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Example of Calculating the Range
To calculate the range of a distribution, subtract the lowest score from the highest score. For example, if the highest score in a dataset is and the lowest score is , the range is calculated as .
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Sensitivity of the Range to Outliers
Example of Calculating the Range
Which measure of variability is calculated as the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution?
A researcher is studying the variability in the number of social interactions participants have in a single day. Match each participant's set of scores with its calculated range.
A researcher finds that a sample of social anxiety scores ranges from to . After discovering a technical glitch that added points to every participant's score, the researcher subtracts points from each score to correct the data. The range of the corrected anxiety scores will be smaller than the range of the original, uncorrected scores.
An undergraduate researcher is evaluating how effectively the range describes the variability of different datasets. Rank the following research scenarios from the one where the range is the most misleading (least representative of the typical spread) to the one where the range is the most accurate (most representative of the spread).
Match each term related to the range with its correct definition in the context of psychological data analysis.
A clinical psychologist compares the number of panic attacks experienced by patients in two different treatment groups over a month. If Group A has a range of and Group B has a range of , how should the researcher interpret the difference between these two groups?
A psychologist records the reaction times of five participants: 250ms, 280ms, 310ms, 350ms, and 420ms. The value 170ms represents the _____ of this dataset.
A developmental psychologist records the ages (in years) of a sample of toddlers: , , , , and . Applying the calculation for the range as the difference between the highest and lowest scores in the distribution, the researcher determines the range of toddler ages to be years.
A cognitive psychologist studies participant reaction times and obtains the following scores: ms, ms, ms, and ms. After adding a new participant with a reaction time of ms to this distribution, the range increases by _____ ms.
A researcher is evaluating the stability of the range as a measure of variability across different participant groups. Rank the following reaction-time distributions (in milliseconds) from the one where the range is the most stable and representative measure of variability to the one where it is the least stable and representative (most heavily distorted by a single outlier).
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If the highest score in a distribution is 24 and the lowest score is 15, what is the calculated range?
In the example provided for calculating the range ($24 - 15 = 9$$), match each value to its specific role in the statistical process.
In a psychology study where the highest score is and the lowest score is , the range will remain exactly even if a researcher adds new scores to the distribution that fall between and .
A researcher studying psychology test scores claims that the range of a specific distribution is exactly . Given a dataset where the highest score is and the lowest score is , arrange the following steps in the logical order required to evaluate the validity of the researcher's claim.
According to the example provided, the range of a distribution is calculated by subtracting the lowest score from the highest score.
In a psychology study where the highest score is and the lowest score is , a researcher calculates the range as . Which of the following statements best explains what this value of represents in the context of the distribution?
A researcher measuring response times (in seconds) records the following five values: 4, 9, 12, 18, and 25. Using the formula range = highest score − lowest score, the range of this distribution is _____.
A researcher collects data from four separate psychology studies. Match each dataset to its correctly calculated range.
A researcher records five stress scores: , and . After reviewing the data, the researcher discovers that the score of was a data-entry error; the actual score was . After correcting the error, the range of the dataset changes from to _____.
A student reports that the range of a set of anxiety scores is and argues this accurately describes the spread of the data. A skeptical reviewer suggests the high range may be driven by a single outlier. Order the following steps a researcher should perform to evaluate this claim.
Based on the provided text, state the rule or definition for calculating the range of a distribution and show how to calculate it using the example values where the highest score is and the lowest score is .
Explain how the researcher calculates the range for this dataset, and describe what this calculated value represents regarding the spread of scores in the distribution.
A clinical psychologist measures the reaction times of participants in a study. The highest score in the dataset is milliseconds and the lowest score is milliseconds. Apply the range formula to calculate the range of this dataset and write down the subtraction equation.