Sociology 3155: Study Guide 2

I. SPSS assignment. To be completed and brought to class the day of the exam (50 points possible): Do the cumulative exercises on pp. 451-452 of the text. You will need to enter two sets of data into SPSS. Be sure to look carefully at the level of measurement involved in all the variables, so you know whether to use elaboration (remember that elaboration is for nominal or ordinal variables and you should request the appropriate statistic, whether lambda/Cramer's V or gamma) or regression (interval-ratio variables or dummy variables--but you can't do a regression with all dummy variables). Interpret your results.

II. Calculations(10 points possible)The only calculation I'll ask you to do in class for the exam will be a lambda--calculating and interpreting it.

III. Multiple Choice (40 points possible). Questions will mostly be directed at the following concepts and procedures. bivariate and multivariate association, crosstabulation, level of measurement, PRE (proportional reducation of error) measures, lambda, phi/Cramer's V, gamma, direction of relationships (using gamma or Pearson's r), scatter diagram, linear relationship, regression line, Y-Intercept, slope, correlation coefficient (Pearson's r), r squared, total variation, explained and unexplained variation, elaborating bivariate tables: direct relationship (replication), spurious relationship, intervening relationship, interactive relationship, multiple correlation and regression, multiple correlation coefficient(R), coefficient of multiple determination (R squared), determining regression line, standardized partial slopes (beta-weights)

IV. Essay Question: Extra Credit (5 points possible). What is the purpose of statistics for sociologists and criminologists, and why the distinction between descriptive and inferential statistics?