Lecture 1 Flashcards
descriptive statistics = ?
used to summarise the characteristics of a sample or dataset
e.g., mean, standard deviation, range
inferential statistics = ?
employs techniques to relate variables in a dataset
e.g.. correlation, regression
what can inferential statistics be used for?
to estimate forecasts or infer causality
what does descriptive statistics focus on?
directly focuses on summarising and presenting data
how is descriptive statistics portrayed?
tables, charts etc. to portray the data
what is descriptive statistics used for?
summarising a dataset
what two parts are descriptive data usually divided into?
measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode)
measures of variability (standard deviation, variance, range)
what does inferential data deal with?
the selection and use of sample data to produce information
population = ?
the set of all the elements of interest in a particular study
parameter = ?
a summary measure for a population
sample = ?
a subset of the population
statistic = ?
a summary measure for a sample
what is probability?
the study of likelihood or chance
the connection between descriptive & inferential statistics
what are statistics good for?
- describing a complex world
- forecasting trends
- capturing relationships
- informing decision making & policy
- evaluating decisions & policies
