STAT301

Project#3

Instructions: Provide complete and clear explanations to all questions. Graphs must be labeled for clear communication. Remember the importance of context throughout in descriptions and graphs! Your project must be typed, easy to read and have the answer to each question identified by question number. Copy and paste the specified Minitab output, including graphs and number summaries, into the Word document. The indicated Minitab output MUST appear with the discussion, not as separate pages. Be sure to include your name, your instructors name, and your class day and time on a cover sheet at the beginning of your project. Your project must be printed and handed in at the beginning of class on the due date specified on the class schedule.

This project has very specific formatting and section/question labeling instructionsfollow them preciselytogetfullcredit!

DOSTUDENTSWHOTAKETHESATMULTIPLETIMESHAVEANADVANTAGEINCOLLEGE ADMISSIONS?(BasedonanActivityfromtheActivitiesworkbookfromPeck/Olsen/Devore) TheChronicleofHigherEducation(Jan.29,2003)summarizedanarticlethatappearedonThe AmericanProspectwebsitetitled"CollegeTry:WhyUniversitiesShouldStopEncouragingApplicantsto TaketheSAT'sOverandOverAgain."Thispaperarguesthatcurrentcollegeadmissionpoliciesthat permitapplicantstotaketheSATexammultipletimesandthenusethehighestscoreforadmission considerationfavorstudentsfromfamilieswithhigherincomes(whocanaffordtotaketheexammany times).Theauthorproposestwoalternativesthathebelieveswouldbefairerthanusingthehighest score.Theyare: 1.Usetheaverageofalltestscores 2.Useonlythemostrecentscore Inthisactivity,youwillinvestigatethedifferencesbetweenthethreepossibilitiesbylookingatthe samplingdistributionsofthreestatistics: max=maximumscore mean=averagescore recent=mostrecentscore forthecasesofatesttakerwhotakestheexamtwiceandatesttakerwhotakestheexamfivetimes. Anindividual'sscoresontheSATexamwillfluctuatebetweentestadministrations.Supposethata particularstudent's"trueability"isreflectedbyanSATscoreof1200but, due tochancefluctuations, thetestscoreonanyparticularadministrationoftheexamcanbeconsideredarandomvariablethat hasadistributionthatisapproximatelynormalwithmean1200andstandarddeviation 30.If weselect asamplefromthisnormaldistribution,theresultingsetofobservationscanbeviewedasacollection oftestscoresthatmighthavebeenobtainedbythisone student. PartA:Beginbyconsideringwhathappensifthisstudenttakestheexamtwice.Youwillusesimulation togeneratesamplesoftwotestscores,score1andscore2,forthisstudent.Thenyouwillcomputethe valuesofmax,mean,andrecentforeachpairofscores.Theresultingvaluesofmax,mean,andrecent willbeusedtoconstructapproximationstothesamplingdistributionsofthethreestatisticsfor samplesofsize2.

MINITABinstructionsforPartA:

a) (Nooutputfromthisinstructionispastedintotheproject)Obtain500setsoftwoof"test scores"bygeneratingobservationsfromanormaldistributionwithmean1200andstandard deviation30. MINITAB:Calc>RandomData>Normal Enter500inthe"Generate"box(toget500setsofscores) EnterC1C2inthe"Storeincolumns"box(togettwotestscoresineachset) Enter1200inthe"Mean"box(sincewewantscoresfromanormaldistributionwithmean 1200. Enter30intheStandarddeviationbox(sincewewantscoresfromanormaldistribution withstandarddeviation30) ClickonOK b) (Nooutputfromthisinstructionispastedintotheproject)LookingattheMINITABworksheet, youshouldnowsee500rowsofvaluesineachofthefirsttwocolumns.Thetwovaluesinany particularrowcanberegardedasthetestscoresthatmightbeobservedwhenthestudent takesthetesttwice.Foreachpairoftestscores,wewillnowcalculatethevaluesofmax,mean, andrecent. i. recentisjustthelasttestscore,sothevaluesinC2arethevaluesofrecent. Namethiscolumnrecent2bytypingthenameintothegrayboxatthetopofC2. ii. maxComputethemaximumtestscoreforeachpairofscoresandstorethevaluesinC3. Calc>Rowstatistics Clickthebuttonformaximum EnterC1C2inthe"Inputvariables"box EnterC3inthe"Storeresultin"box;ClickonOK YoushouldnowseethemaximumvalueforeachpairinC3. Namethiscolumnmax2. iii. meanComputetheaveragetestscoreforeachpairofscoresandstorethevaluesinC4. Calc>Rowstatistics Clickthebuttonformean EnterC1C2inthe"Inputvariables"box EnterC4inthe"Storeresultin"box. ClickonOK YoushouldnowseetheaverageforeachpairinC4. Namethiscolumnmean2. c) Constructhistogramsforeachofthethreestatisticsasdemonstratedinclass.(These histogramsapproximatethesamplingdistributionsofthethreestatistics.) Select recent2, max2, and mean2 (all 3 should be in the graph variable box at the same time),clickontheMultiplegraphsbutton. Select "Same X and same Y". (This will cause MINITAB to use the same scales for all three histograms,sothattheycanbeeasilycompared.) Makesureyoulabelthesehistogramstoreflectwhatthedistributionsthattheyrepresent. Copy these graphs into your project using the section label Part A. Using only these graphic representations describe the data behavior for all three statistics and then compare. (You shouldhave4paragraphs)

