Chpt 1 - Introduction Flashcards
Statistics ___________ numerical or non-numerical data
Collect
Statistics __________ data for the purpose of making generalizations and decisions
Analyze
What is the core of statistics?
Data
What is data?
Any information that has been collected
Is data always numerical?
No
For example, which political party does someone support is not numerical
Another example is a yes/no answer to a question
What is statistics?
The science of organizing and summarizing data, either numerical or non-numerical, to provide useful and accessible information about a particular subject
What are the 4 steps to statistics?
- collect data
- summarize data
- analyze and interpret data
- draw conclusion from data
What are the 2 different ways to classify statistical sudies?
Method 1 - descriptive statistics or inferential statistics
Method 2 - observational studies or designed experiments
What is the purpose of the descriptive statistics study?
Summarize data
Examine and explore information for INTRINSIC interest only
For example, if we wanted to know about 100 students but only had enough time to ask 5 students, if we only talk about the 5 students we asked, that’s descriptive statistics
Basically, we are only describing the data we already have
What is the purpose of the inferential statistics study?
To use information from a sample to draw a conclusion about the population
For example, if we wanted to know about 100 students but only had enough time to ask 5 students, and we use this sample information to make a conclusion about the whole 100 students
Basically, we are making inferences of a population based on the information we have
What does inferential statistics consist of?
Methods of drawing and measuring the reliability of conclusions about a population based on information obtained from a sample of the population
What does descriptive statistics consist of?
Methods for organizing and summarizing information and may include:
- Constructing graphs and tables
- Calculating various numerical measures such as averages, variations, and percentiles
What is a population?
A collection of ALL individuals of items under consideration in a statistical study
What is a sample?
Part of a population from which information is obtained
What is the notation for the population size?
N
(Make sure it’s a capital letter)
What is the notation for the sample size?
n
(make sure it’s lower case)
What is the number of individuals in a population called?
Population size
What is the number of individual in a sample called?
Sample size