There will be two exams, a midterm and a final on the dates listed on the course content/course schedule; will each consist of two (2) sections:
- one multiple choice section covering the assigned text readings for the period, and
- one section of short answer or problem questions covering additional readings and material emphasized in lecture.
The final is not comprehensive: consult the schedule for the dates and coverage of these three exams. Hints will be posted on this page immediately preceding each of the exams.
Exams will be closed-book; the second exam is more quantitative/statistically-oriented, and a single page of handwritten notes will be allowed. Calculators are permitted, except those with alpha capability, which may have their alpha strings purged and/or be confiscated for the duration of the exam.
FINAL
The final will comprise two sections.
Section one will have 30 multiple choice questions, worth 5 points each, for a possible total of 150 points. Some examples:
Respondents have been asked to express their degree of agreement with a series of lifestyle statements on a 1-to-5 scale, assuming that 9 has been designated for missing values, data values of 0, 6, 7, and 8 are out of range. Where in the data-preparation process might any out-of-range data be caught?
a. coding
b. transcribing
c. data cleaning
d. statistically adjusting the data
The _____ is the value that occurs most frequently.
a. mean
b. median
c. mode
d. range
Which statement is correct concerning one-way ANOVA?
a. Only one categorical variable is involved.
b. A treatment is the same as a factor level.
c. The set of independent variables consists of both categorical and metric variables.
d. Both ’a’ and ‘b’ are correct
In discriminant analysis, the criterion or dependent variable is _____ and the predictor or independent variables are _____ in nature.
a. interval; categorical
b. ordinal; interval
c. categorical; interval
d. ordinal; categorical
Section two will involve three problems (involving calculation and analysis of such problems as chi-square, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, ANOVA, bivariate correlation and regression, z-tests) and one analytical problem (involving the interpretation of the inputs and outputs of discriminant analysis – no calculation will be necessary on this one). Point values vary by problem, but add up to another 150 points.
The entire test is worth a combined 150 + 150 = 300 points.
Bring:
• Writing instruments (at least a pencil)
• Scantron form for the multiple choice section
• Calculator
• A 5.5" by 8.5" card of HANDWRITTEN notes (both sides) – not typed, not photocopied, no “windows” – JUST handwritten. Other non-handwritten notes will be confiscated.
No bluebook will be necessary – you will write the answers to the problem section directly to the test. Tables for z, F and chi-square values will be provided. No books, or other notes will be allowed. No group interaction will be allowed.
Check figures for sample exam
Some check figures for the sample test I distributed.
1. Cross utensils problem
a. r = -0.925, so there is a strong INVERSE correlation between price and sales
b. Sales = dep, price = indep.
c. Sales = 908 – 195(Price); one dollar increase in price results in a reduction in sales of 195 units
2. Doo-dad problem
chi-sq test = 9.1; df=2; chi-sq standard (@df=2, alpha=0.05)= 5.99, so reject Ho, there is a significant pattern by marital status for brands of razor.
3. Tall people v. short
SE diff = 2.79; Ztest=7.52; Ztable=2.58, reject null, tall people are more innovative @0.99 confidence
4. (not on final)
5. Distingo cookies
Ftest=1.22, Ftable is approx 2.5; fail to reject Ho, no difference among designs @ 0.95 confidence
HINTS for midterm
The midterm will be comprised of two sections: A multiple choice question section (45 questions @ 4 pts. each for a total of 180 points), and a problem/essay section worth a combined 70 points, for a grand total of 250 points or 25% of your grade. Some sample questions:
The rankings of teams in a tournament constitute a _____ scale.
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
_____ are databases composed of citations to articles in journals, magazines, newspapers, marketing research studies, technical reports, government documents, and the like.
a. Offline databases
b. Bibliographic databases
c. Online databases
d. Internet databases
_____ is a type of non-sampling error that occurs when some of the respondents included in the sample do not respond. This error may be defined as the variation between the true mean value of the variable in the original sample and the true mean value in the net sample.
a. Random sampling error
b. Non-response error
c. Non-sampling error
d. Response error
Which of the following is a disadvantage of surveys?
a. interviewer errors; respondent errors
b. data is lacking in terms of content, quantity, and quality
c. data may not be representative; quality of data limited
d. coverage may be incomplete; matching of data on the competitive activity may be difficult
Topics likely covered in the problem/essay section include
- Experimental design
- reading/Interpreting Simmons data
- Sample size determination
- Ethnographic questioning/qualitative research technique
Bring a pencil, pen, calculator, and Scantron form (882, which has 50 questions to a side). No Note, books, neighbor, etc. You will not need a bluebook.