Lecture #1 (Introduction) Flashcards
Why do we use statistics in geography?
To categorize the population
What are the 7 types of data classifications?
(CUTBONI) Useless, nominal, binary, ordinal, count, time, interval
What are the levels of measurement?
(NOIR) Nominal, ordinal, cardinal interval, cardinal ratio
Useless data is
Data that has no meaning (SIN #)
Nominal data is
Discrete data that does have a relationship with the outcome but is not inferred (nationality)
Binary data is
Discrete data with two catagories
Ordinal data is
A ranking system
Count data is
How many (population)
Time data is
Time related data (GDP)
What is the difference between explicit and implicit data?
Explicit data is data that has a location aspect analyzed such as dead tree patterns in a forest. Implicit data has no direct locational aspect such as age of houses and their assessed value
What is the difference between individual and aggregate data?
Individual data is when the data is of a single phenomena (height of a tree)
Aggregate data is when the data is a summary of a location or place (average height of a tree in BC)
What is the difference between individual and aggregate data?
Individual data is when the data is of a single phenomena (height of a tree)
Aggregate data is when the data is a summary of a location or place (average height of a tree in BC)
What is the modifiable area unit problem?
How data is aggregated or divided up yields differing results
What is the ecological fallacy?
The ecologoical fallacy is when we use large areas to determine the attributes of a smaller area
What does discrete data mean?
Discrete data means that only a certain number of things can exist (trees)
What does continuous data mean?
Continuous data is when the data has an infinite or any value (air pressure)
What is the difference between an explanatory and response variable?
An explanatory variable is when you state the expected cause (We changed the square footage)
A response variable is the thing that has changed after changing the variable (to observe plant growth)
What is group data?
Group data is when you divide data into bins (1-5, 6-10, 11-15)
What is primary and secondary data?
Primary data is when data is from your own research of observations
Secondary data is when the data is from other sources
Meta data is
Data about data (50% of Americans drink alcohol, this study interviewed adults aged 21+)
What is the difference between accuracy and precision?
Accuracy is when the data is correct (Vancouver is north of Seattle)
Precision is how detailed the data is (Vancouver is 90.6km north of Seattle)
What is a systematic error?
An error that occurs within the system of observation, changing the data (The interviewer had an option listed twice)
What is a random error?
A random error is an error that occurs by mistake (the interviewee wrote down the wrong response)
What does an uppercase variable and lowercase variable mean?
A variable that refers to populations is uppercase
A variable that refers to samples is lowercase
What are common sampling strategies?
(SCSCS) Simple random, stratified, cluster, systematic, convenience
What is a simple random sample?
A completely random sample (10 people chosen in Canada)
What is a convenience sample?
A sample based off convenience (Dr. Keller’s class)
What is a systematic sample?
A sample where a system is put in place to choose the participants (every third person)
What is a cluster sample?
A sample where the population is divided into random clusters and then a cluster is chosen
What is a stratified sample?
The population is divided into groups and random people are selected from each group
A sampling error is when
The participants will yield similar answers (asking young people if houses are too expensive)
A selection bias is when
You ask a group that will have a common consensus
A response bias is when
The answer will not be truth-full based of fear (Dentist asking if you floss)
Non-response bias is when
The study is conducted in such a way that annoys people into not answering
Voluntary response bias is what?
People volunteering because they have strong opinions
