PSYC1010 Chapter 1 – Textbook Notes
Ch1: Introduction to Statistics
1.1 Statistics, Science, and Observations
Statistics
Consists of facts and figures
o Like the avg. annual snowfall in Toronto
Involves gathering info
o After, we find ourselves with a lot of info like preferences, personality scores, etc.
2 General Purposes
o Statistics are used to organize and summarize info. so, the researcher can see
what happened in the research study and can communicate the results to others
o Statistics help researchers answer questions that initiated the research by
determining exactly what general conclusions are justified based on the specific
results that were obtained.
Statistics Definition
o Refers to a set of mathematical procedures for organizing, summarizing, and
interpreting information.
Populations and Samples
Population
o The set of all the individuals of interest in a particular study
o Usually very large
Which is why they uses samples
Sample
o A set of individuals selected from a population, usually
intended to represent the population in a research study
o Goal is to generalize the results back to the entire population
Variables and Data
Variable
o A characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different
individuals
o Examples of characteristics
Height, weight, gender
o Examples of environmental conditions
Temperature, time of day, size of room
Data (Plural)
o Measurements or observations
Data Set
o A collection of measurements or observations
Datum (Singular)
o A single measurement or observation
o Commonly called a score or raw score
Parameters and Statistics
Parameter
o A value, usually a numerical value, that describes a population
Ch1: Introduction to Statistics
1.1 Statistics, Science, and Observations
Statistics
Consists of facts and figures
o Like the avg. annual snowfall in Toronto
Involves gathering info
o After, we find ourselves with a lot of info like preferences, personality scores, etc.
2 General Purposes
o Statistics are used to organize and summarize info. so, the researcher can see
what happened in the research study and can communicate the results to others
o Statistics help researchers answer questions that initiated the research by
determining exactly what general conclusions are justified based on the specific
results that were obtained.
Statistics Definition
o Refers to a set of mathematical procedures for organizing, summarizing, and
interpreting information.
Populations and Samples
Population
o The set of all the individuals of interest in a particular study
o Usually very large
Which is why they uses samples
Sample
o A set of individuals selected from a population, usually
intended to represent the population in a research study
o Goal is to generalize the results back to the entire population
Variables and Data
Variable
o A characteristic or condition that changes or has different values for different
individuals
o Examples of characteristics
Height, weight, gender
o Examples of environmental conditions
Temperature, time of day, size of room
Data (Plural)
o Measurements or observations
Data Set
o A collection of measurements or observations
Datum (Singular)
o A single measurement or observation
o Commonly called a score or raw score
Parameters and Statistics
Parameter
o A value, usually a numerical value, that describes a population
