Part A Some questions in Part A require that you access data from Statistics for People Who (Think T hey) Hate Statistics . This data is available on the student website under the Student Test Resources link. 1. By hand, compute the mean, median, and mode for the following set of 40 reading scores: SUMMARY 31 32 43 42 24 34 25 44 23 43 24 36 25 41 23 28 14 21 24 17 25 23 44 21 13 26 23 32 12 26 14 42 14 31 52 12 23 42 32 34 2. Compute the means for the following set of scores saved as Ch. 2 Data Set 3 using IBM ® SPSS ® software. Print out a copy of the output. Hospital size (number of beds) Infection rate (per 1,000 admissions) 234 1.7 214 2.4 165 3.1 436 5.6 432 4.9 342 5.3 276 5.6 187 1.2 512 3.3 553 4.1 3. You are the manager of a fast food store. Part of your job is to report which special is selling best to the boss at the end of each day. Use your knowledge of descriptive statistics and write one paragraph to let the boss know what happened today. Use the following data. Do not use IBM ® SPSS ® software to compute the statistics needed; rather, do it by hand. Include a copy of your work. Special number Sold Cost Huge Burger 20 $2.95 Baby Burger 18 $1.49 Chicken Littles 25 $3.50 Porker Burger 19 $2.95 Yummy Burger 17 $1.99 Coney Dog 20 $1.99 Total specials sold 119 4. Suppose you are working with a data set that has some different (much larger or much smaller than the rest of the data) scores. What measure of central tendency would you use and why? 5. For the following set of scores, compute the range, the unbiased and the biased standard deviations, and the variance. Do the exercise by hand. 31, 42, 35, 55, 54, 34, 25, 44, 35 Why is the unbiased estimate greater than the biased estimate? 6. Use IBM ® SPSS ® software to compute all the descriptive statistics for the following set of three test scores over the course of a semester. Which test had the highest average score? Which test had the smallest amount of variability? Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 50 50 49 48 49 47 51 51 51 46 46 55 49 48 55 48 53 45 49 49 47 49 52 45 50 48 46 50 55 53 7. This practice problem uses the data contained in the file named Ch. 3 Data Set 3. There are two variables in this data set. Variable Definition Height Height in inches Weight Weight in pounds Using IBM ® SPSS ® software, compute all of the measures of variability you can for height and weight. 8. Review the following frequency distribution. Create a histogram either by hand or by using some other application such as a Microsoft ® Excel ® document. Class interval Frequency 90–100 12 80–89 14 70–79 20 60–69 24 50–59 28 40–49 29 30–39 21 20–29 15 10–19 17 0–9 12 9. A third-grade teacher is looking to improve her students’ level of engagement during group discussions and instruction. She keeps track of each of the 15 third graders’ number of responses every day for 1 week. This information is available in Ch. 4 Data Set 2. Use IBM ® SPSS ® software to create a bar chart (one bar .

1. Part A
Some questions in Part A require that you access data from
Statistics for People Who (Think
T
hey) Hate Statistics
.
This data is available on the student website under the Student
Test Resources link.
1.
By hand, compute the mean, median, and mode for the
following set of 40 reading scores:
SUMMARY
31
32
43
42
24
34
25
44
23
43
24
36
25
41
23
28
14
21
24
17

2. 25
23
44
21
13
26
23
32
12
26
14
42
14
31
52
12
23
42
32
34
2.
Compute the means for the following set of scores saved as Ch.
2 Data Set 3 using IBM
®
SPSS
®
software. Print out a copy of the output.
Hospital size (number of beds)
Infection rate (per 1,000 admissions)
234
1.7
214
2.4

3. 165
3.1
436
5.6
432
4.9
342
5.3
276
5.6
187
1.2
512
3.3
553
4.1
3.
You are the manager of a fast food store. Part of your job is to
report which special is selling best to the boss at the end of
each day. Use your knowledge of descriptive statistics and write
one paragraph to let the boss know what happened today. Use
the following data. Do not use IBM
®
SPSS
®
software to compute the statistics needed; rather, do it by hand.
Include a copy of your work.
Special number
Sold
Cost
Huge Burger
20
$2.95

4. Baby Burger
18
$1.49
Chicken Littles
25
$3.50
Porker Burger
19
$2.95
Yummy Burger
17
$1.99
Coney Dog
20
$1.99
Total specials sold
119
4.
Suppose you are working with a data set that has some different
(much larger or much smaller than the rest of the data) scores.
What measure of central tendency would you use and why?
5.
For the following set of scores, compute the range, the unbiased
and the biased standard deviations, and the variance. Do the
exercise by hand.
31, 42, 35, 55, 54, 34, 25, 44, 35
Why is the unbiased estimate greater than the biased estimate?
6.

5. Use IBM
®
SPSS
®
software to compute all the descriptive statistics for the
following set of three test scores over the course of a semester.
Which test had the highest average score? Which test had the
smallest amount of variability?
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3
50
50
49
48
49
47
51
51
51
46
46
55
49
48
55
48
53
45
49
49
47
49
52

6. 45
50
48
46
50
55
53
7.
This practice problem uses the data contained in the file named
Ch. 3 Data Set 3. There are two variables in this data set.
Variable
Definition
Height
Height in inches
Weight
Weight in pounds
Using IBM
®
SPSS
®
software, compute all of the measures of variability you can for
height and weight.
8.
Review the following frequency distribution. Create a histogram
either by hand or by using some other application such as a
Microsoft
®
Excel
®
document.

7. Class interval
Frequency
90–100
12
80–89
14
70–79
20
60–69
24
50–59
28
40–49
29
30–39
21
20–29
15
10–19
17
0–9
12
9.
A third-grade teacher is looking to improve her students’ level
of engagement during group discussions and instruction. She
keeps track of each of the 15 third graders’ number of responses
every day for 1 week. This information is available in Ch. 4
Data Set 2. Use IBM
®
SPSS
®
software to create a bar chart (one bar for each day).

8. 10.
Identify whether these distributions are negatively skewed,
positively skewed, or not skewed at all, and why.
a.
This talented group of athletes scored very high on the vertical
jump task.
b.
On this incredibly crummy test, everyone received the same
score.
c.
On the most difficult spelling test of the year, the third graders
wept as the scores were delivered.
11.
For each of the following, indicate whether you would use a pie,
line, or bar chart, and why.
a.
The proportion of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in
a particular university
b.
Change in GPA over four semesters
c.
Number of applicants for four different jobs
d.
Reaction time to different stimuli

9. e.
Number of scores in each of 10 categories
From Salkind (2011). Copyright © 2012 SAGE. All Rights
Reserved. Adapted with permission.
Part B
Complete
the questions below. Be specific and provide examples when
relevant.
Cite
any sources consistent with APA guidelines.
Question
Answer
Salkind (2011) describes statistics as a “set of tools” (p. 18).
How do behavioral scientists use those tools?
How would you use descriptive statistics to report the
effectiveness of a baseball team? How would you use inferential
statistics to report the effectiveness of a baseball team? In this
example, what is the sample and what is the population?
What does a measure of central tendency tell us about a data
set? Identify the three common measures of central tendency
used in descriptive statistics and give an example of each. How
do you calculate them?
What is variability in a data set? Identify three measures of
variability used in descriptive statistics, explain how to
calculate each, and give an example of each.