SES - Creating and Understanding Data Flashcards
Why are figures/graphs important in SES?
They are visual representations of results which help interpret them.
What do scientists do so that everyone understands quickly?
Follow conventions.
Use common language.
Communicate trends.
Example of a convention to follow?
Avoid misleading interpretations e.g. blown up axis to make small differences look bigger.
Should you avoid presenting the same date twice via e.g. a pie chart and bar graph?
Yes.
Where should you present data when there’s less than 4 numbers?
In text.
Where should you present data if there’s between 4 and 20 numbers?
In a table.
Where should you present data if there’s >20 numbers?
In a graph.
How to make tables/figures understandable without reference to the text?
Clear title.
Explain abbreviations.
Example of how to show organisation/consistency/coherence in your data?
Ensure graphs/figures are consistently labelled in a recognisable style e.g. males in blue bars, females in red.
Why must you refer to the table of figures within text and explain what major points the reader must look for?
Tables and figures supplement the text.
Way of summarising data through a table?
Means and standard deviations presented at the end of a column.
Independent variable?
The variable which the experimenter manipulates e.g. allocating participants to either drug or placebo conditions.
Dependent variable?
The variable which is assumed to be directly affected by the independent variable e.g. drug/placebo use (IV) and changes in anxiety levels (DV).
Which axis is time typically on?
X-axis.
Where should table titles be located?
Above the table.
What should all columns have in a table?
Headings.
What should a table presenting data be based on?
A convention.
How can tables be clearly/simply laid out?
Clear row and column titles with units where appropriate.
What should an SES table not possess?
Vertical lines.
Where should horizontal lines be on an SES table?
Between the table title and column headings.
Between the column headings and main body of the table.
After the main body of the table.
Where should you present the most exciting or significant findings?
In a graph.
Where should you present routine data?
In a table.
What are scatter plots typically used for?
In relationships between two dependent variables.
What do line graphs typically represent?
Change in dependent variables over time.
What do bar graphs typically represent?
Data where the independent variable is categorical.
What do pie charts typically represent?
Proportions of data.
‘Law of four’ for displaying data in figures/graphs?
- ) Axes labelled
- ) Legend/key
- ) Error bars
- ) Figure title at the bottom
What should you avoid when creating a title for figures/graphs?
Redundant words.
Where should the legend be incorporated if included?
Within the figure.
What should the legend relate to in most cases?
The condition tested rather than the variable measure.
What is commonly used to indicate significance?
- / P 0.05
How should axis be presented to waste less space? (e.g. your results show that no one has a VO2max of less than 30)
Start your axis with a number around the lowest value, won’t necessarily be zero.
What do error bars represent?
The standard deviation of the mean.
Where should you present the formula for your lines on a scatter plot?
Within the figure, above/away from the lines.
What do bars represent on a bar graph?
The mean.
What is nominative data?
Classification of categorical variables, that don’t provide any quantitative value e.g. eye colour.
What are pie charts used for?
Nominal data.
How many categories is a pie chart typically around?
5.
Which category on a pie chart should you make the darkest colour?
The smallest category.
