Exam 1 consists of 7 questions broken down into two parts. Exam 1 has a total of 50 possible points.

Part A. Short Essays. Please answer each of the following questions using no more than one typed page (single-spaced). In most cases you will be able to adequately answer the question in less than one full page. Answers will be graded not only on what you say but how clearly you say it. You should be aware that there are no clear-cut answers for any question in Part A. Type out your answers in MS Word.

1. In which stage(s) of the research process do you think computers can be most useful? Please explain your answer. Cite specific examples of actual computer applications to support your answer. (5 pts)

2. Describe some ways that the World Wide Web in particular can be useful in the research process. Use examples to support your answer. (5 pts)

3. What is generally the purpose of giving a conference presentation? Briefly describe the "hourglass" structure of a talk. What are three key parts of the preparation for a talk and explain why they are key? (5 pts)

4. Internet exercises: (5 pts total)
a) Find, on the World Wide Web, a page that explains the Yerkes-Dodson Law (or Relationship). Copy and paste that explanation into your Word document. Also include the address where you found it.
b) Using PsycInfo, find three references to research examining the Yerkes-Dodson Law. Copy the abstract as well as the full reference.

5. Excel exercise: (10 pts total)

a) attached at the end of the exam is a brief description of a fictional experiment, as well as a data set for that experiment. Your job is to enter the data into an excel file. As you did with the homework, include a title, and use formatting that identifies the headings and computed cells as different from the entered data.
b) sort the data by test type
c) Compute the means (average) and standard deviations (stdev) for the totals and the marginals. By totals I mean the statistics for all the test scores and all anxiety ratings. By marginals I mean the average and standard deviations of test scores and anxiety ratings for the easy test, and again for the medium test, and again for the hard test.

6. Word exercise: (10 pts total)

a) Using the means and deviations from 5c, make a table in Word. Be sure to use correct APA style (hint: you may look at the web links to figure out how the table should look, or use the style manual).
b) Make a reference section, using the three references from question 4. Again use APA style (the same hint from 6a applies here too).
c) Format the entire MS Word portion of the exam (including Part A as well). Include your name in a header. Insert the page number in the footer. Make sure the margin are 1 inch on all sides (including top and bottom). And use Times, 12 point font for the entire document.

7. Powerpoint presentation: (10 pts total) For this part you'll make a brief presentation of the fictional experiment. As part of your presentation make sure to include the following.

a) An explanation of the Yerkes-Dodson law (see 4a)
b) A brief summary of background information. That is, summarize (based on their abstracts) the key points from the three articles found in question 4b.
c) Present the table from question 6a
d) Paste in the graphs of the data (these can be found on class web page by clicking on the Exam1 link)
e) Use transitions and animations where appropriate.

For this exam, you may consult any materials you find necessary. However, you may not consult with other people except the instructor. Please contact the instructor (438-2999 or jccutti@ilstu.edu) if you have any questions about this exam.

Data for Part B Participant number Test Type Test score Anxiety level 1 1 85 2 2 2 70 9 3 3 58 1 4 2 75 2 5 1 86 4 6 3 63 2 7 3 75 3 8 1 90 6 9 2 80 3 10 3 85 4 11 3 90 5 12 1 93 8 13 2 85 5 14 3 87 6 15 1 100 3 16 2 90 4 17 1 95 3 18 1 78 4 19 2 95 6 20 3 78 7 21 2 87 6 22 3 75 8 23 1 82 6 24 2 80 8 25 3 65 9 26 1 84 9 27 2 93 5 28 1 87 5 29 2 78 3 30 3 60 10

Some background information about our "experiment". We are testing the Yerkes-Dodson law. We have given 30 participants one of three tests. The tests are similar in terms of content, but differ with respect to how easy they are. Each participant is also given a measure of their anxiety level at the time of test. The anxiety level is measured on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = low anxiety, 10 high anxiety). We're interested in the relationship between test performance, test difficulty, and levels of arousal (anxiety). Test type: 1 = easy test 2 = medium test 3 = hard test You can find the following graphs on the class web page. You will need them for question 7.

Easy test
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Medium test
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Hard test
GIF format	JPG format