Interpreting Statistics: Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life Lesson

Question 1

Statistics are important ______ for psychological scientists and are valuable for everyone in helping to reveal insights that _______ ______be apparent to the naked eye

Answer 1

Statistics are important TOOLS for psychological scientists and are valuable for everyone in helping to reveal insights that MIGHT NOT be apparent to the naked eye

Question 2

To be a well-informed individual today means possessing the ability to apply basic statistical concepts to everyday thinking.

Question 3

When making a graph make sure to have the Dependent/Reciving Variable on the _ axis and the Independen/Manipulating Variable on the _ axis

Answer 3

When making a graph make sure to have the Dependent/Reciving Variable on the Y axis and the Independen/Manipulating Variable on the X axis

Question 4

There are _ categories of Research. Descriptive Research does what: just looks at interesting cases and ________it. It doesn’t look at the ______________.

Answer 4

There are 3 categories of Research. Descriptive Research does what: just looks at interesting cases and DESCRIBES it. It doesn’t look at the CORRELATION.

Question 5

Parts of Descriptive statistics

Answer 5

Measures of Central Tendency (Mean, Median, Mode, and Percentile Rank)
and
Measures of Variability (standard dev & Range)

Question 6

Descriptive Statistics play a crucial role in ____________ & ___________ data to identify patterns and trends within a set of information

Answer 6

ORGANIZING & SUMMARIZING DATA

Question 7

Inferential statistics assist in making _________ ________ based on observed differences

Answer 7

Inferential statistics assist in making broader conclusions based on observed differences

Question 8

Inferential Statsitics ask is this study ____________ _______ , in other words can the findings be applied to the larger population from which the sample was collected.

Answer 8

STASTICLLY SIGNIFICANT

Question 9

Researchers use statistics to:

Answer 9

organize and assess their collected data, support hypotheses, and draw valid inferences

Question 10

However, it is also important to recognize that statistics have the potential to be manipulated to ________

Answer 10

DECIEVE

Question 11

Statistics provide a universal language for structuring, summarizing, and drawing conclusions from gathered information.

Question 12

By setting up _________ and tallying the _________ of each category, descriptive statistics help us understand the ________ of a particular behavior or event.

Answer 12

By setting up CATEGORIES and tallying the OCCURENCES of each category, descriptive statistics help us understand the FREQUENCY of a particular behavior or event.

Question 13

Common ways to visualize Descriptive Data:

Answer 13

Histograms(A type of bar graph)

Question 14

Histograms

Answer 14

A graph that uses rectangles to show the frequency of data items in intervals

Question 15

Central tendency Definitions

Answer 15

A single reference point that summarizes data & represents a set of scores

Question 16

Measures of Central Tendency

Answer 16

Mean , Median, Mode & percentile Rank

Question 17

The mean is calculated by ?
The mean is the _______

Answer 17

summing all the scores and dividing by the total number of scores, giving an average value.

Question 18

The median is the:

Answer 18

The median is the middle score that divides the data into two halves

Question 19

the mode is:

Answer 19

the most frequently occurring score in the distribution

Question 20

Percentile rank is:

Answer 20

the percentage of scores less than a given score

Question 21

Percentile rank provides insight into:

Answer 21

provides insight into where a particular score stands within the data set.

Question 22

While measures of central tendency offer valuable insights, it’s essential to consider the impact of ________ ____________

Answer 22

it’s essential to consider the impact of skewed distributions

Question 23

A lopsided distribution influenced by a few extreme scores affects the _____ greatly

Answer 23

the mean may not accurately reflect the center of the data

Question 24

Researchers must always be mindful of _____ measure of central tendency they are utilizing and whether any _____ are affecting the results

Answer 24

Researchers must always be mindful of WHICH measure of central tendency they are utilizing and whether any OUTLIERS are affecting the results

Question 25

Researchers can effectively summarize and interpret data for meaningful analysis by understanding the

Answer 25

MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

Question 26

Measures of Central Tendency indicate where most values in a distribution lie.
Shows how data’s tendency to ____ around a middle value.

Answer 26

Measures of Central Tendency indicate where MOST values in a distribution lie.
Shows how data’s tendency to CLUSTER around a middle value.

Question 27

Finance
In the field of finance, analysts often use measures of central tendency to understand market trends and make investment decisions. For example, when analyzing stock prices, knowing the mean, median, and mode can help investors determine the average price, the middle point, and the most frequently occurring prices. This information is vital for assessing the stability and potential profitability of investments.

Question 28

Education
In education, teachers and administrators use central tendency measures to evaluate student performance and set academic standards. By looking at the mean scores on standardized tests, educators can assess the overall performance of a class or school. Understanding the median can help identify middle-performing students, while the mode can highlight areas where students excel or struggle the most.

Question 29

Healthcare
In healthcare, central tendency measures are essential for analyzing patient data and assessing treatment outcomes. For instance, doctors may use the mean, median, and mode to understand the effectiveness of a particular medication based on patient response rates. Percentile rank can also help identify patients who may require additional medical attention based on their relative health status compared to others.

