8 Univariate/Descriptive Statistics

Question 1

3 different types of statistics

Answer 1

• univariate
• bivariate
• multivariate

Question 2

univariate statistics

Answer 2

• used when analyzing one variable
• often called descriptive statistics

Question 3

bivariate statistics

Answer 3

used when analyzing two variables, esp in terms of assessing relationships between variables

Question 4

multivariate statistics

Answer 4

used when examining three or more variables

Question 5

exploratory research

Answer 5

• analyzing data to see what general patterns emerge, but not being concerned with causality between variables
• often uses univariate stats but sometimes bivariate stats
• can be considered ‘theory-building research’

Question 6

confirmatory research

Answer 6

• once a general pattern is established, you try to establish a relationship of causality between IVs and DV
• try to figure out not just how things are, but also why things are the way they are
• more likely to use bivariate and multivariate stats
• can be considered ‘theory-testing research’

Question 7

types of concepts

Answer 7

• categorical
• continuous

Question 8

categorical concepts

Answer 8

• different to each other in kind but not in quantity
• cannot be ranked
• ex. gender

Question 9

continuous concepts

Answer 9

• there’s a measurable difference in both kind and quantity
• can be scaled
• ex. income

Question 10

level of measurement

Answer 10

the appropriate way to measure a concept

Question 11

3 levels of measurement

Answer 11

• nominal variables
• ordinal variables
• interval/ratio variables

Question 12

nominal variables

Answer 12

• measure categorical concepts. which can’t be ordered or ranked
• ex. religious affiliation

Question 13

ordinal variables

Answer 13

• measure continuous concepts that allow for ordering of categories along a continuum but without a precise distance between categories
• ex. religiosity

Question 14

interval/ratio variables

Answer 14

• can be used to measure continuous concepts whereby variables and differences between categories can be quantified easily
• interval variables: those that can be ordered and categories are separated by a standard unit (set interval/distance)
• ratio variables: have the same qualities as interval variables, with addition of absolute zero (meaning there are none of variable’s values)
• ex. church attendance