Topic 14: Research Methodology: Data analysis: Descriptive Statistics

Question 1

What 4 categories are considered when doing descriptive analysis of continuous data?

Answer 1

• Location/central tendency (mean, median, mode)
• Spread (range, standard deviation)
• Shape (pattern indicated on histogram)
• Consistency (performance over time)

Question 2

Which type of location measure is best for nominal & ordinal data? And which type of location measure is best for continuous(interval & ratio) data?

Answer 2

Mode is best for nominal & ordinal, while mean and median are best for continuous data.

Question 3

What is the purpose of descriptive statistics?

Answer 3

To analyse, describe, show and summarize data in a meaningful way.