Chapter 14—Basic Data Analysis
TRUE/FALSE
1. Descriptive statistics are a type of univariate statistics.
2. The type of measurement scale used in the research study determines the possible statistical tests that
can be used appropriately with the resulting data.
3. All statistics that are appropriate to use for higher-order scales are also appropriate to use with lower-
order scales.
4. A planogram is a graphical way of showing the frequency distribution in which the height of a bar
corresponds to the frequency of a category.
5. Tabulation refers to the orderly arrangement of data in a summary format.
6. Cross-tabulation allows the inspection and comparison of differences among groups based on nominal
or ordinal categories.
7. A contingency table is a data matrix that displays the frequency of some combination of possible
responses to multiple variables.
8. The row and column totals in a contingency table are called subtotals because they are less than the
total.
9. Researchers are usually most interested in the marginals of a contingency table.
10. A 3 x 4 table represents a contingency table with twelve variables.
11. The distribution of the dependent variable determines which marginal total will serve as a base for
computing percentages.
12. A common form of elaboration analysis is to do cross-tabulation of data within subgroups of the
sample under study.
13. Suppose a third variable inserted into an analysis changes the results of when two other variables were
studied previously. This third variable is called a moderator variable.
14. The process of changing data from their original form to a format that more closely fits the objectives
of the research study is called data transformation.
15. Combining the data from adjacent categories of a Likert-scale item is a common form of data
transformation.
16. An index split means that respondents below the observed median go into one category and
respondents above the median go into another.
17. When a data set is unimodal, a median split of the data is inappropriate.
18. The purpose of a table in a research report is to summarize and communicate the meaning of the data
to the reader.
19. An extreme value that lies far beyond range of most of the data in a distribution (either as a very high
score or as a very low score) is called an outlier.
20. A significance level is a critical probability associated with a statistical hypothesis test that indicates
how likely it is that an inference supporting a difference between an observed value and some
statistical expectation is true.
21. The term p-value stands for power-value.
22. The researcher who uses a sample rather than the entire population runs the risk of committing two
types of errors: primary errors and secondary errors.
23. A Type I error occurs when the researcher fails to reject the null hypothesis when the alternative
hypothesis is true.
24. A Type II error occurs when the researcher rejects the null hypothesis when, in fact, it is true.
25. The t–test is appropriate for small sample sizes with unknown standard deviations.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The transformation of raw data into a form that makes the data easier to understand and to interpret is
called ____.
a.
descriptive analysis
b.
outlier analysis
c.
computer mapping
d.
box and whisker plotting
2. The researcher examining descriptive statistics for any particular variable is using which type of
statistics?
a.
multivariate
b.
interval
c.
nominal
d.
univariate
3. Which graphical application shows a frequency distribution in which the height of a bar corresponds to
the frequency of a category?
a.
perceptual map
b.
histogram
c.
contingency table
d.
frequency chart
4. The orderly arrangement of data in a summary format showing the number of responses to each
response category is called ____.
a.
tabulation
b.
frequency
c.
analysis
d.
interpretation
5. Counting the number of responses to questions in a survey by hand is called ____.
a.
indexing
b.
tallying
c.
collating
d.
moderating
6. An arrangement of data that shows the number of times each category occurs is called a(n) ____ table.
a.
cross-tabulation
b.
frequency
c.
percentage
d.
pre-coding
7. Counting the different ways respondents answered a question and arranging them in a simple summary
form yields a(n) ____.
a.
elaboration analysis
b.
spurious analysis
c.
marginal tabulation
d.
index analysis
8. Suppose 60 males are asked if they recognize the brand name, “Focus,” and 35 of them correctly
identify the product as a model of Ford’s product line. The proportion of the sample who recognize
this brand name is approximately ____.
a.
.35
b.
.58
c.
.64
d.
.79
9. Which of the following is the appropriate technique for addressing research questions involving
relationships among multiple variables that are measured with a less-than interval scale?
a.
cross-tabulation
b.
ANOVA
c.
regression
d.
cluster analysis
10. A researcher interested in a data matrix that displays the frequency of some combination of possible
responses to multiple variables should construct a ____.
a.
perceptual map
b.
contingency table
c.
regression equation
d.
marginal table
11. Carlos is examining the row and column totals in a contingency table. What are these called?
a.
marginals
b.
subtotals
c.
totals
d.
running totals
12. If a researcher wants to summarize the responses of subjects by gender and awareness of a particular
brand (“Yes” or “No”), he or she should use a ____ contingency table.
a.
1 x 2
b.
2 x 2
c.
