Question

1. For each study description below, identify the population and the sample and what the most likely scale of measurement would be (nominal, ordinal, ratio, interval).

a) A researcher recruits students from a fifth-grade class at an elementary school to examine math abilities on a standardized test in children who are 9–10 years old.

b) A researcher recruits college students from the university subject pool to test the effect of time pressure on accuracy in completing a task.

c) Older adults are recruited from a retirement center to examine sources of anxiety in retirees. Anxiety is measured using survey items in which the participants rate their level of anxiety on a 1 to 7 scale for different issues that might be anxiety inducing (e.g., financial security, failing health, etc.).

d) Patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are included (with their consent) in a study of how one’s diet after the injury affects recovery time (measured in number of days they stay in the hospital after their injury) from a local hospital.

Answer 1

(a) The population is children who are 9–10 years old and the sample is the fifth-grade class at an elementary school. The scale of measurement would be the interval.

(b) The population is college students and the sample is the college students from the university. The scale of measurement would be the ratio.

(c) The population is all adults and the sample is the older adults. The scale of measurement would be ordinal.

(d) The population is all patients and the sample is the patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The scale of measurement would be nominal.

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