Chapter 2 supplement Data analysis Flashcards
distinguish between the different measures of central tendency describe the different measures of variability define statistical significance define effect size and explain why it is important in the reporting of data outline some common tests of statistical significance
Measures of Central Tendency
Descriptive statistics, which provide an index of the way a typical participant responded on a measure.
Mean
The statistical average of the scores of all participants
Mode
The most common or frequent score or variable observed in the sample
Mode
The most common or frequent scaore or value that falls right in the of the distribution of scores; half the participants score below it and half above above it.
Variability
refers to the extent to which participants tend to differ from one another in their scores.
Standard Deviation
refers to the amount that the average participant deviates from the mean of the sample.
Statistical Significance
to determine whether positive results are likely to have occurred simply by chance.
Probability Value or P value
represents the probability that positive findings such as group differences were accidental or just a matter of chance.
Common Statistical Tests
Chi-square or Analysis of variance are common statistical tests. The choice of which inferential statistics to use depends on the design of the study, particularly on whether the variables assessed are continuous or categorical.
Effect Size
With a large enough sample size, significant differences are likely to appear whether or not they are meaningful, and p values do not reflect the possibility that negative findings occurred by chance.
