Statistics Unit 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on statistics, sampling, study types, and experiments.

Statistics

The science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data.

Data

Numbers or information that describe or summarize something.

Population

The complete set of people or things being studied in a statistical study.

Population Parameters

Specific numbers describing characteristics of the population.

Sample

A subset of the population from which data are actually obtained.

Raw Data

The actual measurements or observations from the sample.

Sample Statistics

Numbers describing characteristics of the sample derived from summarizing the raw data.

Margin of Error

The range around a sample statistic likely to contain the population parameter.

Confidence Interval

The interval obtained by adding and subtracting the margin of error around the sample statistic; likely to contain the population parameter.

Census

A collection of data from every member of the population.

Representative Sample

A sample whose characteristics mirror those of the population.

Bias

A systematic tendency for a study to favor certain results due to design or conduct.

Simple Random Sampling

A sampling method where every sample of the same size has an equal chance of being selected.

Systematic Sampling

A sampling method that selects members using a fixed interval (e.g., every kth member).

Convenience Sampling

A sampling method where the sample is chosen because it is convenient, not necessarily representative.

Cluster Sampling

Divide the population into clusters, randomly select some clusters, and sample all members within those clusters.

Stratified Sampling

Divide the population into strata (subgroups) and sample from each stratum.

Observational Study

Researchers observe or measure characteristics without attempting to influence them.

Retrospective Study

Uses past data (case-control) to study outcomes.

Prospective Study

Collects data in the future from groups that share common factors (longitudinal).

Experiment

A study where a treatment is applied to some or all subjects and effects are observed.

Treatment

The condition or intervention applied to the treatment group.

Control Group

The group that does not receive the treatment.

Placebo

A fake treatment lacking active ingredients but resembling the real treatment to blind participants.

Placebo Effect

Improvement due to belief in the treatment rather than the treatment itself.

Blinding

A method to prevent bias by concealing group assignment from participants and/or researchers.

Single-Blind

Participants are unaware of their group, but researchers know.

Double-Blind

Neither participants nor researchers know which group participants belong to.

Explanatory Variable

The variable that may explain or cause effects in a study.

Response Variable

The outcome that responds to changes in the explanatory variable.

Confounding Variable

A variable that confuses the assessment by being related to both the explanatory variable and the outcome.