CH 1 : Introduction To Social Statistics

Question 1

Variable

Answer 1

Is not constant and can vary, something that varies for everybody. E.g. Age (like a scale, a number line)

Question 2

Imagination

Answer 2

Is connected to variables, try imagining a group with a mean age of 5. What would the group look like?

Question 3

Inferential Statistics

Answer 3

Inferences are usually made while describing something for example the political views of all Canadians uses a sample to infer the views of the whole population.

Question 4

Descriptive Statistics

Answer 4

Summarizes one variable, summarizes the relationship between two variables
Summarizes the relationship between 3 or more variables

Question 5

One variable

Answer 5

Univariate

Question 6

Two variables

Answer 6

Bivariate

Question 7

3 or more variables

Answer 7

Multivariate

Question 8

Score

Answer 8

A value of the variable

Question 9

Inferential statistics

Answer 9

Generalizes and infers from a sample to a population

Question 10

Bivariate

Answer 10

Describes the strength and direction of a relationship between 2 variables

Question 11

Univariate

Answer 11

Tools to summarize or describe the distribution of a single variable

Question 12

Multivariate

Answer 12

Describe the relationships between three or more variables

Question 13

Population

Answer 13

All cases in which the research is interested

Question 14

Sample

Answer 14

Carefully chosen subset of the population

Question 15

Ways to classify variables

Answer 15

A. Independent or dependent
B. Discrete or continuous.
C. Levels of measurement: Nominal, Ordinal or interval-ratio variables

Question 16

Independent Variable (X)

Answer 16

Cause = independent variable.
Cause produces something else ‘
‘If I do this, that happens”
The independent variable is what’s making something happen.

Question 17

Dependent variable (Y)

Answer 17

This is the outcome you are trying to improve. It depends on the other variable.
When the cause changes it also changes the effects.

Question 18

Discrete

Answer 18

Measures in definite units that cannot be subdivided e.g. the number of people in a room or home

Question 19

Continuous

Answer 19

Variable measured in units that can be subdivided infinitely
e.g. Age, weight

Question 20

Level of measurement

Answer 20

Looking at one variable at a time. Mathematical quality of the value of the variable (score)

Question 21

Nominal level of measurement

Answer 21

Classifying observations into categories (Names)
Scores are different but cannot be treated as numbers. Has no intrinsic value (so basically names)

Question 22

Criteria for Nominal Level Variables

Answer 22

Mutually exclusive: Only one category for each case

Exhaustive: A category must exist for every possible value of a variable that can be found

Homogenous = Categories should include cases that are comparable ( a general sense of being the same, would you say these values all belong in the same category?)

Question 23

Ordinal level variables

Answer 23

Values of the variables that can be ranked from high to low or more to less
Scores represent only one position with respect to other scores ( one score is above the other, the other is below another)
Usually survey items measuring opinions and attitudes.

Question 24

Interval-Ratio Level Variables

Answer 24

Scores are actual numbers that have equal determined intervals between them
The distance from score to score is exactly defined
E.g. Age (In years)
Income (In dollars)
Number of children