Week 1 Assignment Below, we identify some considerations for the first assignmen

Week 1 Assignment
Below, we identify some considerations for the first assignment.
1. Employ either the Afrobarometer or the HSLS datasets2. Select two variables
3. Write a 1- to 2-page summary
4. Report Q1 mean for Afrobarometer
5. Report X1SES mean for HSLS dataset
6. Describe each of the variables
The variable description would include the variable name, label, and values. For illustration,
we identify a variable named ‘wstress’. The variable is labeled as a measure of stress: i.e.,
‘The work that I perform causes me much stress’. The responses range from ‘strongly
disagree’ (a rating of one (1)) thru strongly agree (a rating of seven (7)). A description of the variable would be meaningless if we did not consider what and how it is measured. For illustration, we identify a variable named ‘wstress’.
1. What is quantified or qualified? The variable is a measure of stress: i.e., ‘The
work that I perform causes me much stress’.
2. How is the variable quantified or qualified? The responses range from
‘strongly disagree’ (a rating of one (1)) thru strongly agree (a rating of seven (7)).
7. Describe the levels of measurement
We want to describe the scale for each of the variables. We should explain the scale of
measurement for each variable.
A strategy for selecting the appropriate measures of central tendency & variability is to
identify the variable’s measurement scale (Frankfort-Nachmias, Leon-Guerrero, & Davis,
2020, pp. 95, 112, 130, 150).
1. Does zero represent the absence of the measured characteristic?
2. Do equal differences between values represent equal differences in the
measured characteristic?
3. Can we order the values by the measured characteristic?
If we can answer yes to questions one thru three, the variable is ratio scaled. If we can
answer yes to questions two & three (not one), the variable is interval scaled. If we can
answer yes to question three (not one & two), the variable is ordinal scaled. Otherwise, the
variable is nominal scaled.
For example, an explanation of the scale would be given as described here. the duration
devoted to a task is a ratio-scaled variable. A 120-minute task is twice that of a 60-minute
task. Furthermore, zero minutes on a task would imply non-task activity.
Categorical variables are nominal or ordinal in scale. Examples of such qualitative variables
include treatment variables and participant variables. Treatment variables include test preparation & conditioned stimuli, for example. Examples of participant variables include gender & academic major. Academic major takes on values of psychology, & sociology, for example.Continuous (or quantitative) variables are interval or ratio scaled. How are continuous
variables quantified? Examples of quantitative variables include the number of correct responses or the number of words per minute.
Feedback on the measurement scale can be located on the website article below.
Types of variable. (2018). Lund Research Ltd. Hyperlink.
Feedback on the measurement scale can be located on the website article below.
Types of variable. (2018). Lund Research Ltd. Hyperlink.
8. Describe the unit of analysis
The analysis unit is what the measured characteristic pertains. To what entity is does the
measured characteristic pertain? Either the group or the individual is the unit of analysis:
the student or the class, the employee or the organization, etc. Knowing the analysis unit
we can state the group or individual to which descriptive or inferential statistics apply.
A description of the unit of analysis can be retrieved from the website below.
Unit of analysis. (2020). American Psychological Association. Hyperlink.