Statistical Thinking Flashcards
Cause-and-Effect
Related to whether we say one variable is causing changes in the other variable, versus other variables that may be related to these two variables.
Confidence Interval
- An interval of plausible values for a population parameter
- The interval of values within the margin of error of a statistic.
Distribution
The pattern of variation in data.
Generalizability
Related to whether the results from the sample can be generalized to a larger population.
Margin of Error
The expected amount of random variation in a statistic; often defined for 95% confidence level.
Parameter
A numerical result summarizing a population (e.g., mean, proportion).
Population
A larger collection of individuals that we would like to generalize our results to.
P-Value
The probability of observing a particular outcome in a sample, or more extreme, under a conjecture about the larger population or process.
Random Assignment
Using a probability-based method to divide a sample into treatment groups.
Random Sampling
Using a probability-based method to select a subset of individuals for the sample from the population.
Reliability
The consistency of a measure.
Sample
The collection of individuals on which we collect data.
Statistic
A numerical result computed from a sample (e.g., mean, proportion).
Statistical Significance
A result is statistically significant if it is unlikely to arise by chance alone.
Validity
The degree to which a measure is assessing what it is intended to measure.