Research Methods in Psychology A (HPS201/HPS771)
Laboratory Assignment
Regression
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**** ASSIGNMENT 4: REGRESSION QUESTIONS ****
Experiment
In recent years, mental skills techniques such as motor (kinesthetic) imagery have become popular tools to enhance performance on the football field. (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/st-kilda-saints/saints-training-to-win-mind-games-20150624-ghwxoi.html) For example, the St Kilda Football Club now teaches players how to imagine (visualize) their kicking action with the aim of improving kicking accuracy. The theory behind this approach is that imagining an action activates similar brain processes to actually performing that action. Your task as a researcher is to test if we can predict a player’s goal kicking accuracy from their ability to imagine kicking a football. To this end, you ask a sample of 80 St Kilda players to imagine kicking a goal in football. You then asses the vividness of their mental (kicking) image using the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ-2), a well-validated imagery measure. Scores on the VMIQ-2 range from 12 to 60 with higher scores indicating better imagery ability (i.e., increased vividness of the imagined kick). You also ask each player to take 100 shots for goal from the same place and measure their kicking accuracy (scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating higher kicking accuracy). Finally, you run a regression analysis on the data to test the hypothesis that imagery ability (as assessed by VMIQ-2 scores) will be a significant predictor of goal kicking accuracy. You obtain the following output from the analysis:
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Questions
1.
With help from the unit materials, report the results of the analysis in APA format including all relevant information. (3 Marks)
2.
Goal kicking accuracy scores in the AFL are normally distributed with a mean of 60 (SD
= 10). Jason, who has just nominated for the national draft, scores 60 on the VMIQ-2. Should the St Kilda Football Club recruit Jason based on his expected goal kicking accuracy? Justify your response? (2 Marks)
3.
In the AFL, it has been suggested that an AFL footballer can only be considered an elite goal kicker if their kicking accuracy puts them in the top 10% of players. Based on Jason’s VMIQ-2 score of 60, is it expected that Jason would be considered an elite goal kicker if he played AFL? Justify your response. (1 Mark)
4.
Assume you are a Sports Psychologist. Would you recommend imagery training as a technique for improving kicking accuracy? Justify your response. (2 Marks)
5.
Dr Sa’id runs an experiment which aims to predict life expectancy based on the average number of minutes that someone exercises per day. She contacts government officials who provide her with the age at death and average number of minutes exercised for 50 individuals and runs a regression analysis to predict life expectancy based on the average number of minutes exercised per day. Dr Sa’id obtains the following output:
Based on the SPSS output, state the unstandardized regression equation (1 Mark). Also, explain whether you would be confident using this regression equation to predict life expectancy, with reference to relevant statistical information (1 mark):
TOTAL: /10 Marks