Lecture on Statistics

These flashcards cover key concepts and definitions from statistics as taught in the lecture to prepare for the upcoming exam.

What defines statistics according to Agresti and Franklin?

Statistics is the art and science of learning from data; its ultimate goal is to translate data into knowledge and understanding.

What are the key steps in the process of statistical problem solving?

The steps are: 1. Formulation of a statistical question, 2. Collecting data, 3. Analyzing data, 4. Interpreting results.

What is the difference between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics?

Descriptive statistics summarizes data, whereas inferential statistics makes predictions or inferences about a population based on a sample.

What is a population in statistics?

A population refers to the entire group that is being studied.

What is a sample in statistics?

A sample is a subset of the population used to represent the larger group.

What are categorical variables?

Categorical variables are variables that can be placed into distinct categories.

What is the purpose of random sampling?

Random sampling aims to ensure that every individual has an equal chance of being selected to obtain a representative sample.

Define the term 'outlier' in a statistical context.

An outlier is a data point that differs significantly from other observations, potentially indicating variability in the measurement or a novel phenomenon.

How does the concept of variability relate to statistical analysis?

Variability refers to how spread out the values in a data set are and is a key aspect in understanding data distribution.

What does a z-score represent in statistics?

A z-score indicates how many standard deviations an element is from the mean.

What is the gambler’s fallacy?

The gambler's fallacy is the belief that past independent random events can influence the probabilities of future events.

What does sensitivity mean in diagnostic testing?

Sensitivity is the probability that a test correctly identifies a condition when it is present.

What does specificity mean in diagnostic testing?

Specificity is the probability that a test correctly identifies the absence of a condition when it is indeed absent.

What is conditional probability?

Conditional probability is the likelihood that an event occurs given that another event has already occurred.