ch2 Flashcards
Frequency Distribution Tables
A frequency distribution is an organized tabulation of the number of individuals
located in each category on the scale of measurement. A frequency distribution can be structured either as a table or as a graph, but in either
case, the distribution presents the same two elements:
1. The set of categories that make up the original measurement scale.
2. A record of the frequency, or number of individuals in each category.
Proportions(decimal)- p
Proportion measures the fraction of the total group that is associated with each score.
proportion=p= f/N
Percentages(%) – p(100)
percentage=p(100)= f/N(100)
Group Distribution Tables-intervals 4 guidelines
Used when a set of data covers a wide range of values. The result is called a grouped frequency distribution table because we are presenting groups of scores rather than individual values. The groups, or intervals, are called class intervals. 1) near 10 intervals 2) simple interval size like 5 or 10 3) bottom score in each class of interval should be multiple of interval size. 4)all intervals same size with no overlap
Frequency Distribution Graph
Interval and Ratio Data: Histograms
Polygons
Frequency Distribution Graph
Nominal or Ordinal: Bar Graphs (non- number line, IDs, Yelp stars)
Population Distributions (relative frequencies)
Unless we know score of entire population,
we must estimate using relative frequencies
Relative frequencies are proportional estimations for given values
When we estimate values, we use a smooth curve to indicate that we do not have exact values
Normal Curve
Symmetrical Bell Shaped Symmetrical Higher frequencies near the mean Close to zero at the tails This distribution is used commonly in statistics because it has known frequencies Sometimes called a “bell curve”
Central Tendency (one of three ways to describe a population distribution)
Central Tendency – The “average” of the data (mean, mode, )
Variability (one of three ways to describe a population distribution)
How condensed the scores are (spread or narrow)
Shape (one of three ways to describe a population distribution)
Symmetrical or Skewed
In a symmetrical distribution, it is possible to draw a vertical line through the middle so that one side of the distribution is a mirror image of the other.
Skewed distribution- the scores tend to pile up toward one end of the scale and
taper off gradually at the other end
The section where the scores taper off toward one end of a distribution is called the
tail of the distribution.
A skewed distribution with the tail on the right-hand side is positively skewed
because the tail points toward the positive (above-zero) end of the X-axis. If the tail
points to the left, the distribution is negatively skewed
Cumulative Frequency
The number of people who score at or below each value. This can be done with a frequency distribution table by simply counting the number of scores that are in or
below each category on the scale.
Start from the bottom-up.
Add the frequencies as you move up
-to eventually determine percentiles/percentile ranks
. The resulting values are called cumulative frequencies
because they represent the accumulation of individuals as you move up the scale.
Cumulative Percentage
Convert these frequencies to percentages
c% = (cf/N)(100)
Remember N is the total number of scores so Σf.
They show the percentage of individuals who are accumulated as you move up the scale. (Top value should always be 100%)
Same as Percentiles only when discrete (indivisible) variable
Percentiles
The percentile rank is the percentage of scores that fall at or below a given value.(calculate cumulative frequency first for discrete variables)
When you refer to a score by its percentile rank, it is called a percentile
Percentile Rank
The rank or percentile rank of a particular score is defined as the percentage of
individuals in the distribution with scores at or below the particular value.
When a score is identified by its percentile rank, the score is called a percentile.