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Study Skills and Research Methods > Descriptive Statistics > Flashcards

Descriptive Statistics Flashcards

1
Q

What are the levels of measurement from lowest to highest in terms of value?

A
  • Nominal
  • Ordinal
  • Interval
  • Ratio
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2
Q

What is the Nominal scale of measurement?

A
  • Measure of identity or category
  • Useful for quantifying qualitative data
  • Does not provide order or magnitude
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3
Q

What is the Ordinal scale of measurement?

A
  • A measure of order or rank
  • Used to arrange data in series
  • Does not provide info regarding magnitude of difference between ranks
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4
Q

What is the Interval scale of measurement?

A
  • Measure of order and quantity
  • Differences between values can be calculated
  • Cannot establish an ‘x-fold’ increase between values
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5
Q

What is the Ratio scale of measurement?

A
  • Interval scale with absolute zero, ‘x-fold’ differences can be calculated
  • Subsumes all other levels of measurement
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6
Q

What are the SI Units for Distance, Mass, Time, Temperature, Mole, Current and Luminance?

A
  • Metres
  • Kilograms
  • Seconds
  • Kelvin
  • Moles
  • Amperes
  • Candela
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7
Q

What is a discrete variable?

A
  • Cannot be sub-divided
  • Used to describe specific and distinct points on a scale
  • E.g. Sex, RPE, Heart Rate
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8
Q

What is a continuous variable?

A
  • Can theoretically take any value between two points on a continuum, e.g. Time
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9
Q

What are the three indicators of central tendency?

A
  • Mode
  • Median
  • Mean
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10
Q

What are the disadvantages of using the Mode?

A
  • Terminal statistic (can’t do anything else with the info)

- A given sub-group could make this measure unrepresentative

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11
Q

What are the advantages of using the Mode?

A
  • Quick and Easy
  • Unaffected by Extreme Scores
  • Can be used at any level of measurement
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12
Q

What is the Mode?

A

the most frequently occurring score

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13
Q

What is the Median?

A

The middle score

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14
Q

What are the advantages of using the Median?

A
  • Unaffected by extreme scores

- Can be used on all levels except nominal

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15
Q

What are the disadvantages of using the Median?

A
  • Only considers order, value ignored
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16
Q

What are the different types of mean?

A
  • Arithmetic Average
  • Harmonic Mean
  • Geometric Mean
  • F Mean
  • Truncated Mean
  • Power Mean
  • Weighted Arithmetic Mean
17
Q

What are the advantages of using the Mean?

A
  • Very sensitive measure
  • Takes into account all the available information
  • Can be combined with means of other groups to give the overall mean
18
Q

What are the disadvantages of using the Mean?

A
  • Very sensitive Measure
  • Can only be used on interval ratio data
  • Can only be used when scores are symmetrical above and below the mean
19
Q

What are the Characteristics of a Normal Distribution Curve?

A
  • Naturally Occurring
  • Asymptotic
  • Symmetrical
  • Point of Inflection is 1 SD away from mean
20
Q

What is the consequence of ND curves being symmetrical?

A
  • All measures of central tendency will be in the same place (the peak)
21
Q

What is the area inside both points of inflection of an ND curve?

A

68.26% of the population

22
Q

What is a Z-score?

A

The number of standard deviations from the mean. Allows comparison of raw score to group score

23
Q

What is the study of SD size?

24
Q

What is a leptokurtic curve?

A

A steep curve

25
Q

What is a mesokurtic curve?

A

an average curve

26
Q

What is a platykurtic curve?

A

a flat/non-steep curve

27
Q

What is it called when you have a non-ND curve that has a peak further to the right?

A

A negative skew

28
Q

What is the mode of a negatively skewed non ND curve?

29
Q

What is the median of a negative or positive skewed non ND curve?

A

Halfway point of the long tail

30
Q

What is the mean of a negative or positive skewed non ND curve?

A

slightly more central than the peak (more left than a right peak, more right than a left peak)

31
Q

What is it called when you have a non-ND curve with the peak further to the left?

A

Positive Skew

32
Q

Why is distribution important?

A
  • Determines which measure of central tend. to use
  • Determines which measure of variabiltiy to use
  • Provides Z-score for standardised comparisons
  • Determines further stat. analysis
33
Q

What are the different measures of variability?

A
  • Standard Deviation
  • Standard Error of the Mean
  • Range
  • 0-100th PErcentile
  • Interquartile Range
  • Normalised Confidence Intervals
34
Q

What measure of variability gives ‘within subject variance’ rather than ‘between subject variance’?

A

Normalised Confidence Intervals

Study Skills and Research Methods (4 decks)

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