Intro to Biostats in Epi Flashcards
- Cite and describe the 3 attributes of study variables (data).
Order/magnitude
Consistency of scale / equal distances
Rational Absolute Zero
- Cite and describe the 3 levels/categories of data measurement
Nominal: dichotomous and non-ranked named categories
Ordinal: ordered, ranked categories
Interval: equal-distance numerical scales / units
Describe the difference between Ratio and Interval measurements of data. Give and example of each type of data measurement level
Ratio and Interval are nearly Identical, however Interval does NOT have a value that represents an “absolute zero”, while ratio data does
Ratio data example: “how much money do you earn per hour? (zero dollars = absolute zero)
Interval data example: “what is the temperature outside each day in December?” (zero degrees is NOT absolute zero bc it does not represent the absence of temperature)
All statistical tests are based off of the ____ _ ____of the data that is being compared
level of measurement
Compare and contrast the terms “discrete” and “continuous”as they relate to data measurement levels
discrete refers to Nominal and ordinal levels of data measurements
Continuous refers to the “equal distance in numerical scales” between categories in both interval and ratio levels of data measurement
You ____ go down in the specificity/detail of data measurement level, however you ____ go back up in specificity/detail.
Can
Cannot
researchers accept or dont accept the null hypothesis based on ____ _____.
statistical analysis
What data measurement level does a classic pain scale that is commonly used in healthcare settings, fall under?
Ordinal
The _______ level of data measurement is NEVER given in ranges, there will always be concrete numerical values
Interval/Ratio
True or False: Nominal data will not be given in categories because nominal data is always given in a dichotomous manner. Explain your answer
False
Nominal data can still be given in an unlimited number of categories, the categories simply cannot have any type of order or magnitude in relation to one another (hair color is a good example of this bc there is no magnitude amongst the categories)
Dichotomously recorded data is an indicator for Nominal data, however that does not mean that all nominal data MUST only have 2 categories
give the definitions of Mean, Median, and Mode. explain the effect that an outlier would have on their value.
Mean: the average of the data (outliers affect the mean)
Median: the calculated “middle” of the data range (outliers affect the median)
Mode: the most repeated number in the data range (outliers DO NOT affect this)
Describe what the IQR of a data set is
IQR = Interquartile Range
the middle 50% of the data values
25% on either side of the median
What 2 calculated values describe the dispersion/spread of a data set?
Variance and Standard Deviation
Define Variance and Standard Deviation
Variance: the average of the squared-differences in each individual measurement value and the group’s mean
Standard Deviation: (SD) 68%, 95%, and 99.7% are 1, 2, and 3 deviations of a data set respectively
State how to determine a positively or negatively skewed data set using graphs OR given values
Positively skewed: When the mean is greater than the median OR a graph with a tail pointing to the right
Negatively skewed: When the mean is less than the median OR a graph with a tail pointing to the left
True or False: a positive skewness value means that the data set is positively skewed. explain
False
the value being positive determines that there is a type of skew of the data set, however you would have to graph the data/interpret it’s mean and median values in order to determine if the skew is positive or negative
Compare and contrast skewness value and kurtosis
Skewness: a measure of the asymmetry of a distribution
A perfectly normal distribution (ideal bell curve) would have a skewness value of 0
Kurtosis: a measure of the extent to which observations cluster around the mean
A perfectly normal distribution (ideal bell curve) would have a kurtosis value of 0
Describe what positive and negative kurtosis values indicate
Positive Kurtosis: means there is a more dramatic clustering presentation of the data
Negative Kurtosis: means there is a less dramatic clustering presentation of the data