Graphs and charts:
Table –
Raw scores displayed in columns and rows
o A summary paragraph beneath the table explains the results
Bar chart –
Categories are placed along the x-axis and the frequency along the y-axis
o The height of each column represents the frequency of that item
Histogram –
Bars do not touch each other, data is continuous rather than discrete
o There is a true zero
Line graph –
Frequency on one axis, data on the other axis is continuous
o The line often shows how something changes over time
Scattergram –
Used for correlational analysis, each dot represents one pair of related data
o The data on both axis must be continuous
Distributions –
Normal distribution:
o Symmetrical, bell shaped curve
o Most are in middle area of curve with very few at the extreme ends
o Mean, mode and median all occupy the same mid-point of the curve
Skewed distribution:
o Distributions that lean to one side because most people are either at the
lower or upper end of the distribution
o Positive skew – most distribution is concentrated towards the left of the
graph, mean is higher than mode/median
o Negative skew – most distribution is concentrated towards the right of the
graph, mean is lower than mode/median
Table –
Raw scores displayed in columns and rows
o A summary paragraph beneath the table explains the results
Bar chart –
Categories are placed along the x-axis and the frequency along the y-axis
o The height of each column represents the frequency of that item
Histogram –
Bars do not touch each other, data is continuous rather than discrete
o There is a true zero
Line graph –
Frequency on one axis, data on the other axis is continuous
o The line often shows how something changes over time
Scattergram –
Used for correlational analysis, each dot represents one pair of related data
o The data on both axis must be continuous
Distributions –
Normal distribution:
o Symmetrical, bell shaped curve
o Most are in middle area of curve with very few at the extreme ends
o Mean, mode and median all occupy the same mid-point of the curve
Skewed distribution:
o Distributions that lean to one side because most people are either at the
lower or upper end of the distribution
o Positive skew – most distribution is concentrated towards the left of the
graph, mean is higher than mode/median
o Negative skew – most distribution is concentrated towards the right of the
graph, mean is lower than mode/median
