Analysis of Quantitative Data

Question 1

What is nominal data?

Answer 1

Frequency data

Question 2

What is ordinal data?

Answer 2

Ranked data - gaps between numbers not identical

Question 3

What is interval data?

Answer 3

Precise data using offical scale -zero is not true, can go minus

Question 4

What is ratio data?

Answer 4

Same as interval data but zero is true, can’t go below minus like cm

Question 5

When shouldn’t the mean be used?

Answer 5

When there are extreme scores. Would skew data

Question 6

What are the advantages of the mean?

Answer 6

• Makes use of all values

- Most powerful measure

Question 7

What are the disadvantages of the mean?

Answer 7

• Can be misrepresentative of numbers if there is an extreme value
• Can only be used for interval/ratio

Question 8

What are the advantages of the median?

Answer 8

• Not affected by extreme scores

- Can be used with ordianal data

Question 9

What are the disadvantages of the median?

Answer 9

• Doesn’t work well with small sets of data

- It is not as sensitive as the mean because not all values are reflected in the median

Question 10

What are the advantages of the mode?

Answer 10

• Useful when data is in categories, nominal data

- It is a figure which actually does occur in the data

Question 11

What are the disadvantages of the mode?

Answer 11

• Tells us nothing about other values

- Only a few scores representing each value

Question 12

What are measures of central tendency?

Answer 12

Describes how data clusters around a central value.

Question 13

What are measures of dispersion?

Answer 13

They tell you the spread of scores in a data set. Help you summarise data.

Question 14

What do graphs do?

Answer 14

Summarise quantative data and act as a visual aid.

Question 15

What do summary tables include?

Answer 15

• Measures of central tendancy

- Measures of dispersion

Question 16

What are frequency tables?

Answer 16

• More useful than raw data table
• Can organise the values into groups
• Patterns of data clearer

Question 17

What are tables of raw data?

Answer 17

• Show scores prior to analysis
• Hard to identify patterns int he data
• Can’t tell much

Question 18

What does a bar chart do?

Answer 18

Used for discrete data - categories. Mean/frequency on y axis. Columns do not touch.

Question 19

What does a histogram do?

Answer 19

Represent data on a continuous scale. Data are quantities. Columns do touch. Scores are placed on the x-axis. The height of the column shows the frequency of values

Question 20

What is a frequency polygon?

Answer 20

Can be used as an alternative to the histogram. Can be used to represent grouped data. Particularly useful for comparing two or more conditions simultaneously.

Question 21

What are pie charts?

Answer 21

Description of parts that make up a whole

Question 22

What is a scattergram?

Answer 22

Used for measuring the relationship between two variables. Data from one variable is presented on the x- axis, while the other is presented on the y-axis. X plotted where variabels meet.