Social Statistics Flashcards

get an A in Social Statistics

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1
Q

a set of procedures used by social scientists to organize, summarize, and communicate numerical information

A

statistics

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2
Q

information represented by numbers, which can be the subject of statistical analysis

A

data

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3
Q

research process

A

a set of activities in which scientists engage to answer questions, examine ideas, or test theories

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4
Q

five stages of the research process

A
  1. asking the research question
  2. forming the hypothesis
  3. collecting data
  4. analyzing data
  5. evaluating the hypothesis
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5
Q

empirical research

A

research based on evidence that can be verified by using our direct experience

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6
Q

theory

A

a set of assumptions and propositions used to explain, predict, and understand social phenomenon

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7
Q

hypothesis

A

a statement predicting the relationship between two or more observable attributes

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8
Q

variable

A

a property of people or objects that takes on two or more values

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9
Q

unit of analysis

A

the object of research, such as individuals, groups, organizations or social artifacts

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10
Q

dependent variable

A

the variable to be explained, the effect

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11
Q

independent variable

A

the variable expected to count for (the cause f) the dependent variable

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12
Q

nominal level of measurement

A

numbers or other symbols are assigned to a set of categories for the purpose of naming, labeling, or classifying the observations

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13
Q

there should be enough categories composing the variables to classify every observation

A

exhaustive

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13
Q

can nominal categories be rank-ordered?

A

no

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14
Q

there is only one category suitable for each observation

A

mutually exclusive

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15
Q

ordinal level of measurement

A

numbers are assigned to rank order categories. ranging from low to high or high to low.

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16
Q

interval-ratio level of measurement

A

measurement for all cases are expressed in the same units and equally spaced. Interval- ratio values can be rank ordered.

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17
Q

Dichotomous Varaible

A

a variable that has only two values

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18
Q

Number of Children per family is an example of a continuous or discrete variable?

A

discrete

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19
Q

variables that do not have a minimum sized unit of measurement. their range of values can be subdivided into increasingly smaller fractional values.

A

continuous variables

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20
Q

variables with a minimum sized unit of measurement that can not be subdivided.

A

discrete variables

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21
Q

Length is an example of continuous or discrete variable?

A

continuous

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22
Q

population

A

the total set of of individuals, objects, groups, or events in which a researcher is interested.

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23
Q

sample

A

a subset of cases selected from a population

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24
Q

population

A

the process of identifying and selecting a subset of a population for study

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25
Q

descriptive statistics

A

procedures that help us organize and describe data collected from either a sample or a population

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26
Q

inferential statistics

A

the logic and procedures concerned with making predictions or inferences about a population based on observations and analysis of a sample.

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27
Q

what are two overarching sets of questions we ask in social statistics?

A

How do social arrangements affect the human condition?

How do humans influence these social arrangements?

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28
Q

The process of making appropriate empirical observations or
measurements.

A

social research

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29
Q

what is the purpose of social research?

A

test theories or gain sufficient knowledge about some portion of reality so that you can theorize about it.

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30
Q

numerical information collected for research purposes

A

data

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31
Q

data that has been carefully and systematically collected

A

empirical data

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32
Q

a commitment to exploring data rather than proving or disproving a certain concept.

A

value neutrality

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33
Q

Mark Twain said There are three kinds of lies:

A

Lies, damn lies and statistics

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34
Q

logical groupings of attributes (something that varies)

A

variables

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35
Q

the number or category that a score can have

A

value

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36
Q

a particular person’s value on a variable

A

score

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37
Q

the variable to be explained (the effect)

A

dependent variable

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38
Q

the variable expected to account for the dependent variable (the cause)

A

independent variable

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39
Q

what variable is always the property you are trying to explain? That is always the object of research?

A

dependent variable

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40
Q

Social scientists begin studies with (_________________________ ) and
then investigate using empirical evidence

A

questions

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41
Q

an explanation of how things relate to eachother

A

theory

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42
Q

a statement about the relationship between variables that is specific and exact

A

hypothesis

43
Q

hypothesis that suggests there is no relationship between the
variables under study.

A

null hypothesis

44
Q

What are the 3 criteria for causality?

A
  1. A statistical correlation between the two
    variables.
  2. The cause takes place before the effect in time order.
  3. There is no third variable that can explain the observed correlation as false
45
Q

spurious

A

false

46
Q

a relationship between variables that is not genuine, or is a coincidence

A

spurious

47
Q

ecological fallacy

A

assuming something learned about an ecological
unit says something about the individuals in the unit

48
Q

drawing inferences about groups using evidence about individuals.

