PSYC FPX 3700 Assessment 1

PSYC FPX 3700 Assessment 1

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Student Name

Capella University

PSYC-FPX3700 Statistics for Psychology

Prof. Name

Date

Part 1: Introduction to Statistics in Psychology

A) Introduction to Research Methods

In this section, we will analyze data derived from the General Social Survey (GSS)—a nationally representative dataset that gathers responses from adult participants across the United States. This survey is widely utilized in psychological and sociological research due to its comprehensive range of demographic and behavioral variables (Smith et al., 2022).

For this assessment, we will focus on two particular variables: Race and Mntlhth.

• The Race variable categorizes participants into three distinct groups: Black, White, and Other.

• The Mntlhth variable measures the number of days during the past 30 days that respondents experienced poor mental health.

A researcher aims to investigate whether individuals from different racial backgrounds differ in the average number of days they reported poor mental health.

Research Question 1:

If a researcher using the GSS data finds that people of different races have different average numbers of days with poor mental health, to which population can they generalize that finding?

If the researcher identifies differences in the mean number of poor mental health days among racial groups using GSS data, the findings can be generalized to the adult population of the United States. This is because the GSS utilizes a probability-based sampling technique, ensuring that the data represents the diversity of the U.S. adult population. Thus, conclusions drawn from this dataset can be reasonably extended to the national level.

Research Question 2:

If the researcher finds that people of different races have different average numbers of days with poor mental health, can they conclude that race caused these differences? Why or why not?

No, the researcher cannot conclude that race directly caused these differences. The GSS is an observational and correlational study, not an experimental one. Since there is no manipulation of variables or control over confounding factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, or education), the study only identifies associations, not causation (Gravetter & Forzano, 2021). Causal conclusions would require experimental manipulation or longitudinal data that accounts for mediating and moderating factors.

Research Question 3:

The GSS’s Race variable has three categories: “Black,” “White,” and “Other.” How might these limited options impact the study’s validity?

The limited categorization of race into only three groups—Black, White, and Other—may reduce the validity of the study by oversimplifying racial and ethnic identities. This lack of inclusivity neglects important distinctions among groups such as Asian Americans, Native Americans, or Hispanic/Latino populations. Consequently, this restriction can obscure within-group differences and lead to biased interpretations or underrepresentation of certain racial identities, thereby limiting the generalizability of the results.

b) Exploring Post-Graduation Opportunities

This section explores how statistical knowledge is applied in psychology-related careers or academic programs. You may select either a graduate program or a job posting that requires proficiency in statistics.

Option A: Graduate Program in Psychology

Question	Response
What is the name of the program you selected?	Master of Science (M.S.) in Quantitative Psychology – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Provide a link to your selected program.	University of Illinois – Quantitative Psychology Program
Are there any statistics-related entrance requirements? If so, describe them.	Yes, applicants are expected to have completed undergraduate-level courses in research methods, introductory statistics, and experimental psychology. A background in calculus or linear algebra is also recommended.
What statistics courses are students in this program required to take?	Required courses include PSYC 406 – Statistical Methods in Psychology, PSYC 507 – Advanced Statistical Modeling, and PSYC 508 – Multivariate Analysis. Students may also take electives in psychometrics and computational modeling.

Option B: Job Posting in Psychology

Question	Response
What is the job title?	Data Analyst – Behavioral Health Research
Provide a link to your selected job posting.	Indeed – Data Analyst (Behavioral Health)
What are the statistics-related job requirements?	Applicants should have proficiency in statistical software (SPSS, JASP, or R), strong analytical and quantitative reasoning, and the ability to conduct regression analysis, ANOVA, and data visualization.
What are the statistics-related job responsibilities?	Responsibilities include collecting, cleaning, and analyzing behavioral data, interpreting trends, preparing statistical reports, and collaborating with clinical psychologists and public health researchers to design data-driven interventions.

Part 2: Introduction to Statistics in Psychology

A) Getting Started with JASP

To complete this section, you will use JASP, an open-source statistical analysis software. Access and installation guides can be found on the course platform under “JASP Statistical Software.”

The dataset GSS_30s.csv—a subset of the General Social Survey—contains data from respondents aged 30 to 39 years, surveyed in 2022. The variables included are summarized below.

Variable Name	Description	Type of Data
year	Year data were collected	Numerical (Continuous)
id_	Unique identifier for each respondent	Nominal
childs	Number of children	Ratio
age	Age in years	Ratio
sex	Sex assigned at birth (“Male,” “Female”)	Nominal
race	Racial category (“Black,” “White,” “Other”)	Nominal
income	Annual income range	Ordinal
mntlhlth	Number of days with poor mental health (past 30 days)	Ratio
depress	Whether diagnosed with depression (“Yes,” “No”)	Nominal

Steps to Follow:

1. Download the GSS_30s.csv file.

2. Open JASP and import the dataset.

3. Verify and adjust variable types as needed.

4. Capture a screenshot showing all variables and their updated types.

Insert Screenshot Here: JASP Variable View Displaying Variable Types.

B) Computing Descriptive Statistics in JASP

Using JASP, descriptive statistics were calculated for the mntlhlth variable. The following statistics were computed: sample size (N), mean (M), median, standard deviation (SD), variance, and quartiles.

Insert Screenshot of JASP Descriptive Statistics Output Here.

Summary of Results

An analysis of the mntlhlth variable revealed that the sample consisted of N = [insert value] participants, with a mean number of poor mental health days of M = [insert value] (SD = [insert value]*). This indicates that, on average, respondents reported experiencing approximately [insert mean] days of poor mental health in the past month. These findings follow APA formatting guidelines for statistical reporting (American Psychological Association, 2020).

Descriptive Statistics by Race

A secondary analysis was conducted to examine mental health variations across racial groups. The mntlhlth variable was split by the race variable to compute the same descriptive measures.

Insert Screenshot of Descriptive Statistics Table by Race Here.

Summary Interpretation

Based on the computed data, differences were observed among racial groups in the average number of poor mental health days. While descriptive statistics reveal variation, inferential testing (e.g., ANOVA) would be necessary to determine whether these differences are statistically significant. Descriptive results alone provide foundational insights but should be interpreted cautiously without causal assumptions.

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). APA Publishing.

Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. B. (2021). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Smith, T. W., Davern, M., Freese, J., & Hout, M. (2022). General Social Survey, 2022 [Dataset]. NORC at the University of Chicago. https://gss.norc.org/

PSYC FPX 3700 Assessment 1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2025). Quantitative Psychology Graduate Program. https://psychology.illinois.edu/graduate/program-areas/quantitative-psychology

Indeed. (2025). Data Analyst – Behavioral Health Research Job Listing. https://www.indeed.com/q-behavioral-health-data-analyst-jobs.html