson correlation
coefficient which is…”
83
#224
A researcher has obtained measures of IQ, vocabulary and life satisfaction from a sample of
Which of the two dialogue boxes below correspond to the settings that the researcher used for this
analysis: A or B? Explain why this is evident from the output above.
A B
#225
A significant correlation test indicates that we have sufficient evidence to conclude that the
population correlation coefficient is not equal to _________. (Finish the sentence.)
84

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BA in Communication and Media Science Social Science Research Methods I

Corvinus University of Budapest Gábor Kovács, PhD.

What are the three major traditional approaches to communication research?

What is meant by the requirement that quantitative research must be replicable?

What is meant by the requirement that measurements/observations in quantitative research must

Define the term “nominal variable” and illustrate with an example.

Define the term “ordinal variable” and illustrate with an example.

Define the term “interval variable” and illustrate with an example.

Define the term “ratio variable” and illustrate with an example.

What is the key advantage of experiments over questionnaire surveys?

Describe an experimental study using “Causal Design with Control”.

List the seven key steps in quantitative research.

What is operationalisation? (Provide a definition.)

However, when he presses Enter, he gets the following error message:

Explain the difference between a variable’s Name and its Label.

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

What is the correct “Measure” setting for an interval variable?

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

What is the correct “Measure” setting for a ratio variable?

In SPSS, each variable has a “Measure” setting.

What is the correct “Measure” setting for a continuous variable?

Explain what this value means.

I wish to add the normal curve to the histogram below.

Comment on the shape of the distribution.

Comment on the shape of the distribution.

What is the advantage of increasing the sample size in a study?

The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6

The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0

The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6

The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0

The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6

The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0

The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6

The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0

The counts you obtain for the 5 women are: 4, 10, 6, 7, 6

The counts you obtain for the 4 men are: 1, 4, 1, 0

How many men/women took part in the study?

Mean Difference (in either row) = ?

What does the abbreviation 95% CI stand for?

What is the null hypothesis that we test in a One-Way ANOVA procedure?

Relationship Status Relationship Satisfaction Scores

Calculate the Total Sum of Squares for these data.

Relationship Status Relationship Satisfaction Scores

Calculate the Sum of Squares for Groups.

Relationship Status Relationship Satisfaction Scores

Calculate the Sum of Squares for Error.

When conducting a One-Way ANOVA, small or moderate violations of the assumption of

What is the value of the test statistic?

A One-Way ANOVA yields the following results.

A One-Way ANOVA yields the following results.

Write at least two terms which are synonymous with “cross-tabulation”.

White Blue Red Green Total

White Blue Red Green Total

How many of the respondents were women?

White Blue Red Green Total

White Blue Red Green Total

White Blue Red Green Total

White Blue Red Green Total

White Blue Red Green Total