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Assignment 1

This document contains an assignment on quantitative analysis. It describes a study that recorded variables about cell phone calls such as call direction, location, duration, day of week, and whether the call was on a weekend or weekday, to identify characteristics that suggest fraudulent phone use. The assignment asks the student to: 1) Identify the observational units and categorical/quantitative variables. 2) Explain why "average minutes per call" is not a valid variable. 3) Interpret the meaning of a probability of 60% for local calls without using probability terms. It also contains questions about identifying observational units and variables for different research studies.

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Baber Amin
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92 views3 pages

Assignment 1

This document contains an assignment on quantitative analysis. It describes a study that recorded variables about cell phone calls such as call direction, location, duration, day of week, and whether the call was on a weekend or weekday, to identify characteristics that suggest fraudulent phone use. The assignment asks the student to: 1) Identify the observational units and categorical/quantitative variables. 2) Explain why "average minutes per call" is not a valid variable. 3) Interpret the meaning of a probability of 60% for local calls without using probability terms. It also contains questions about identifying observational units and variables for different research studies.

Uploaded by

Baber Amin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: Group# Instructor: Baber Amin

Quantitative Analysis
Assignment 1
1) Lambert and Pinheiro (2006) describe a study in which researchers try to identify
characteristics of cell phone calls that suggest the phone is being used fraudulently. For each
cell phone call, the researchers recorded the following variables:
 call direction (incoming or outgoing)
 location (local or roaming)
 duration (in minutes)
 day of week
 whether or not the call took place on a weekend or weekday

(a) Identify the observational units in this study.

(b) Place a C next to the variables that are categorical and a Q next the variables that are
quantitative.

(c) Explain why the “average number of minutes per call” is not a valid definition of a
variable for the observational units in (a).

(d) Suppose you are told the probability of a local call is .60. Explain how you can interpret
this phrase (what is meant by “probability”?) without using the terms probability, chance,
likelihood, or odds.
Name: Group# Instructor: Baber Amin

Question 2:
For each of the following research questions identify the observational units and variable(s).
1. An article in a 2006 issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making reports on a
study involving 47 undergraduate students at Harvard. All of the participants were
given $50, but some (chosen at random) were told that this was a “tuition rebate,”
while the others were told that this was “bonus income.” After one week, the students
were contacted again and asked how much of the $50 they had spent and how much
they had saved. Researchers wanted to know whether those receiving the “rebate”
would tend to save more money than those receiving the “bonus.”
2. How much did a typical American consumer spend on Christmas presents in 2012?
3. Do college students who pull all-nighters tend to have lower grade point averages
than those who do not pull all-nighters?
4. Is the residence situation of a college student (on-campus, off-campus with parents,
off-campus without parents) related to how much alcohol the student consumes in a
typical week?
5. Can you predict how far a cat can jump based on factors such as its length?
Name: Group# Instructor: Baber Amin

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