A

reductionistic fallacy

49
Q

inference

A

a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence

50
Q

Σ

A

Upper Case Sigma
Means you should add up the sum of all the variables

51
Q

Y

A

represents the score of a variable

52
Q

ΣY 2

A

the sum of squared scores

53
Q

(ΣY)2

A

the sum of scores squared

54
Q

3(4)

A

multiply 3 x 4

55
Q

(5)6

A

multiply 5x6

56
Q

(4)(2)

A

multiply 4x2

57
Q

9∗ 6

A

multiply 9x 6

58
Q

4 /6

A

divide 4 by 6

59
Q

(≠)

A

not equal to

60
Q

>

A

greater than

61
Q

<

A

less than

62
Q

A

greater than or equal to

63
Q

A

less than or equal to

64
Q

P

A

proportion

65
Q

f

A

frequency

66
Q

N

A

total number of cases in a catagory

67
Q

rules of precedence

A

solve all squares and square roots first,
then multiplication and division,
and, finally, all addition and subtraction from left to
right

68
Q

Do you solve an expression with parentheses or brackets first ?

A

parentheses

69
Q

turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations

A

operationalize

70
Q

variable that has a category of measurement that can be infinitetly devided

A

continuous variable

71
Q

variable that has a category of measurement that are countable and indivisible

A

discrete variable

72
Q

dummy variable

A

has only two categories

73
Q

a curve, you fold it in half it is the same

A

symmetrical

74
Q

a curve that has a single peak in the center

A

unimodal

75
Q

where do the mean median and mode reside on a curve?

A

in the middle

76
Q

a line that gets closer and closer to a curve as the distance gets closer to infinity.

A

asymptotic

77
Q

information acquired by scientists through experimentation and observation

A

empirical data

78
Q

the number that occurs most often in a data set

A

mode

79
Q

the middle value when a data set is ordered from least to greatest

A

median

80
Q

average found by adding all numbers in the data set and then dividing by the number of values in the set

A

the mean

81
Q

a relationship between two events, or variables, in which one event or process causes an effect on the other event or process

A

causality

82
Q

the three criteria for causality

A

time order
correlation
non spuriousness.

83
Q

time order

A

the cause takes place before the effect

84
Q

Relationship between two variables that is not due to variation in a third variable.

A

non spuriousness.

85
Q

a coincidence caused by a third variable, relationships between variables that arent’ genuine

A

spurious

86
Q

the level of social life on which the research focuses.

A

unit of analysis

87
Q

individuals, groups, organizations, and geographic sections are all

A

units ofanalysis

88
Q

when we take information obtained at a higher level and apply it down to a lower level.

A

ecological phallacy

89
Q

dependability or consistency of a measure. (if you repeat a survey you should get consistent results)

A

reliability

90
Q

refers to how well the measure is an accurate representation, the concept one to capture

A

validity

91
Q

_____________ statistics analyze samplings to make predictions about larger populations
measures we use to make inferences about the population from which we drew our sample

A

inferential

92
Q

computations of statistics that describe the characteristics of a sample or the relationships among variables in a sample

A

descriptive

93
Q

the number of observations in each category of a variable

A

frequency

94
Q

P= f
____
N

A

porportion

95
Q

N

A

total number of cases

96
Q

a relative frequency obtained by dividing the frequency in each category by the total number of cases and multiplying by 100

A

percentage

97
Q

Numbers that describe
what is typical or
average (central) in a distribution

A

central tendency

98
Q

Numbers
that describe
diversity or
variability in the distribution

A

measures of variability

99
Q

an idea of how the scores
are scattered around the distribution

A

dispersion

100
Q

an idea of how the scores
are scattered around the distribution

A

IQV
index of qualatative variation

101
Q

A quick (but rough) measure of variability
It is the difference between the highest and
lowest scores in the distribution

A

range

102
Q

R = highest score in the distribution - lowest score in the distribution.
what is r?

A

range

103
Q

a measurement of the spread between numbers in a data set.

A

variance

104
Q

A measure of variability that we obtain by
summing the squared deviations from the
mean, dividing by N, and then taking the
square root
 Allows us to present a meaningful
measurement (in relation to variance which is
presented in units squared)

A

standard deviation