PYB110 Statistics

Descriptive statistics

information is summarised to be more easily understood

inferential statistics

used to draw conclusions about regularities in data

Variable

a characteristic that can have different values e.g. age, religion, anxiety level

value

a possible number or category that a variable can have

score

a particular persons value on a variable

Categorical (nominal) values

are values that represent distinct categories or groups, rather than numerical measurements. Examples include gender, blood type, or colour

Numeric (quantitive) values

are values that represent measurable quantities and can be expressed as numbers. Examples include age, weight, or income.

Ordinal or rank-order variables

type of numeric value where there are unequal intervals between ranks

Equal interval variables

type of numeric variable where equal intervals are assumed

Ratio variables

type of numeric variable where there is a true zero, indicating the absence of the quantity being measured

Kurtosis

comparing tails with normal distribution

Leptokurtic

tails are thicker than the normal curve

Platykurtic

tails are thinner than normal curve