PSYCH 240 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Statistical Inference, Descriptive Statistics, Human Hair Color
12 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Descriptive statistics: we describe data from our sample. Inferential statistics: we use data from our sample to draw inferences about the larger population. Order of things: collect data, use descriptive statistics to summarize the data, use inferential statistics to draw inferences about the population. Individuals: the things we are measuring which make up our sample - not just people. Variables: the properties of individuals that we are interested in. Two basic types: quantitative/numerical: numbers and values, ex: height. 1: discrete: can only take whole values (no fractions/decimals) Sometimes a variable looks discrete because of the way we"re measuring, but is actually continuous. Interval: a difference between scores of a given amount always means the same thing, ex: temperature. 2: ratio, you can interpret the differences between values, there"s a meaningful zero point, ex: how much money is in your pocket, categorical: does not have numbers as values, ex: hair color.
