PSYC 2530 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Semen Analysis, Histogram, Frequency Distribution
13 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Methods for obtaining, organizing, summarizing and interpreting data. Notice phenomenon that needs explaining: observe the real world, read other research. Propose an explanation: theory, hypothesis: usually, relationship between two phenomena. Variables: characteristics or conditions that do not have a constant value: evaluating such characteristics, absolutely or completely, requires evaluating every single value in the group, in most cases, this is too difficult, too expensive, or downright impossible. Population: all individuals with a characteristic in common: ex. Canadians, humans, depressed people, women, men born aug. 15 1964 (infinite- finite; true-hypothetical). Sample: a sub-set of a population, represents it. Evaluation based on a sub-group of a population (use subgroup values on target traits to approximate values in the whole population): ex. Canadians in the phone book, women at one church, men born aug. 15 1964 in. Sampling error: naturally occurring and unavoidable difference between a statistic and a parameter.
