Provide an example of a variable that is normally distributed in the general population. Why is the normal curve so common in nature?
What will be an ideal response?
Answers to part 1 may vary (e.g., intelligence, mood, memory ability). The normal curve is common because any particular score is the result of the random combination of many effects, some of which make a score larger and some of which make a score smaller. On average these effects balance out to produce scores near the middle, with relatively few scores at each extreme because it is unlikely for most of the increasing or decreasing effects to come out in the same direction.
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According to the text's discussion, young African Americans are:
a. more likely to be arrested than whites for the same crime. b. less likely than whites to be killed by the police on the street. c. less likely than whites to be tried as adults. d. all of the above
What causes structural lag?
a. Rapid changes in demography, economy, or culture b. Declining birth rates c. Rising median age d. Rising life expectancy
Alice Rossi (cited by Aulette) has been an important figure in the sociobiological view of parenting. According to Rossi (and other sociobiologists) a man is genetically programmed to be
a. just as good at parenting as a woman. b. more proficient in many parenting activities than a woman. c. less important and less skilled in parenting than a woman . d. more careful than a women in choosing a mate, the mother of his children.
A researcher administered a math test to a group of 9th graders in September. During the school year these students received an intensive program designed to improve their math skills. In May the math test was again given to these students and their math scores improved. A major problem in this research is that the researcher failed to control for: a. history
b. maturation. c. testing. d. selection biases. e. all of these choices.