Chapter 1: Stats Starts Here

Question 1

Define ‘Data’.

Answer 1

Recorded values whether numbers or labels, together with their context.

Question 2

Define ‘Data table’.

Answer 2

An arrangement of data in which each row represents a case and each column represents a variable.

Question 3

Define ‘Context’.

Answer 3

The context ideally tells WHO was measured, WHAT was measured, HOW the data were collected, WHERE the data were collected, and WHEN and WHY the study was performed.

Question 4

Define ‘Case’.

Answer 4

An individual about whom or which we have data.

Question 5

Define ‘Respondent’.

Answer 5

Someone who answers, or responds to, a survey.

Question 6

Define ‘Subject’.

Answer 6

A human experimental unit. Also called a participant.

Question 7

Define ‘Participant’.

Answer 7

A human experimental unit. Also called a subject.

Question 8

Define ‘Experimental unit’.

Answer 8

An individual in a study for which or for whom data values are recorded. Human experimental units are usually called subjects or participants.

Question 9

Define ‘Record’.

Answer 9

Information about an individual in a database.

Question 10

Define ‘Sample’.

Answer 10

A subset of a population, examines in hope of learning about the population.

Question 11

Define ‘Population’.

Answer 11

The entire group of individuals or instances about whom we hope to learn.

Question 12

Define ‘Variable’.

Answer 12

A variable holds information about the same characteristic for many cases.

Question 13

Define ‘Categorical (or qualitative) variable’.

Answer 13

A variable that names categories with words or numerals. Usually we think about the counts of cases that fall in each category. (An exemption is an identifier variable that just names each case)

Question 14

Define ‘Nominal variable’.

Answer 14

A variable whose values are used only to name categories.

Question 15

Define ‘Quantitative variable’.

Answer 15

A variable in which the numbers are values of measured quantities with units.

Question 16

Define ‘Unit’.

Answer 16

A quantity or amount adopted as a standard of measurement, such as dollars, hours, or grams.

Question 17

Define ‘Identifier variable’.

Answer 17

A categorical variable that records a unique value for each case, used to name or identify it.

Question 18

Define ‘Ordinal variable’.

Answer 18

A variable whose categorical values possess some kind of order.

Question 19

Describe the WHO, WHAT, and WHY of data.

Answer 19

We must know WHO, WHAT, and WHY to be able to say anything useful based on the data. The WHO are the cases. The WHAT are the variables. A variable gives information about each case. The WHY helps us decide which way to treat the variables.

Question 20

Can the same variable be either categorical or quantitative?

Answer 20

Sometimes we may treat the same variable as categorical and quantitative depending on what we want to learn from it, which means some variables can’t be pigeonholed as one type or the other.