SOCECOL 13 Study Guide - Final Guide: Stratified Sampling, Standard Deviation, Test Statistic
7 Jun 2018
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SE13 FINAL VOCAB
Study Guide
Chapter 1:
- statistics = numbers measured for some purpose or a collection of procedures & principles for
gaining & analyzing information in order to help people make decisions when faced with
uncertainty
- data = a plural word referring to a collection of numbers or other pieces of information to which
meaning has been attached
- descriptive statistics = produces a number or a figure that summarizes or describes a set of data
- inferential statistics = measures a sample to reach conclusions about a larger, unmeasured
population
- population (or universe or census) = the larger group from which people or objects in a study
are chosen; entire collection of units that we are researching
- sample = people or objects in a study; collection of units that are measured or obtained
- unit = a single individual or object to be measured
- representative sample = reflects the larger group for which conclusions are to be drawn;
researchers must ensure a large enough sample
- observational study = a study in which we merely observe things about our sample
- randomized experiment = a study in which we randomly assign people to one of two groups
(control & treatment)
- random assignment = a way of determining group membership for each person in a study
randomly
Chapter 3:
- open question = a survey question in which respondents are allowed to answer in their own
words
- closed question = a survey question in which they are given a list of alternatives from which to
choose their answer
- deliberate bias = when survey questions are worded in such a way to elicit a desired answer;
wording indicates a desired answer
- unintentional bias = when survey questions are worded in such a way that the meaning is
misinterpreted by a large percentage of respondents; same word can have multiple
meanings
- desire to please = most respondents have a desire to please the person asking the question; tend
to understate responses about undesirable social habits + overstate desirable ones
- asking the uninformed = people do not like to admit they don’t know what you are talking
about
- unnecessary complexity = if questions are to be understood, they must be kept simple
- ordering of questions = the order in which questions are presented can change the results
- confidentiality = researcher promises not to release identifying information about respondents
- anonymity = researcher doesn’t know identity of respondents
- categorical (nominal) variables = variables that we can place into a category but that may not
have any logical ordering
- ordinal = variables we can place into categories that have a natural ordering
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- measurement (quantitative) variables = variables for which we can record a numerical value &
then order respondents according to those values
- interval variable = a measurement variable in which it makes sense to talk about differences,
but not about ratios
- ratio variable = a measurement variable that has a meaningful value of zero
- discrete variable = a variable for which you could actually count the possible responses
- continuous variable = a variable that can be anything within a given interval
- valid measurement = a measurement that actually measures what it claims to measure
- reliable measurement = a measurement that will give you or anyone else approx. the same
results time after time when taken on the same object or individual
- biased measurement = a measurement that is systematically off the mark in the same direction
- variability = the concept that measurements are likely to differ from one time to the next or
from one individual to the next because of unpredictable errors, discrepancies, or natural
differences that are not readily explained
- measurement error = the amount by which each measurement differs from the true value
- natural variability = variability that results from changes across time in the system being
measured
Chapter 4:
- sample survey = a process in which a subgroup, or sample, of a large population is questioned
on a set of topics
- experiment = measures the effect of manipulating the environment in some way
- randomized experiment = an experiment in which the manipulation is assigned to participants
on a random basis
- explanatory variable = the feature in an experiment being manipulated
- outcome (response) variable = the result of an experiment
- observational study = the manipulation occurs naturally rather than being imposed by the
experimenter
- case-control study = an observational study that includes an appropriate control group
- meta-analysis = a quantitative review of a collection of studies all done on a similar topic
- case study = an in-depth examination of one or a small number of individuals
- sampling frame = list of units from which the sample is chosen; ideally includes the whole
population
- census = a survey in which the entire population is measured
- simple random sampling = a sample in which every conceivable group of people of the required
size has the same chance of being in the selected sample
- probability sampling plan = a sampling plan in which everyone in the population must have a
specified chance of making it into the sample
- margin of error = the measure of accuracy of a sample survey
- strata = natural groups of population units
- stratified random sample = a sample in which units are collected by first dividing the
population of units into groups (strata) & then taking a simple random sample from each
- cluster sampling = a sampling method in which population units are divided into groups
(clusters), but rather than sampling within each group, random sample of clusters are
selected & only those clusters are measured
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Statistics = numbers measured for some purpose or a collection of procedures & principles for. Data = a plural word referring to a collection of numbers or other pieces of information to which. Descriptive statistics = produces a number or a figure that summarizes or describes a set of data. Inferential statistics = measures a sample to reach conclusions about a larger, unmeasured. Population (or universe or census) = the larger group from which people or objects in a study. Sample = people or objects in a study; collection of units that are measured or obtained. Unit = a single individual or object to be measured. Representative sample = reflects the larger group for which conclusions are to be drawn; Observational study = a study in which we merely observe things about our sample. Randomized experiment = a study in which we randomly assign people to one of two groups.
