Statistics Chapter 1 - Unit 1.1: Statistical and Critical Thinking Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on the three phases of the statistical process, sampling methods, common analytical pitfalls, and types of significance from Unit 1.1.

Prepare Phase

The initial phase of the statistical process where you understand the context, identify the source of the data, and evaluate the sampling method.

Analyze Phase

The second phase of the statistical process where you graph and explore the data and apply appropriate statistical methods.

Conclude Phase

The final phase of the statistical process where you interpret results in context and determine both statistical significance and practical significance.

Voluntary Response Sample

A sample in which the respondents themselves decide whether to participate, such as internet, mail-in, or telephone call-in polls.

Self-Selection Bias

A flaw inherent to voluntary response samples caused by people with strong opinions being more likely to respond than the general population.

Misleading Conclusions

An analytical pitfall where a technically correct calculation is interpreted incorrectly or does not match what the data actually support.

Loaded Question

A question that contains assumptions or emotionally charged wording designed to push respondents toward a specific answer.

Order of Questions

A pitfall in survey design where earlier questions influence how respondents answer subsequent questions.

Nonresponse

An issue that occurs when a selected individual refuses to respond or is unavailable to participate in a study.

Statistical Significance

A characteristic of a result indicating it is unlikely to have occurred by random chance alone, defined as having a probability of $5\%$ or less of occurring randomly.

Practical Significance

A measure of whether the size of an effect is large enough to matter in real life or justify its practical use.

Data Source Bias

A risk of bias that occurs when a source of data has a special interest in the outcome or stands to benefit from a particular conclusion.