PSYC210: Assignment 1
Due by 11:59PM on January 30th, 2023 via Canvas Upload (PDF scan preferred)
Write your name, your TA’s name, and your tutorial section (e.g., D102) in a blank document. Showing your
work as appropriate, briefly answer the following:
1. Given Xi = {6, 16, 8, 18, 19, 1, 11, 18} and Yi = {4, 1, 14, 1, 7, 4, -7, 12}, calculate:
a) Σ(Xi ) b) Σ(Yi ) c) [Σ(Xi )]2 d) [Σ(Yi )]2 e) Σ(Xi − Yi ) f) Σ(Xi Yi )
g) Σ(Xi )2 h) Σ(Yi )2 i) [Σ(Xi − Yi )]2 j) (ΣXi )(ΣYi ) k) Σ(Xi + 3)2 l) Σ(Yi /22 )
2. What is the difference between a variance and a standard deviation? What do they accomplish?
3. When referring to all of the individuals the results of a study hopefully apply to, we are referring to our
of interest?
4. Identify the four scales of measurement and provide an example (not one discussed during lecture!)
of each that might be found in psychological research.
5. In a study on navigation, participants were asked to judge the distance of a target object from
their current location in inches. This variable was measured on a(n) scale. Alternatively,
participants were asked if targets were “close” or “far”, which was measured on a scale.
6. In a study, you are asked to indicate the number of boardgames you own on a scale: None, 1-9, 10-19,
20-29, 30 or more. This predictor variable was measured on a(n) measurement scale.
7. It turned out that the sample you found in Question 6 had a few people with no games, a lot with 1-9,
a moderate amount with 10-19, and only a few with 20 or more games. In terms of shape, this is an
example of a distribution.
8. The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) bills itself as the “largest exhibition trade
organization in the world” dedicated to helping to “influence federal policy-making”. NATO keeps track
of the movie-going public, tallying the kinds of movies people go to see, where they see them, and how
much money they spend on such outings. Suppose you attend a city council meeting and a citizen
claims that only R-rated films are being shown these days. You are intrigued and visit NATO’s website
to see if you can find any numbers to corroborate that claim. You find the following (fictional!) table
that shows the number of movies released by year for each rating:
Year G PG PG13 R
2022 10 5 4 5
2021 9 10 7 3
2020 8 5 8 3
2019 12 4 4 4
2018 6 3 7 2
2017 11 9 4 4
2016 5 9 2 5
2015 7 8 6 4
2014 7 11 6 2
2013 10 11 7 3
2012 11 4 8 5
2011 6 7 5 1
2010 7 8 5 4
Table 1: Number of Films Released by Rating (2010–2022)
1
Due by 11:59PM on January 30th, 2023 via Canvas Upload (PDF scan preferred)
Write your name, your TA’s name, and your tutorial section (e.g., D102) in a blank document. Showing your
work as appropriate, briefly answer the following:
1. Given Xi = {6, 16, 8, 18, 19, 1, 11, 18} and Yi = {4, 1, 14, 1, 7, 4, -7, 12}, calculate:
a) Σ(Xi ) b) Σ(Yi ) c) [Σ(Xi )]2 d) [Σ(Yi )]2 e) Σ(Xi − Yi ) f) Σ(Xi Yi )
g) Σ(Xi )2 h) Σ(Yi )2 i) [Σ(Xi − Yi )]2 j) (ΣXi )(ΣYi ) k) Σ(Xi + 3)2 l) Σ(Yi /22 )
2. What is the difference between a variance and a standard deviation? What do they accomplish?
3. When referring to all of the individuals the results of a study hopefully apply to, we are referring to our
of interest?
4. Identify the four scales of measurement and provide an example (not one discussed during lecture!)
of each that might be found in psychological research.
5. In a study on navigation, participants were asked to judge the distance of a target object from
their current location in inches. This variable was measured on a(n) scale. Alternatively,
participants were asked if targets were “close” or “far”, which was measured on a scale.
6. In a study, you are asked to indicate the number of boardgames you own on a scale: None, 1-9, 10-19,
20-29, 30 or more. This predictor variable was measured on a(n) measurement scale.
7. It turned out that the sample you found in Question 6 had a few people with no games, a lot with 1-9,
a moderate amount with 10-19, and only a few with 20 or more games. In terms of shape, this is an
example of a distribution.
8. The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) bills itself as the “largest exhibition trade
organization in the world” dedicated to helping to “influence federal policy-making”. NATO keeps track
of the movie-going public, tallying the kinds of movies people go to see, where they see them, and how
much money they spend on such outings. Suppose you attend a city council meeting and a citizen
claims that only R-rated films are being shown these days. You are intrigued and visit NATO’s website
to see if you can find any numbers to corroborate that claim. You find the following (fictional!) table
that shows the number of movies released by year for each rating:
Year G PG PG13 R
2022 10 5 4 5
2021 9 10 7 3
2020 8 5 8 3
2019 12 4 4 4
2018 6 3 7 2
2017 11 9 4 4
2016 5 9 2 5
2015 7 8 6 4
2014 7 11 6 2
2013 10 11 7 3
2012 11 4 8 5
2011 6 7 5 1
2010 7 8 5 4
Table 1: Number of Films Released by Rating (2010–2022)
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