Lesson 4.2.3.3.1

4.2.3.3.1 Sign test and probability, significance and errors Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 4.2.3.3.1, Sign test and probability, significance and errors: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 2: Psychology in context, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which experimental design is required to use the sign test?

    • Independent groups
    • Repeated measures
    • Observational design
    • Cross-sectional

  2. Why is the sign test classified as a non-parametric test?

    • No normal distribution
    • Uses large samples
    • Requires interval data
    • Tests two IVs

  3. What is recorded for each participant pair when calculating the sign test?

    • Magnitude of difference
    • Mean participant score
    • Direction of difference
    • Standard deviation value

  4. How are scores showing zero difference handled when conducting a sign test?

    • Excluded from analysis
    • Given positive signs
    • Counted as ties
    • Replaced with means

  5. What is a Type I error in psychological research?

    • A sampling bias
    • A standard error
    • A false positive
    • A false negative

  6. What is a Type II error in psychological research?

    • A false positive
    • A procedural error
    • A false negative
    • A random error

  7. What significance level is conventionally used in psychology?

    • 0.5 (50%)
    • 0.001 (0.1%)
    • 0.05 (5%)
    • 0.95 (95%)

  8. In a sign test, 10 participants are tested. Eight show an increase and two show a decrease, with no zero differences. What is S, the smaller number of signs?

    • 8
    • 10
    • 5
    • 2

  9. In a sign test, S = 2 and critical value = 1. Is the result significant?

    • Uncertain
    • Yes
    • Only if one-tailed
    • No

  10. In a sign test, S = 2 and critical value = 2. Is the result significant?

    • Uncertain
    • Only if two-tailed
    • No
    • Yes

  11. A study has 12 participants and one shows no change between conditions. What is N for the sign test?

    • 12
    • 1
    • 10
    • 11

  12. Which observed value of S, with N = 10, would be significant on a one-tailed test at the 0.05 level, where the critical value is 2?

    • S = 3
    • S = 5
    • S = 4
    • S = 2

  13. A sign test has 15 non-zero differences, with 11 positive and 4 negative. What is S?

    • 7
    • 15
    • 11
    • 4

  14. A psychologist tests the same students before and after a revision programme, using scores that are ranked, not interval. Which test is suitable?

    • Spearman's rho
    • Sign test
    • Chi-squared test
    • Unrelated t-test

  15. How does changing the significance level from 0.05 to 0.01 affect Type I error risk?

    • It doubles
    • It decreases
    • It stays equal
    • It increases

  16. A sign test shows a significant result, but the effect is later shown not to exist. Which error has occurred?

    • A Type I error
    • A ceiling effect
    • A demand characteristic
    • A Type II error

  17. When should a researcher choose a two-tailed statistical test?

    • Parametric data level
    • Ordinal data level
    • Non-directional hypothesis
    • Directional hypothesis

  18. In a sign test with S = 4 and critical value = 2, what happens to H0?

    • Accepted as proven
    • Rejected
    • Retained
    • Discarded

  19. Decreasing the significance level from 0.05 to 0.01 increases the risk of which error?

    • Standard error
    • Type I error
    • Measurement error
    • Type II error

  20. Which of the following is an advantage of using the sign test?

    • High statistical power
    • Uses interval data
    • Simple to calculate
    • Preserves precise scores

All AQA Psychology quizzes