correct answers
Statistics A set of tools and techniques that is used for describing, organizing, and
interpreting information or data CORRECT ANSWER Example of statistics Number of
students in a particular curriculum speed of problem-solving, or average cost of dinner
CORRECT ANSWER Purpose of statistics Making decisions with incomplete data
CORRECT ANSWER DataA record of an observation or an event such as a test score, grade
in a class, or response time, one! CORRECT ANSWER Data Set A collection of observations
or events such as test scores, grades on a test, or response times CORRECT ANSWER
Descriptive statistics Used to organize and describe the characteristics of a collection of data;
measures of central tendency (CT) and measures of variability CORRECT ANSWER
Inferential statistics Used to make generalizations from a smaller group of subjects (a sample
to a larger group of subjects (a population); won't have access to the entire population
CORRECT ANSWER Population A group of people that have at least one characteristic in
common (All Aggies) CORRECT ANSWER Sample A subset of a population (Certain
subset of Aggies) CORRECT ANSWER Statistic A summarized value of a sample (Avg. Age
of Aggies) CORRECT ANSWER Parameter A summarized value of a population (avg.
age of the entire population of aggies) CORRECT ANSWER Variables A characteristic (of a
person, place, or thing) that takes on different values (Achievement, attitude, knowledge, etc)
CORRECT ANSWER Types of variables Quantitative (Numerical) and Qualitative
(Categorical CORRECT ANSWER Quantitative Variable Represent differing amounts of the
characteristic (Age, intelligence, or run time, etc.) CORRECT ANSWER Qualitative Variable
Represent differing kinds rather than amounts (Gender, marital status, or breed of dog,
etc.) CORRECT ANSWER Continuous Variables Variables that can take on any value
(number of free throws made, GRE score, or number of students in class) CORRECT ANSWER
Discrete Variables Variables that can take of a finite number of values (marital status, gender,
or a year in school) CORRECT ANSWER Dichotomous variableeither male or female
CORRECT ANSWER Univariate Data When a study involved studying only one variable
, (Speed) CORRECT ANSWER Bivariate Data When a study involves studying two
variables simultaneously (Strength and throwing distance) CORRECT ANSWER Purpose four
levels of measurementHelp the research determine what types of statistical analyses are
appropriate for a given set of data CORRECT ANSWER Nominal Scale (Names) Values
merely name the category to which the object under study belongs, interpretations are limited to
statements of kind rather than amount (Italian, Irish...) CORRECT ANSWER Ordinal Scale
Outcomes can be ordered or ranked to reflect differing degrees or amounts of the
characteristic being studied (first vs. second vs. third) Does not give info about the difference
between first and second, second and third CORRECT ANSWER Interval Scale Value
assigned is based on some underlying continuum that has equal intervals (The 2-point difference
between 3 and 5 and 7 and 8, drop in temp from 30C to 10C same as 50C to 30C) (Includes
meas. of aptitude, achievement, or attitude) Social Sciences CORRECT ANSWER Parametric
statistical techniques underlying distributions assumed to be normal CORRECT ANSWER
Ratio Scale Has the same characteristics as the interval scale and also has an absolute zero,
absolute zero implies that there can be an absence of the trait being measured (Height, weight or
light) 0 can be the starting point. CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - X Symbol - What we are
going to be studying (Ex. Age or motivation) CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - ∑
Symbol - "Sum of" CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - ∑X Symbol - "Sum of X"
CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - N Symbol - Number of people in a population CORRECT
ANSWER Symbol - n Symbol - Number of people in a sample CORRECT ANSWER
Symbol - (∑X)"2" Symbol - (Sum of X Quantity) squared CORRECT ANSWER Symbol -
∑(X"2") Symbol - Square each X and then sum it up CORRECT ANSWER Symbol -
X(-above) - M Symbol - Measures of CT - Mean CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - Md - Q"2" -
P50 Symbol - Measures of CT - Median CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - M"2"
Symbol - Measures of CT - Mode CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - SD - S
Symbol - Measures of Variability - Standard Deviation CORRECT ANSWER Symbol
- IQR Symbol - Measures of Variability - Interquartile Range CORRECT ANSWER Symbol
-R Symbol - Measures of Variability - Range CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - S"2" - MS
Symbol - Variants of Means Squared CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - SS
Symbol - Sums of Squares (also variations) CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - Q
Symbol - Quartile CORRECT ANSWER Symbol - P Symbol - Percentile