Skewed distributions were discussed in this week’s readings. Think about some of the psychological studies you are familiar with and the constructs investigated in those studies. Describe the study you are referring to and give some examples of the variables from the study that you expect would consistently have skewed distributions. Make sure to give some reasons why you would expect this to be the case and tell what type of distribution you would expect such as the direction of skew.

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However, have you considered financial incomes?

I Have no idea

To answer this question, we need to think about studies in psychology that investigate constructs with variables that are likely to have skewed distributions. Let's consider an example study on the construct of income and its relationship with happiness levels.

In this hypothetical study, researchers aim to explore how income levels relate to self-reported levels of happiness. They collect income data from a large sample of participants and measure their levels of happiness using a standardized questionnaire.

Now, let's discuss why we might expect the income variable to have a skewed distribution in this study:

1. Income Distribution: Income distributions tend to be positively skewed. This means that most people earn lower incomes, and as income increases, the number of individuals earning those higher amounts decreases. This pattern is commonly referred to as "income inequality." Therefore, we would expect the income variable to have a positively skewed distribution.

2. Ceiling Effect: The income variable may also have a ceiling effect. In other words, there can be an upper limit to income levels due to factors such as income inequality, job availability limitations, or societal constraints. When a variable reaches its maximum limit and cannot go any higher, it often results in a skewed distribution. In this case, we might expect to see a cluster of participants with lower incomes and a tail that gets thinner as it approaches the upper income limit.

So, in our hypothetical study on income and happiness, we would expect the income variable to have a positively skewed distribution due to income inequality and a potential ceiling effect.

Note: It is important to keep in mind that the actual distribution of the variable in a particular study may depend on the sample, population, and other contextual factors. It is always advisable to analyze the data and determine the distribution empirically rather than assuming it based solely on existing knowledge.