group. Conduct at least 20 trials. Another group member should record the randomly selected digit, the digit guessed by the subject, and whether the guess was correct or wrong. Construct the table for the probability distribution of randomly generated digits, construct the relative frequency table for the random digits that were actually obtained, and construct a relative frequency table for the guesses that were made. After comparing the three tables, what do you conclude? What proportion of guesses is correct? Does it seem that the subject has the ability to select the correct digit significantly more often than would be expected by chance? 2. In-class activity See the preceding activity and design an experiment that would be effective in testing someone’s claim that he or she has the ability to identify the color of a card selected from a standard deck of playing cards. Describe the experiment with great detail. Because the prize of $1,000,000 is at stake, we want to be careful to avoid the serious mistake of concluding that the person has a paranormal power when that power is not actually present. There will likely be some chance that the subject could make random guesses and be correct every time, so identify a probability that is reasonable for the event of the subject passing the test with random guesses. Be sure that the test is designed so that this probability is equal to or less than the probability value selected. 3. In-class activity Suppose we want to identify the probability distribution for the number of children in families with at least one child. For each student in the class, find the number of brothers and sisters and record the total number of children (including the student) in each family. Construct the relative frequency table for the result obtained. (The values of the random variable x will be 1, 2, 3, . . . .) What is wrong with using this relative frequency table as an estimate of the probability distribution for the number of children in randomly selected families? 4. Out-of-class activity The analysis of the last digits of data can sometimes reveal whether the data have been collected through actual measurements or reported by the subjects. Refer to an almanac or the Internet and find a collection of data (such as lengths of rivers in the world), and then analyze the distribution of last digits to determine whether the values were obtained through actual measurements. 5. Out-of-class activity In the past, leading (leftmost) digits of the amounts on checks have been analyzed for fraud. For checks not involving fraud, the leading digit of 1 is expected about 30.1% of the time. Obtain a random sample of actual check amounts and record the leading digits. Compare the actual number of checks with amounts that have a leading digit of 1 to the 30.1% rate expected. Do the actual checks conform to the expected rate, or is there a substantial discrepancy? Explain. 6. In-class activity Survey the class by asking this question: “Which man is named Bob and which man is named Tim?” Do the respondents appear to give results significantly different from what is expected with random guesses? (See “Who Do You Look Like? Evidence of Facial Stereotypes for Male Names,” by Lea, Thomas, Lamkin, and Bell, Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, Vol. 14, Issue 5.) CHAPTER 5 Cooperative Group Activities 243
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