1. Introduction to statistics and the scientific method Flashcards
What are the four claims of Science?
Rationality
Truth
Objectivity
Reality
What does rationality mean?
Methods of inquiry that employ:
- reason
- and evidence
… to achieve substantial and specified success in finding truth
What does truth mean?
True statements which correspond with physical reality
What does objectivity mean
Objective beliefs concerning the physical world that:
- can be tested
- and verified
…. so that consensus will emerge among knowledgeable persons.
These ‘beliefs’ do not depend on controversial presuppositions or special world views.
What does reality mean?
The correspondence of human thoughts with an external and independent physical reality.
What is the ‘scientific method’
A rational method that provides humans with objective truth about physical reality
What does PEL stand for in the PEL method?
Presupposition
Evidence
Logic
What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning?
Deduction:
- uses a given model to arrive at expected data
Induction
- using actual data to infer a model
What is ‘statistics’?
methods that allows us to estimate or predict the nature of measured parameter
What is a parameter?
quantities of interest.
What kinds of data are there?
Categorical Data:
- nominal variables
- ordinal variables
Numerical data:
- discrete variables
- continues variable
What is a nominal variable?
qualitative characteristics with no inherent order
What is an ordinal variable?
qualitative characteristics that can be ordered
in which the order has meaning (e.g. magnitude)
What is a discrete variable?
numerical data measured as integers (indivisible units)
also called ‘count’ data
What is a continuous variable
numerical data that can take on a real‐number value within a specific range of values
What is the difference between categorical and numerical data?
Categorical Data : qualitative characteristics of individuals
Numerical Data : quantitative measurements with magnitude on a numerical scale
What’s the difference between an observational and an experimental study?
Observational Data:
- Reflects what is actually happening/present
- Measures many variables simultaneously
- BUT cannot establish causation
Experimental Data
- Controls variables of interest to establish causation
- Limits variability due to other influences (e.g. temperature)
- BUT may not reflect what actually happens in a natural setting
