PSY 202

Homework One Answers (Answers are in italics)

Probability, Sampling Distributions, and Related Topics

1. Calculator practice (Note: σ2 = SS/N, answers in parentheses are what you should have gotten if you used
SS/N-1)

a. SS = 100, N = 5, σ2 = 20 (or 25).

b. σ2 = 25, σ = 5.

c. σ = 4, N = 13, SS = 208 (or 192).

d. SS = 1310, N = 23, σ = 7.55 (or 7.72).

2. Jim is taking two classes (Intro to Psych and Intro to Economics), and he is concerned about his grades. The
mean grade in Psych is 80 with a standard deviation of 10, while the mean in Econ is 75 with a standard
deviation of 12.

a. Jim has managed to get a 72 in both classes so far. In which class is Jim doing better (relative to
his peers)?

Intro: (72-80)/10=-.8
Econ: (72-75)/12=-.25.
He’s doing better in Econ (the z score is less negative)

b. Only the top 5% of students in Econ will get an A for the course. What grade would Jim need to
get in order to get an A?

From z table: top 5% gives you a z score of 1.65

1.65 = (X-75)/12
X=94.8, So Jim basically has to get a 95 to get an A in the class.

c. Jim’s Psych professor said that anyone who receives below a 59 will receive a failing grade for
the class. What is the likelihood of getting a grade of 58 or lower?

z = (58-80)/10
z = -2.2, which corresponds to a likelihood of .0139, so there is a 1.4% chance of failing.

3. Suppose that the total population of nearly extinct Coronas consists of 4 remaining birds. These four
Coronas have been tagged (A – D), their wingspans measured, and let go. Now, your team must find and
measure the Coronas’ wingspans. Each team consists of a pair of observers. Each team member will find,
restrain, measure, and release one Corona. Then, the two team members will get together and record their
scores. Assume that the two team members will measure different Coronas on a given expedition.

Suppose there are many teams just like yours, and they are using the same methods that your team uses. In
the space below, construct a list of all possible samples of N = 2 Corona wingspans that the teams might
collect and measure. List also the wingspans of the two observations, and then calculate the sample means.
Then calculate the µ of that distribution of sample means.
 Corona Wingspan
A 5 ft
B 6 ft
C 4 ft
D 5 ft

Samples of N = 2: X1 X2 X

A and B 5 6 5.5
A and C 5 4 4.5
A and D 5 5 5.0
B and C 6 4 5.0
B and D 6 5 5.5
C and D 4 5 4.5

a. The Mean (µ) of this (raw score) population is

(5+6+4+5)/4=5.
b. The standard deviation (σ) is
Variance = ((5-5)2 + (6-5)2 + (4-5)2 + (5-5)2)/ 4 (or 3) = .5 (or .67)
SD = .71 (or .82)
c. What is the mean of this sampling distribution?
(5.5+4.5+5.0+5.0+5.5+4.5)/6 = 5
d. How does it compare to the mean of the “parent” population of individual Corona wingspans?
They are equal.
e. What is the standard deviation of this sampling distribution?
Variance = ((5.5-5)2 + (4.5-5)2 + (5-5)2 + (5-5)2 + (5.5-5)2 + (4.5-5)2)/6 (or 5) = .17 (or
.2)
SD = .41 (or .45)
f. How does it compare to the standard deviation of the parent population of individual Corona
wingspans?
It is less.

4. Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics.

Descriptive statistics are used to describe a set of data you have collected (usually a
sample), while inferential statistics are used to make a statement about a larger
uncollected population.

5. Name and describe three threats to the validity of a study.

See the list in the notes.