Question 30

Marketing
Marketers often rely on central tendency measures to analyze consumer behavior and market trends. By examining the mean, median, and mode of sales data, companies can identify popular products, target specific customer segments, and adjust pricing strategies accordingly. Understanding central tendency helps businesses make informed decisions to optimize their marketing efforts.

Question 31

Social Sciences
Researchers in the social sciences use central tendency measures to analyze survey data and draw conclusions about human behavior. For example, in a study on income distribution, understanding the median income can provide insights into the typical earnings of a population, while the mode can highlight common salary ranges. Percentile rank can also help identify income disparities and socioeconomic trends within a society.

Question 32

Normal distribution is often the goal in research and what the researcher ______ to achieve

Answer 32

WANTS

Question 33

In a normal distribution, the ____,_____, and ____ are all the same and fall at the highest peak of the curve of a bell-shaped polygon

Answer 33

In a normal distribution, the MEAN, MEDIAN, and MODE are all the same and fall at the highest peak of the curve of a bell-shaped polygon

Question 34

Standardized tests produce a normal distribution and can be explained in more detail by examining variability(A variability is a single number that presents information about the spread of scores in a distribution.).

Question 35

Measures of variability/________ are ______ & ______ ________

Answer 35

Measures of variability/VARIATION are
RANGE AND STANDARD DEVIATION

Question 36

Measures of Variation indicates how far apart data is

Question 37

Range describes

Answer 37

the distance from the highest to the lowest scores on a data set.

Question 38

Standard Deviation describes how fara data points are from the ______

Answer 38

Standard Deviation describes how fara data points are from the mean

Question 39

In a Normal Distribution chart the mean, median and mode are all the ____ number

Answer 39

SAME

Question 40

Normal Distribution chart Percentages:

Answer 40

68%, 95%, 99.7%

Question 41

Distributions aren’t always Normal, sometimes you can get a ________ Distribution

Answer 41

SKEWED DISTRIBUTION

Question 42

What causes Skewed Distributions?

Answer 42

Outliers

Question 43

If there is a one/few high score(s) and majority are lower than it is a ___________ _________ Distribution

Answer 43

POSITIVLEY SKEWED DISTRIBUTION

Question 44

If there is a one/few low score(s) and majority are higher than it is a ___________ _________ Distribution

Answer 44

NEGATIVLEY SKEWED DISTRIBUTION

Question 45

How to Solve for Range

Answer 45

It can be achieved by subtracting the smallest number from the highest number

Question 46

Standard deviation is another measure of _______ & describes the distance of scores around the ___
It measures:

Answer 46

Standard deviation is another measure of VARIANCE & describes the distance of scores around the MEAN
It measures:
How spread out a set of scores is

Question 47

Standard deviation is the ______ ______ of Variance

Answer 47

Square Root

Question 49

Low standard dev = Data points are ______ to the mean

Answer 49

CLOSER

Question 50

High Standard Dev = Data points are ____ from mean

Answer 50

FAR

Question 51

Label standard deviation (1 - 3) in normal distributions & state the corresponding percentages

Answer 51

In a normal distribution, approximately 68% of the scores are within one standard deviation (SD), 95% are within 2 SD, and 99.7% are within 3 SD from the mean, as illustrated in the image.

Question 52

Inferential statistics play a crucial role in research by

Answer 52

helping researchers determine if their hypothesis can be supported and their findings can be applied to a larger population.

Question 53

Researchers seek at least 95% assurance that their hypothesis can be supported, often indicated by a P value of .05 or less. This value serves as the threshold for statistical significance, indicating how likely it is that the obtained results occurred by chance.

Question 54

In statistics, a p-value (probability value) helps determine the significance of your results in a hypothesis test. It measures the probability of obtaining the observed results, or more extreme results, if the null hypothesis is true.

Key points about the p-value:
Low p-value (typically ≤ 0.05): Indicates that the observed results are unlikely under the null hypothesis, leading researchers to reject the null hypothesis and conclude there may be a statistically significant effect or difference.
High p-value (> 0.05): Suggests that the observed results are consistent with the null hypothesis, meaning there isn’t enough evidence to reject it.

Question 55

T-Test in Inferential Statistics

In inferential statistics, a t-test is a hypothesis test used to determine if there is a significant difference between the means of two groups. It is commonly used when a small sample size (typically less than 30) is used to compare the means of two groups to see if they are statistically different from each other.

There are different types of t-tests, including:

Independent Samples T-Test: Used when comparing the means of two independent groups.
Paired Samples T-Test: Used when comparing the means of two related groups.
One-Sample T-Test: Used when comparing the mean of a single group to a known value.
The t-test calculates a t-statistic, then compares it to a critical value from a t-distribution to determine if the difference between the groups’ means is statistically significant. It helps researchers make inferences about the population based on sample data.