Define and explain what a distribution is and how its shape affects our analysis of the data.

What will be an ideal response?


A distribution is a set of scores collected as data. The shape of a distribution can take many forms, but two common shapes are symmetrical and skewed shapes. These shapes will affect our choice of both descriptive and inferential statistics. Skew in a distribution can affect the comparison of different measures of what is considered a typical score. Many distributions, however, show clustering of scores toward the top or bottom end of the scale. In fact, without "curving", grade distributions in many college courses show a clustering of grades toward the high end of the grade scale, often because there are more people in a course who do well than who do very poorly.

Psychology

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The pattern associated with a personality disorder must be evident in two or more specific domains that include

a. motor skills. b. emotional responses. c. intelligence. d. culture.

Psychology

Craig is blaring his stereo in his room. His father tells him to turn down the volume. Craig lowers the sound but his father claims the music is as loud as it was before. This is because:

A. the change in volume did not reach his father's just noticeable difference B. Craig's father is unfamiliar with rock music C. the music was above his father's absolute threshold D. Craig's father subliminally perceived the volume change

Psychology

Most fertility issues can be traced back to problems associated with just one of the partners

a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Psychology

Paula is interested in the effect of temperature on aggression. She has found that in North America, riots are more likely to occur in July and August-the two hottest months of the year. Paula's interest falls into the category of

A. sociobiology. B. health psychology. C. personality psychology. D. environmental psychology.

Psychology