Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 1: Q13. (page 49)

Suppose you have to sort sample units into categories according to their region of origin. The regions are “Africa,” “Americas,” “Asia,” “Europe,” and “Oceania.” For further analysis with a statistical software, you replace each region name with a numerical code: 1 for Africa, 2 for Americas, and so on. Are the data consisting of the region names qualitative or quantitative? Are the numerical codes qualitative or quantitative? Explain your answer.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The data consisting of the names of the regions, even if they are replaced with numerical codes, are qualitative.

Step by step solution

01

Explaining the difference between qualitative and quantitative data

Qualitative data cannot be quantified for calculation purposes where mathematical and statistical formulas are involved. Qualitative data is non-numerical, whereas quantitative data can be analyzed with the help of mathematical and statistical formulas.

02

Providing the reason for the data to be qualitative and not quantitative

The names of the regions are associated with each number for simplicity in doing analysis, but that does not indicate that the data is quantified. It could have been called quantitative if the data had been related to any quantitative factors like population, temperature, gross national product, and others.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

The economic return to earning an MBA. What are the economic rewards (e.g., higher salary) to obtaining an MBA degree? This was the question of interest in an article published in the International Economic Review (August 2008). The researchers made inferences based on wage data collected for a sample of 3,244 individuals who sat for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). (The GMAT exam is required for entrance into most MBA programs.) The following sampling scheme was employed. All those who took the GMAT exam in any of four selected time periods were mailed a questionnaire. Those who responded to the questionnaire were then sent three follow-up surveys (one survey every 3 months). The final sample of 3,244 represents only those individuals who responded to all four surveys. (For example, about 5,600 took the GMAT in one time period; of these, only about 800 responded to all four surveys.)

A. For this study, describe the population of interest.

b. What method was used to collect the sample data?

c. Do you think the final sample is representative of the population? Why or why not? Comment on potential biases in the sample.

Who is better at multi-tasking? In business, employees are often asked to perform a complex task when their attention is divided (i.e., multi-tasking). Human Factors (May 2014) published a study designed to determine whether video game players are better than non–video game players at multi-tasking. Each in a sample of 60 college students was classified as a video game player or a nonplayer. Participants entered a street crossing simulator and were asked to cross a busy street at an unsigned intersection. The simulator was designed to have cars traveling at various high rates of speed in both directions. During the crossing, the students also performed a memory task as a distraction. Two variables were measured for each student: (1) a street crossing performance score (measured out of 100 points) and (2) a memory task score (measured out of 20 points). The researchers found no differences in either the street crossing performance or memory task score of video game players and non-gamers. “These results,” say the researchers, “suggest that action video game players [and non-gamers] are equally susceptible to the costs of dividing attention in a complex task”.

a. Identify the experimental unit for this study.

b. Identify the variables measured as quantitative or qualitative.

c. Is this an application of descriptive statistics or inferential statistics? Explain.

Random-digit dialing. To ascertain the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns, firms frequently conduct telephone interviews with consumers using random-digit dialing. With this approach, a random number generator mechanically creates the sample of phone numbers to be called. Each digit in the phone number is randomly selected from the possible digits 0, 1, 2, . . . , 9. Use the procedure to generate five seven-digit telephone numbers whose first three digits (area code) are 373.

Consumer recycling behavior. Under what conditions will consumers dispose of recyclable paper in the garbage? This was the question of interest in an article published in the Journal of Consumer Research (December, 2013). In one of the studies conducted, the researchers instructed 78 college students to cut an 8.5-×11-inch sheet of paper into eight smaller pieces. Half the students were randomly assigned to list five uses for the cut paper (usefulness is salient condition). The students in the other half were asked to list their five favorite TV shows (control condition). After completing an unrelated task, all students were asked to dispose of the paper upon leaving. There was a trash bin and a recycling bin outside the door. The researchers kept track of which students recycled and which students disposed of their paper in the garbage. This information was used to test the theory that students in the usefulness is salient condition will recycle at a higher rate than students in the control condition.

a. Explain why the data-collection method used in this study is a designed experiment.

b. Identify the experimental unit in this study.

c. Identify the variables measured in this study. What data type (quantitative or qualitative) is produced from each variable? (Hint: Two variables are measured.)

d. About 68% of the students in the usefulness is recycled, compared to 37% of students in the control condition. Use this information to make an inference about the population of interest.

Define statistical thinking.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

Geometry

Read Explanation

Decision Maths

Read Explanation

Logic and Functions

Read Explanation

Mechanics Maths

Read Explanation

Statistics

Read Explanation

Applied Mathematics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free