PSPA 203 Final, Fall 2005

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF Beirut PSPA 203 Fall Term 2005-2006 Final Exam Date: January 24, 2006 Duration: Two Hours The exam consists of two parts; multiple choice and essays. The multiple choice part is composed of 20 questions and accounts for 40 per cent of the exam score. The essays part is composed of five questions and accounts for 60 percent of the exam score. Multiple Choices (circle the correct answer) 1- A Census is a: a- panel study b- longitudinal study c- cross-sectional study d- trend study e- time-series study 2- A key problem of secondary analysis is: a- costs b- validity c- sample selection d- data collection strategies 3- Instead of the standardized unit of analysis in quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis uses which one of the following as the organizing principle for coding? a- the concept b- the variable c- the sorting memo d- concept mapping e- semiotics 4- 4- Before doing qualitative data analysis, an important first step is to name and categorize phenomena through close examination of the data. This process is known as: a- theoretical notes b- open coding c- concept mapping d- memoing 5- The major purpose of descriptive statistics is: a- establishing generalizability b- data reduction c- determining measure of association d- summarizing associations among variables 6- Descriptive analysis are most of ten accomplished with which type of statistical analysis? a- bivariate b- univariate c- dispersion d- multivariate 7- The regression line drawn through a scattergram plotting cases on two variables is: a- usually not a straight line b- drawn closest to the extreme values c- drawn as to minimize the deviations between each case and the line. d- drawn from left to right and from right to left 8- Which of the following is an example of the null hypothesis? a- there is no difference between males and females on voting b- there is a difference between males and females on voting c- males tend to vote more often than females 9- Grounded theory begins with: a- patterns b- hypothesis c- key variable d- data collection 10- Which of the following levels of measurements may be employed in content analysis? a- nominal b- ordinal c- interval d- ratio e- all of the above 11- The fundamental rule in reading tables is to: a- percentage down b- percentage across c- read across the categories of the dependent variable in analyzing the independent variable. d- read across along the categories of the independent variable in analyzing the dependent variable 12- Prof. Smith studied the relationship between gender and religiosity While controlling for social class. This is an example of which type of analysis? a- univariate b- bivariate c- multivariate d- descriptive e- ex post facto 13- The type of Elaboration Analysis that lends credibility and validity to a finding at the bivariate level is: a- replication b- specification c- explanation d- interpretation 14- The key aspect of the control variable that determines the type of elaboration is: a- the number of categories b- the number of partials c- the time order d- the strength of the relationship 15- The principle on which most measures of association are based is: a- regression equation b- level of significance c- standard error d- proportionate reduction of error 16- An ordinal measure of association that uses pairs as the basis of comparison is: a- lambda b- gamma c- interpolation d- extrapolation 17- A frequently used test of statistical significance is the: a- lambda b- gamma c- chi square 18- Lambda is a measure appropriate for the analysis of: a- two ordinal variables b- two nominal variables c- two interval or ratio variables 19- A test of significance that compares observed with expected frequencies is: a- r b- Raw-data matrix c- Chi square d- Confidence interval 20- Types of Regression Analysis include: a- path analysis b- factor analysis c- linear analysis d- time-series analysis Essay Questions Answer the first question and any two of the remaining four. 1- Subgroup comparisons yield a descriptive analysis of two variables by presenting data for each of the several groups. Two problems face researchers when they try to analyze this data. How to handle a dispersed data and Below are two tables, 14-7 and 14-8, that are related to the first problem and a third one, 14-9, related to the second problem. How do you read and interpret these tables? Show in your analysis the usefulness of collapsing categories and summarizing the results as discussed in the textbook. Table 14-7 Attitudes toward the United Nations oing solving the problems it has ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany Britain France Japan USA Very good job 2% 7% 2% 1% 5% Good job 46 39 45 11 46 Poor job 21 28 22 43 27 Very poor job 6 9 3 5 13 26 17 28 41 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 14-8 Collapsing extreme categories --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany Britain France Japan USA Good job or better 48% 46% 47% 12% 51% Poor job or worst 27 37 25 48 40 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 14 -9 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany Britain France Japan USA Good job or better 65% 55% 65% 20% 57% Poor job or worst 35% 45% 35% 80% 43% ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2- In your own words, explain the meaning and purpose of regression analysis and its several forms. Be specific. 3- Define and give examples of the following terms: univariate analysis, bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis, frequency distribution and central tendency. 4- Suppose you were asked by your Prof. to do a survey of the student body. The Prof. believes it is sufficient to stop the students on their way to the library and hand out the questionnaire. You argue for a probability sample. State your argument and give at least two reasons why probability sampling might be preferred. Be sure to incorporate in your analysis the text and class discussion on the logic of probability sampling. 5- Describe the elaboration logic of: (1) replication, (2) interpretation, (3) explanation, and (4) specification, and give examples.