Week 1 Assignment: Introduction to Statistics in Psychology PART 1: Introduction to Research Methods In this part of
Week 1 Assignment: Introduction to Statistics in Psychology
PART 1: Introduction to Research Methods
In this part of the assignment, we will examine data collected from the General Social Survey (GSS), which was administered to a large, representative sample of American adults.
The GSS includes many different questions, but we will focus on two variables: Race and Mntlhth.
· The Race variable classifies respondents into three categories: “Black,” “White,” and “Other.”
· The Mntlhth variable measures the number of days an individual experienced poor mental health in the past 30 days.
A researcher wants to use this dataset to determine if there are differences in the average number of days with poor mental health among people of different races.
Directions: Use the scenario above to answer the questions below.
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If
a researcher using the GSS data finds that people of different races have
different average numbers of days with poor mental health, to which
population can they generalize that finding? |
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If
the researcher finds that people of different races have different average
numbers of days with poor mental health, can they conclude that race caused
these differences? Why or why not? |
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The GSS’s Race variable has three categories:
“Black,” “White,” and “Other.” How might these limited options impact the
study’s validity? (Most students will need 60-80 words to completely address
this question.) |
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PART 2: Exploring Post-Graduation Opportunities
In this section, you will explore either a graduate program or a job posting related to psychology that utilizes statistics.
Directions: Identify a graduate program (i.e., a master’s or doctoral program) or a job posting related to psychology that involves statistics. If you select a graduate program, complete Option A only. If you select a job posting, complete Option B only.
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Option A: Complete this section
if you selected a graduate program. |
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What is the name of the program
you selected? |
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Provide a link to your selected
program. |
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Are there any
statistics-related entrance requirements? If so, describe them. |
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What statistics courses are
students in this program required to take? |
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Option B: Complete this section
if you selected a job posting. |
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What is the job title? |
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Provide a link to your selected
job posting. |
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What are the statistics-related
job requirements? (i.e., skills applicants must have) |
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What are the statistics-related
job responsibilities? (i.e., tasks the person in the role will perform) |
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