PNB 2XE3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Power Law, Psychophysics, Skewness

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
• Course: PNB 2XE3
• Professor: Nikol Piskuric

Document Summary

Intro & chapter 1-3: tells us what the probability of the data is given the theory, stats cannot give the probability that a theory is true, cannot prove a theory. Sampling: random sample means that every element of a population has an equal chance of being included in the sample, variability best represents the population. Includes scales of measurements that relate numbers to stimulus/objects. Scales of measurement: nominal, one or the other (mutually exclusive, cannot quantify the differences (ex. Colours), just categorically different: same or different, ordinal, number place (ex. Race placing: quantitative information, don"t know difference between points, magnitude but not equal intervals. Interval: order of items and intervals between are significant (ex. Stevens power law: perception of pain not on ratio scale like stimulus intensity is. Variables: a variable is a property of an object or event that can take on different values. Random sampling & assignment: more likely to accurately represent variability of the group.