4. Data, Distribution, Populations, and Samples Flashcards
What is a categorical Variable?
Individuals classified into one
of several categories
What are different types of categorical variables?
Binary variables: Only two categories e.g. female/not female,
yes/no
Ordinal variables: >2 categories and they are ordered
e.g. pain (non/mild/moderate/severe)
Nominal variables: Neither binary nor ordinal
e.g. ethnicity (Caucasian, Asian, Black)
Whats a binary variable?
Only two categories e.g. female/not female,
yes/no
What is an ordinal variable?
: >2 categories and they are ordered
e.g. pain (non/mild/moderate/severe)
What is a nominal variable?
Neither binary nor ordinal
e.g. ethnicity (Caucasian, Asian, Black)
What is a numerical variable?
Measured on a number scale
What are different types of discrete variables?
Discrete variables: Distinct number of values
e.g. age in years, number of transfusions, parity
Continuous variables: Any value within a certain range
e.g. blood pressure, head circumference
What is a discrete variable?
Distinct number of values
e.g. age in years, number of transfusions, parity
What is a continous variable?
Any value within a certain range
e.g. blood pressure, head circumference
What is important about collecting data?
That you collect it in its most informative measure as you will never be able to return back to the point of collection. Data variables can be transformed into different types later on.
What are different ways of summarising categoric data?
Proportion = Number in the category divided by the total
Percentage = proportion x 100
Rate = the number with the event per / (people or time)
Odds =Number in the category / number not in that category
What is the Mean?
Most widely known measure of centre
= sum of all measurements/total number of measurements
Whats the median?
value that falls halfway along the frequency distribution (50th Centile)
How do you summarise the median in odd and even numbers?
Odd - exactly in the middle
Even - the average of the middle two values
When data is symmetric how will this effect the mean and median?
They will be exactly the same.