MRA Statistical Techniques & Data Interpretation 3

Question 1

Which statistical test would be most appropriate to compare the means of two independent groups?

Accepted Answer

Independent samples t-test

Answer

The independent samples t-test is designed to compare the means of two separate, unrelated groups.

Question 2

In factor analysis, what does a factor loading of 0.75 represent?

Accepted Answer

The correlation between the observed variable and the underlying factor

Answer

Factor loadings are correlations between individual items and the underlying latent factor; 0.75 indicates a strong relationship.

Question 3

A normal distribution has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Approximately what percentage of scores fall between 85 and 115?

Accepted Answer

68%

Answer

According to the empirical rule (68-95-99.7), approximately 68% of data falls within one standard deviation of the mean.

Question 4

What is the primary purpose of a Box-and-Whisker plot in data analysis?

Accepted Answer

To show the five-number summary and identify outliers in a dataset

Answer

A box plot visualizes the median, quartiles, and potential outliers, providing a compact summary of the data distribution.

Question 5

A marketing analyst notices that ice cream sales and drowning incidents both rise in summer. This relationship is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Spurious correlation due to a confounding variable (heat/season)

Answer

Both variables are driven by a third variable (warm weather/summer), making their correlation spurious rather than causal.

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