PYB110 Study Guide - Final Guide: Standard Score, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Inference
24 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
Where descriptive statistics are used to describe data, inferential statistics are what we use to make inferences about the data and make decisions. The aim of research is to determine the truth", for example if a theory reflects reality and whether or not a procedure is really effective. Inferential statistics help us achieve this and do so with the help of probability. Probability essentially assessed the expected frequency of something and is based on the likelihood of outcomes. Probabilities are calculated as the proportion of successful outcomes and can range from 0 : a p = 0 is something that could never happen. In research it is common to see p < . 05 (probability is less than/equal to 5%). It is very unlikely that events would have a p < . 01 (or less than/equal to 1%). First, we need to identify all possible outcomes and then we need to know how likely it is that a particular outcome will occur.
