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Statistics Notes Spring 2014

Descriptive statistics describe a sample but cannot determine if sample results are due to chance or represent the population. There are three characteristics examined for a single variable: distribution, central tendency, and dispersion. Central tendency estimates the variable's center, including mean, median, and mode. Dispersion measures spread around central tendency using range and standard deviation. Inferential statistics use p-values to represent the likelihood results occur by chance if the null hypothesis is true rather than being rejected, determining if an effect exists.

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54 views1 page

Statistics Notes Spring 2014

Descriptive statistics describe a sample but cannot determine if sample results are due to chance or represent the population. There are three characteristics examined for a single variable: distribution, central tendency, and dispersion. Central tendency estimates the variable's center, including mean, median, and mode. Dispersion measures spread around central tendency using range and standard deviation. Inferential statistics use p-values to represent the likelihood results occur by chance if the null hypothesis is true rather than being rejected, determining if an effect exists.

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kararra
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Descriptive statistics- allow you to describe your sample

o But do not allow you to determine whether or not the results from your sample are just
chance-related- or if they are truly representative of your target population
Inferential statistics can do this!
o Categories of descriptive statistics: There are three major characteristics of a single
variable that we tend to look at
Distribution
involves the examination across cases of one variable at a time.
o the distribution
o the central tendency
o the dispersion
Central Tendency
an estimate of the "center" of a distribution of values. There are three
major types of estimates of central tendency:
o Mean
o Median
o Mode
Dispersion
the spread of the values around the central tendency. There are two
common measures of dispersion:
o range
highest value minus the lowest value. In our example
distribution, the high value is 36 and the low is 15, so
the range is 36 - 15 = 21.
o standard deviation
a more accurate and detailed estimate of dispersion
because an outlier can greatly exaggerate the range

Inferential statistics
o P-value: represents the likelihood that the same results would occur if the H0 (Null
Hypothesis) were retained instead of rejected
If you fail to reject the H0, and thus it is retained, this would mean that there
was no effect
If you reject the H0, this would mean that there was an effect

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