Data types and distributions exam Qs

Q1. A psychologist investigated cognitive processing in two groups of people with schizophrenia.
People in Group A showed positive symptoms of schizophrenia and people in Group B showed
negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Each person completed a cognitive task and was given an
overall score. The psychologist then calculated average scores for each group. The results are
shown in the table below.
 
Measure of central
Group A scores Group B scores
tendency

Mean 22.4 26

Median 22.5 22.5

Mode 22 16

Using the data in the table above, explain how the distribution of scores in Group A differs from
the distribution of scores in Group B. (4)

Q2. A psychologist investigating the investment model of relationships, devised a self-report

Investment Scale for use with a group of 100 female participants. The scale gave an investment
score for each participant on a scale of 0–20, with 0 representing no investment in relationships and
20 representing extreme investment in relationships. The psychologist calculated measures of
central tendency for the investment scores. He found that the mean investment score was 8.6, the
median investment score was 9.5 and the mode investment score was 13.
 

(a) Sketch a graph to show the most likely distribution curve for the investment scores
in this study. Label the axes of your graph and mark on it the positions of the mean,
median and mode. (3)

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 (b)     What sort of distribution does your graph show? (1)

Q3. A psychologist was at a concert where someone threw a bottle onto the stage and seriously
injured one of the band members. The psychologist decided to use this incident to investigate the
accuracy of eye witness testimony. She asked 10 people who saw the bottle being thrown, if they
would allow her to interview them about this. A week later she interviewed each witness separately
in a quiet room and asked them the same closed questions about what they had seen. She
recorded their answers. It took her two and a half hours in total to interview the 10 witnesses.

(a) Calculate how many hours it would have taken the psychologist to interview all
1000 people who were at the event. Show your workings. (2)

(b)     Identify one type of data the psychologist collected in this study. Explain your
answer. (2)

Q4. In a study of parasocial relationships a researcher studied male and female attachments to their
favourite film star. An overall attachment score was calculated on the basis of answers to a
questionnaire. A high score indicated a strong attachment and a low score indicated little attachment.

The scores are shown in the table below.

 
 
Males Females
4 5
6 6
2 6
2 7
3 2
3 4
3 5
8 9
1 5
1 2
Median score 3 Median score 5

(a)  Explain why the data in the table is primary data and not secondary data.(2)

(b)  Explain one strength of primary data.(3)

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