Psychology 2810 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Statistical Parameter, Point Estimation, Sampling Distribution

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2810
• Professor: Stephen Lupker

Document Summary

A point estimator of a population parameter is a rule or formula that tells us how to use the sample data to calculate a single number that can be used as an estimate of the population parameter. Qualities of a good estimator: 1. If the sampling distribution of a sample statistic ( ") has a mean equal to the population parameter ( ) that the statistic is intended to estimate, the stat is said to be an unbiased estimate of the parameter. If the mean of the sampling distribution is not equal to the parameter, the statistic is said to be a biased estimate of the parameter. As n gets bigger, 2/ gets smaller, meaning it also gets closer to as n gets bigger. X1 can only be chosen once and always has the same variance. V2 more consistent as n increases: 3. Uses all available information in the sample.