The TIMMS Exam The Trends in International Mathematics and Science (TIMMS) is a mathematics and science achievement exam given internationally. On each exam, students are asked to respond to a variety of background questions. For the 41 nations that participated in TIMMS, the correlation between the percentage of items answered in the background questionnaire (used as a proxy for student task persistence) and mean score on the exam was 0.79. Does this suggest there is a linear relation between student task persistence and achievement score? Write a sentence that explains what this result might mean.
Table of contents
- 1. Intro to Stats and Collecting Data1h 14m
- 2. Describing Data with Tables and Graphs1h 55m
- 3. Describing Data Numerically2h 5m
- 4. Probability2h 16m
- 5. Binomial Distribution & Discrete Random Variables3h 6m
- 6. Normal Distribution and Continuous Random Variables2h 11m
- 7. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Mean3h 23m
- Sampling Distribution of the Sample Mean and Central Limit Theorem19m
- Distribution of Sample Mean - Excel23m
- Introduction to Confidence Intervals15m
- Confidence Intervals for Population Mean1h 18m
- Determining the Minimum Sample Size Required12m
- Finding Probabilities and T Critical Values - Excel28m
- Confidence Intervals for Population Means - Excel25m
- 8. Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals: Proportion1h 25m
- 9. Hypothesis Testing for One Sample3h 29m
- 10. Hypothesis Testing for Two Samples4h 50m
- Two Proportions1h 13m
- Two Proportions Hypothesis Test - Excel28m
- Two Means - Unknown, Unequal Variance1h 3m
- Two Means - Unknown Variances Hypothesis Test - Excel12m
- Two Means - Unknown, Equal Variance15m
- Two Means - Unknown, Equal Variances Hypothesis Test - Excel9m
- Two Means - Known Variance12m
- Two Means - Sigma Known Hypothesis Test - Excel21m
- Two Means - Matched Pairs (Dependent Samples)42m
- Matched Pairs Hypothesis Test - Excel12m
- 11. Correlation1h 24m
- 12. Regression1h 50m
- 13. Chi-Square Tests & Goodness of Fit2h 21m
- 14. ANOVA1h 57m
11. Correlation
Correlation Coefficient
Problem 12.1.29d
Textbook Question
[DATA] Buying a New Car How much does the typical person pay for a new 2019 Audi A4? The following data represent the selling price of a random sample of new A4s (in dollars).

d. Verify it is reasonable to conclude that this data come from a population that is normally distributed.
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Understand the goal is to verify if the sample data can be reasonably assumed to come from a normally distributed population. This involves checking the shape and characteristics of the data distribution.
Step 2: Create a visual representation of the data, such as a histogram or a normal probability plot (Q-Q plot), to visually assess if the data roughly follows a bell-shaped curve or aligns closely with the normal distribution line.
Step 3: Calculate descriptive statistics such as the sample mean and sample standard deviation to summarize the data's central tendency and spread.
Step 4: Compute skewness and kurtosis statistics or use formal normality tests (e.g., Shapiro-Wilk test or Anderson-Darling test) to quantitatively assess the normality of the data distribution.
Step 5: Interpret the results from the visual and statistical tests. If the histogram is symmetric and bell-shaped, the Q-Q plot points lie close to the line, and the normality tests do not reject the null hypothesis, then it is reasonable to conclude the data come from a normally distributed population.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Normal Distribution
The normal distribution is a symmetric, bell-shaped probability distribution characterized by its mean and standard deviation. Many natural phenomena approximate this distribution, making it a fundamental assumption in statistics for inference and hypothesis testing.
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Assessing Normality
Assessing normality involves checking if data follow a normal distribution using graphical methods (like histograms or Q-Q plots) or statistical tests (such as Shapiro-Wilk or Kolmogorov-Smirnov). This step ensures the validity of parametric tests that assume normality.
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Sample Data Analysis
Analyzing sample data includes calculating descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard deviation) and visualizing data to understand its distribution. This helps determine if the sample reasonably represents a normally distributed population.
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