Lesson 3.2.1

3.2.1 Correlational research and Spearman's rho Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

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Lesson 3.2.1, Correlational research and Spearman's rho: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 3: Biological psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What term is used for the two measured variables in a correlational study?

    • Co-variables
    • Extraneous variables
    • Independent variables
    • Dependent variables

  2. In a positive correlation, as one co-variable increases, what happens to the other?

    • It stays constant
    • It decreases
    • It fluctuates
    • It increases

  3. What type of relationship does a correlation coefficient of -0.9 represent?

    • Strong positive
    • Weak negative
    • No relationship
    • Strong negative

  4. Why can correlational research not establish a cause-and-effect relationship?

    • No statistical testing
    • No IV manipulation
    • Small sample sizes
    • Ordinal data used

  5. What correlation is shown by scatter diagram points rising from bottom-left to top-right?

    • Negative correlation
    • Curvilinear correlation
    • Positive correlation
    • Zero correlation

  6. What is the numerical range of possible values for Spearman's rho?

    • -1.0 to +1.0
    • 0 to 100
    • 0.0 to +1.0
    • -1.0 to 0.0

  7. Which level of measurement is required to use Spearman's rho?

    • Ordinal data
    • Ratio data
    • Interval data
    • Nominal data

  8. For n = 10 and sum of squared differences = 24, what is Spearman's rho?

    • 0.85
    • 0.91
    • 0.76
    • 0.15

  9. If calculated Spearman's rho is 0.70 and the critical value is 0.648, what is concluded?

    • Not significant
    • Type II error
    • Statistically significant
    • Accept null hypothesis

  10. What does the null hypothesis state in a correlational research study?

    • One causes another
    • No relationship exists
    • A significant difference
    • A relationship exists

  11. How should a correlation coefficient of +0.60 between sleep and mood be interpreted?

    • Moderate positive association
    • Strong negative relationship
    • Direct cause-effect link
    • Weak negative association

  12. What is a critical value used to determine when analysing correlational data?

    • Statistical significance
    • Sample mean
    • Effect size
    • Level of measurement

  13. What Spearman's rho value corresponds to a scatter diagram with randomly spread points?

    • -1.00
    • +1.00
    • 0.00
    • +0.50

  14. What unmeasured factors can create a misleading correlation between two co-variables?

    • Demand characteristics
    • Order effects
    • Participant reactivity
    • Third variables

  15. Which pair of variables represents suitable co-variables for a correlational study?

    • Testosterone and aggression
    • Condition A and B
    • Drug and placebo
    • Pre-test and post-test

  16. Why is Spearman's rho used instead of Pearson's test for ordinal data?

    • Data is nominal
    • Data is ranked
    • Sample is small
    • Data is interval

  17. What issue prevents claiming a causal link from a correlation alone?

    • Small sample size
    • Subjective scoring
    • Third variables
    • Low reliability

  18. What Spearman's rho value is calculated when the sum of squared rank differences is zero?

    • -1.0
    • +1.0
    • 0.0
    • +0.5

  19. An observed Spearman's rho of 0.40 is lower than the critical value of 0.450. What conclusion is correct?

    • Type I error
    • Statistically significant
    • Not significant
    • Hypothesis accepted

  20. What type of graph displays the relationship between two co-variables in a correlational study?

    • Histogram
    • Bar chart
    • Scatter diagram
    • Line graph

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