2 x 3
d.
normal
13. The number of respondents or observations (in a row or column) used as a basis for computing
percentages in a contingency table is referred to as the ____.
a.
reference point
b.
moderator
c.
statistical base
d.
analytical point
14. The nature of the problem the researcher wishes to answer will determine which ____ will serve as a
base for computing percentages.
a.
independent variable
b.
marginal total
c.
dependent variable
d.
column mean
15. Examining responses to the question “Have you ever purchased a ticket online for an American
Airlines flight?” by looking at subgroups based on gender and zip code is an example of ____.
a.
a box and whisker plot analysis
b.
an index number
c.
elaboration analysis
d.
interquartile analysis
16. When a third variable is included in an analysis and that third variable changes the relationship
between the independent variable and the dependent variable in an important way, the third variable is
called a(n) ____.
a.
spurious variable
b.
moderator variable
c.
contingency variable
d.
outlier variable
17. It is hypothesized that an individual’s style of processing information (i.e., verbal or visual) will
influence the impact of advertising on attitudes toward the brand being advertised. Style of processing,
then, is considered which type of variable?
a.
dependent variable
b.
external variable
c.
internal variable
d.
moderating variable
18. Another name for data transformation is ____.
a.
index analysis
b.
data conversion
c.
quadrant analysis
d.
data exchange
19. When a respondent’s answers to ten Likert-scale items are added up to form a total subtest score for
these questions, ____ is being used.
a.
data indexing
b.
data transformation
c.
contingency analysis
d.
data indexing
20. When a researcher combines the “Strongly Disagree” and “Disagree” responses on a Likert scale item
to a single “Strongly Disagree/Disagree” percentage, the researcher is using ____.
a.
data indexing
b.
collapsing the data
c.
the outlier effect
d.
a box and whisker plot
21. Data with a(n) ____ distribution are appropriate for division based on the median split.
a.
normal
b.
unimodal
c.
bimodal
d.
uniform
22. Scores or observations recalibrated to indicate how they relate to a base number are referred to as
____.
a.
index numbers
b.
rank orders
c.
elaborated numbers
d.
real numbers
23. The use of index numbers requires the ____ level of measurement.
a.
nominal
b.
interval
c.
ratio
d.
ranked
24. A researcher is reviewing average household income data and sees that one household reported an
annual income of over $1 million. This value lies outside the normal range of the data and is called
a(n) ____.
a.
abnormality
b.
marginality
c.
outlier
d.
quartile
25. Which type of statistical analysis tests hypotheses involving only one variable?
a.
primary statistical analysis
b.
bivariate statistical analysis
c.
univariate statistical analysis
d.
monovariate statistical analysis
26. The error caused by rejecting the null hypothesis when it is, in fact, true is called a ____.
a.
Type II error
b.
confidence level error
c.
confidence interval error
d.
Type I error
27. Which type of error occurs when the researcher concludes a relationship exists, when in fact one does
not exist?
a.
Type I
b.
Type II
c.
Type A
d.
Type B
28. When a researcher sets an acceptable significance level a priori, the researcher is determining how
much tolerance will be allowed for a ____ error.
a.
Type I
b.
Type II
c.
Type A
d.
Type B
29. Failing to identify a hypothesized difference using a sample result when a difference really does exist
in the population is a ____ error.
a.
primary
b.
secondary
c.
Type I
d.
Type II
30. When sample size (n) is larger than ____, the t–distribution and Z-distribution are almost identical.
a.
10
b.
20
c.
25
d.
30
COMPLETION
1. The orderly arrangement of data into a summary form is known as ____________________.
2. The arrangement of data into a row-and-column format that gives the number of responses for each
category of the variable is known as a(n) ____________________ table.
3. When tabulation is done by hand to create a frequency table, the data are said to be
____________________.
4. A graph in which the height of a bar indicates the frequency with which that category occurred is
called a(n) ____________________.
5. The appropriate technique for addressing a research question involving relationships among multiple
less-than interval variables is ____________________.
6. A data matrix that displays the frequency of some combination of possible responses to multiple
variables called a(n) ____________________ table.
7. A two-way contingency table in which each variable has two possible levels is a(n)
____________________ table.
8. An analysis of the basic cross-tabulation for each level of a variable not previously considered, such as
subgroups of the sample, is referred to as____________________ analysis.
9. When a third variable changes the relationship between the independent variable and a dependent
variable in important ways, the third variable is called a(n) ____________________ variable.
10. The process of changing data from its original form to a format that more closely matches the research
objectives of the study is called data ____________________.
11. Scores or observations recalibrated to indicate how they relate to a base number are called
____________________ numbers.
12. A value that lies far beyond the range of the rest of the data set is called a(n) ____________________.
13. Analyses that test hypotheses and models involving multiple (three or more) variables or sets of
variables are referred to as ____________________ statistical analyses.
14. Another name for an observed or computed significance level is the ____________________.
15. The appropriate test to use for hypotheses involving an observed mean compared to specified value is
the univariate ____________________.
ESSAY
1. What are descriptive statistics and why are they used in marketing research?
2. What is a contingency table and how is it useful in marketing research?
3. Explain what an index number is and how it is computed. What level of measurement is required to
compute index numbers?
4. Explain the appropriate statistical analysis for the following hypothesis:
H1: The average household income in zip code 71227 is greater than $50,000.
5. Compare and contrast Type I errors and Type II errors and explain which one is of more concern to
researchers.
