Chapter 1 Flashcards
Define descriptive statistics.
Descriptive statistics summarize and present large amounts of numbers in a meaningful way.
Explain inferential statistics.
Inferential statistics allow us to make inferences about a population based on information taken from a sample.
How do inferential statistics help in research?
They provide tools to generalize findings from a sample to the larger population.
What is the role of correlational statistics?
Correlational statistics measure relationships between variables.
How are predictive statistics used?
Predictive statistics are often used to predict the value of one variable based on another.
Define independent variable in experiments.
The independent variable (IV) is the variable that is directly manipulated by the researcher in a true experiment, often considered the cause.
Describe the role of the dependent variable in an experiment.
The dependent variable (DV) is the variable that depends on the levels of the independent variable and is often considered the effect.
How are independent and dependent variables related in an experiment?
The independent variable is manipulated to observe its effect on the dependent variable, which is measured to assess the outcome.
How are participant variables categorized in social sciences experiments?
In social sciences, participant variables are often considered independent variables but are not directly manipulated by the experimenter.
Define organismic variables in the context of experiments.
Organismic variables are types of participant variables in social sciences that are not directly manipulated by the experimenter.
Define numeric variables.
Numeric variables, also known as quantitative variables, are variables that represent measurable quantities and can take on a range of numerical values.
Describe categorical variables.
Categorical variables, or qualitative variables, are variables that represent categories or groups and do not have a numerical value.
How do continuous variables differ from discrete variables?
Continuous variables can take on an infinite number of values within a given range, while discrete variables can only take on specific, distinct values.
Define nominal variables.
Nominal variables are categorical variables that consist of mutually exclusive and unordered categories that differ in quality, such as eye color or sex.
What are ordinal variables?
Ordinal variables are categorical variables where the order matters, but the intervals between the values are not equal, such as ranking preferences.
Explain interval variables.
Interval variables have equal and meaningful intervals between values, but the zero point is arbitrary, such as temperature measured in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Describe ratio variables.
Ratio variables have equal and meaningful intervals between values and possess a true zero point, such as height, weight, or temperature in Kelvin.
How is the cost per carat classified in terms of variables?
The cost per carat is classified as a ratio variable because it has a true zero point and meaningful intervals.
Define continuous variables with an example.
Continuous variables can take on any value within a range, such as weight or testosterone levels.
How are qualitative variables categorized?
Qualitative variables are categorized into nominal and ordinal types based on whether order matters.
What distinguishes interval variables from ratio variables?
The key distinction is that interval variables have an arbitrary zero point, while ratio variables have a true zero point.
How can popularity be classified in terms of variables?
Popularity can be classified as a categorical variable, specifically an ordinal variable if ranked.
Do median and percentiles apply to all types of variables?
Median and percentiles can be calculated for ordinal, interval, and ratio variables, but not for nominal variables.