d) UseMinitabtofindthemean,standarddeviationandfivenumbersummariesofallthree statistics.Makesureyoulabelthesestatisticstoaccuratelyreflectwhattheyrepresent (remembernotationfromclasssubscriptsincluded).Pastetheseintoyourproject. PartB:Nowyouwillproduceapproximatesamplingdistributionsforthesesamethreestatistics,but forthecaseofastudentwhotakestheexam5times.FollowthesamestepsasinPart1,withtheonly thesemodifications: a) (Nooutputfromthisinstructionispastedintotheproject)Obtain500setsoffivetestscores andstorethesevaluesincolumnsC11C15.

b) (Nooutputfromthisinstructionispastedintotheproject)recentwilljustbethevaluesinC15, namethiscolumnrecent5.Computethemaximumandmeanvaluesandstorethemincolumns C16andC17.Namethesecolumnsmax5andmean5. Theresultingvaluesofmax5,mean5,andrecent5willbeusedtoconstructapproximationstothe samplingdistributionsofthethreestatisticsforsamplesofsize5. c) Constructhistogramsrecent5,max5,andmean5 Select recent5, max5, and mean5 (all 3 should be in the graph variable box at the same time),clickontheMultiplegraphsbutton.) Select "Same X and same Y". (This will cause MINITAB to use the same scales for all three histograms,sothattheycanbeeasilycompared.) Makesureyoulabelthesehistogramstoreflectwhatthedistributionsthattheyrepresent. CopythesegraphsintoyourprojectusingasectionlabelPartB.Usingonlythesegraphic representationsdescribethedatabehaviorforallthreestatisticsandthencompare.(You shouldhave4paragraphs) d) UseMinitabtofindthemean,standarddeviationandfivenumbersummariesofallthree statistics.Makesureyoulabelthesestatisticstoaccuratelyreflectwhattheyrepresent (remembernotationfromclasssubscriptsincluded).Pastetheseintoyourproject.

PartC:NowusetheapproximatesamplingdistributionsconstructedinpartsAandBtoanswerthe followingquestions.LabelthissectionPartC.Copythequestionwithitsquestionnumber,leavea space,andthenanswerthequestionusingcompletesentences.

1. Usetheformulasfromrules1and2onpage353tofindthetheoreticalmeanandstandard deviationofsamplingdistributionformeansbasedonsamplesizesof2and5whenthe populationmeanis1200andthepopulationstandarddeviationis30.Howdothemeansand standarddeviationsfromyoursimulatedsamplingdistributionsformeanscomparetoeach otherandtothepopulationparameters?(Donotjustrestatethevalues.)

2. Thestatisticthatistheaverageofthetestscoresisjustasamplemean(forasampleofsize2in partAandforasampleofsize5inpartB).Howdothesamplingdistributionsofmean2and mean5comparetowhatisexpectedbasedonthegeneralpropertiesofthesampling distributionofthesamplemean, ?Explain.

3. BasedonthethreedistributionsfrompartA,foratwotimetesttaker,describetheadvantage ofusingthemaximumscorecomparedtousingeithertheaveragescoreorthemostrecent score.

4. Nowconsidertheapproximatesamplingdistributionsofthemaximumscorefortwotimeand forfivetimetesttakers.Howdothesetwodistributionscompare?

5. Doesastudentwhotakestheexamfivetimeshaveabigadvantageoverastudentofequal abilitywhoonlytakestheexamtwiceifthemaximumscoreisusedforcollegeadmission decisions?Explain,basedonyoursamplingdistributionoutput.

6. Ifyouwerewritingadmissionproceduresforaselectiveuniversity,wouldyourecommend usingthemaximumtestscore,theaveragetestscore,orthemostrecenttestscoreinmaking admissiondecisions?Writeaparagraph,basedonyoursamplingdistributionoutput,justifying yourchoice.