Question 1: Define what is meant by 'inferential statistics' in psychology research.

Answer: Inferential statistics are a set of methods that allow psychologists to make conclusions or generalisations about a larger population based on data collected from a sample.

Question 2: A psychologist tests a new teaching method with 30 students and finds that test scores improved significantly compared to the previous year. What statistical test might they use to determine if this improvement is significant?

Answer: They might use a t-test for independent samples or a paired t-test, depending on the experimental design, to determine if the difference in scores is statistically significant.

Question 3: Explain the purpose of a p-value in inferential statistics.

Answer: A p-value indicates the probability that the observed results occurred by chance. A low p-value suggests that the results are statistically significant and unlikely due to random variation.

Question 4: If a research result has a p-value of 0.04, what does this suggest about the null hypothesis?

Answer: It suggests that there is only a 4% chance that the results are due to random variation, so the null hypothesis can be rejected at the 0.05 significance level.

Question 5: Describe a scenario where a researcher might use a chi-square test in psychology.

Answer: A researcher might use a chi-square test to examine whether there is an association between gender (male/female) and preference for a certain type of therapy (therapy A/therapy B).

Question 6: A researcher wants to compare the average scores of two different teaching methods. Which inferential statistical test should they use?

Answer: They should use an independent samples t-test to compare the means of the two groups.

Question 7: Explain what a 'significant result' means in the context of psychological research.

Answer: A significant result indicates that the observed effect is unlikely to have occurred by chance, suggesting a real effect or relationship exists.

Question 8: Draw a simple outline of a bar graph that could be used to display the results of a categorical data analysis, such as preferred activities among students.

Answer: A bar graph with categories (e.g., Reading, Sports, Music) on the x-axis and the number of students on the y-axis. Each category has a bar representing its frequency, with the height corresponding to the number of students.

Question 9: Sketch a basic outline of a box plot (box and whisker plot) that shows the spread of test scores in a class. Label the key parts.

Answer: A horizontal or vertical box with a central box representing the interquartile range (Q1 to Q3), a line inside the box indicating the median, and 'whiskers' extending from the box to the minimum and maximum scores. Labels should include 'Median,' 'Q1,' 'Q3,' 'Minimum,' and 'Maximum.'

Question 10: Why is it important for psychologists to use inferential statistics when analyzing data from experiments?

Answer: Because they help determine whether the results observed are likely due to the manipulation of variables rather than chance, allowing psychologists to draw valid conclusions about their hypotheses.

Question 11: Identify and explain one limitation of using inferential statistics in psychological research.

Answer: One limitation is that statistical significance does not necessarily mean practical significance; results can be statistically significant but have little real-world importance or impact.