Lecture 1 - Key Terms Flashcards
Which term describes the properties of something that can change/take on different values?
Variables
Which term describes the properties of something that can only take the same value?
Constants
What is the name given to a complete set of scores?
Population
What is the name given to scores from a subset of the population?
Sample
Which number summarises the entire set of scores in a population?
Parameter
Which number summarises the scores in a sample?
Statistic
Which type of statistics describe data using numerical or graphical techniques?
Descriptive Statistics
Which type of statistics allow us to evaluate evidence for a hypothesis and draw conclusions about a population based on an analysis of a sample?
Inferential Statistics
we use statistics to infer parameters
A table that shows every score collected in a sample and the number of times each score occurred is known as a what?
Frequency Distribution
Bar plots with data presented in “bins” or “intervals” are known as what?
Histograms
A distribution with one major peak is called…
Unimodal
A distribution with two major peaks is called…
Bimodal
A distribution with multiple major peaks is called…
Multimodal
The shape of a normally distributed set of scores is described as being…
Approximately symmetrical
The shape of a distribution with a tail to the left is described as being…
Negatively skewed
The shape of a distribution with a tail to the right is described as being…
Positively skewed
An individual value for a variable is called a…
Score
Quantitative data (values/scores on a numerical scale) is known as…
Measurement data
Frequency or count data (the number of things in a class/category) is known as…
Categorical data
What are the 4 levels of measurement?
Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio
Which level of measurement would be used to measure gender?
Nominal
Which level of measurement would be used to measure reaction time?
Ratio
Which level of measurement would be used to measure temperature?
Interval
Which level of measurement would be used to measure rank?
Ordinal
Which level of measurement would be used to measure age?
Ratio
Which level of measurement would be used to measure weight?
Ratio
Which level of measurement would be used to measure height?
Ratio
Which level of measurement would be used to measure sell-by date?
Interval
Which level of measurement would be used to collect data about ethnicity?
Nominal
Which level of measurement would be used to record answers to a questionnaire that are either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’?
Nominal
Which 2 levels of measurement can be classed as Categorical Data?
Nominal and (sometimes) Ordinal
Which 3 levels of measurement are classed as Measurement Data?
Interval, Ratio and (sometimes) Ordinal
Data that have a fixed set of possible values are called…
Discrete data
Data with scores that can have any value between the highest-lowest possible scores are called…
Continuous data
Which levels of measurement can be discrete data?
Any. Nominal, Ordinal, Interval and Ratio
Which levels of measurement can be continuous data?
Interval and Ratio
When can an interval measurement be classed as a ratio measurement?
When there is a naturally occurring true zero
Which word refers to the rules and procedures that reduce large masses of data to manageable proportions and allow us to draw conclusions from those data?
Statistics
What is the name given to the result of an arithmetical or algebraic manipulation of data in a sample?
A Statistic
Why is it important to aim to collect data from a truly random sample of a population?
Because a random sample is a more accurate reflection of a population than a sample of convenience.
What are some important ways in which the field of statistics has changed over time?
A movement towards:
- the meaningfulness of a result
- combining the results of multiple studies
- computer-based calculations
Our ability to draw meaningful conclusions based on a sample statistic depends, in part, on the _______ of our sample.
variability
In an ideal situation, our sample should be a _______ sample from some population.
random
A random sample is one in which ____________.
every member of a population has an equal chance to be included
Lists three things that partly determine the specific analysis that we will use to analyse a data set.
- Data type
- Number of groups/variables
- Differences vs Relationships
A scheme for distinguishing and choosing among statistical procedures is called a ______________.
Decision tree
