Question 1

You are interested in collecting data on what factors affect marigold growth. You purchase 10 packs of sterile heirloom variety marigold seeds, each containing 50 seeds, for your research. Assuming that each seed creates a marigold plant and that this is a random and representative sample, you measure the following information: the number of hours of sunlight each plant receives, the number of minutes spent singing to the plants each day, the amount of fertilizer in the plant's soil (measured in units of nitrogen per cubic centimeter of soil), and the acidity in the plant's soil (measured in pH units from a scale of 1 to 14). You would like to find out if there are relationships between these variables and which relationships are most strongly and positively associated with plant height (in cm).

What is the sample?

What is the population?

Is it a descriptive or inferential statistic?

What are the variable(s) involved?

What is the level of measurement?

What are the independent and dependent variable(s)? (if any)

What is the statistical analyses?

Question 2

You are interested in examining which collective factors may predict political engagement and which factors have the strongest effect on political engagement (measured on an index score of 0-10, 10 indicating strong political engagement). You draw a random and representative sample of 1,600 current undergraduate students attending PA state universities and ask each respondent: (1) their self-identified gender; (2) their self-identified race/ethnicity; (3) their major; and (4) how often they vote (never, sometimes, almost all the time, all the time). You also calculate for each respondent their political engagement score and go on to conduct the appropriate statistical analysis.

What is the sample?

What is the population?

Is it a descriptive or inferential statistic?

What are the variable(s) involved?

What is the level of measurement?

What are the independent and dependent variable(s)? (if any)

What is the statistical analyses?

Question 3

Some researchers have found that less-affluent neighborhoods have fewer places to buy healthy types of food. You wish to test this hypothesis in the southwest region of the United States and see if it is true on average. Therefore, you draw a random and representative sample of 500 neighborhoods throughout the Southwestern states and classify them based on their income level (lower-income, middle-income and upper-income). For each neighborhood in your sample, you also measure the number of places available where residents can buy healthy foods. You conduct your statistical analysis and hope to present your findings to stakeholders and community groups.

What is the sample?

What is the population?

Is it a descriptive or inferential statistic?

What are the variable(s) involved?

What is the level of measurement?

What are the independent and dependent variable(s)? (if any)

What is the statistical analyses?