Descriptive statistics

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30 Terms

1
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What is meant by desciptive statistics?

The use of graphs, tables and summary statistics to identify trends and analyse sets of data.

2
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What is meant by measures of central tendency?

The general term for any measure of the average value in a set of data?

3
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What do measures of central tendency include?

The mean, median and mode.

4
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What is the mean?

The arithmetic average.

5
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How is the mean calculated?

By adding up all the values in a set of data and diving by the number of vales there are.

6
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What are the strengths of the mean?

  • The most sensitive - includes all the values of the data set within its calculation.

  • More representatove of the data as a whole.

7
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What are the limitations of the mean?

  • Easily distored by mean scores.

8
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When is most appropriate to use the mean?

When there are no extreme values.

9
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What is the median?

The central value un a set of data when values are arranged from lowest to highest.

10
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What are the strengths of the median?

  • Easily identified.

  • Unaffected by extreme scores.

  • Easy to calculate.

11
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What are the limitations of the median?

  • Not all scores are included.

  • Less representative.

12
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When is it most appropriate to use the median?

When dealing with wode ranges and extreme values.

13
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What is the mode?

The most frequently occuring value in a set of data.

14
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What is it called when there are two modes?

Bi-modal.

15
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What are the strengths of the mode?

  • Easy to caluculate.

  • Useful when data is in categories.

16
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What are the limitations of the mode?

  • Not useful when there are many modes.

  • Not representatove of the data as a whole - overly simple.

17
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When is is most appropriate to use the mode?

With categories.

18
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What is meant by measures of dispersion?

How far scores vary and differ from one another.

19
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What do measures of dispersion include?

The range and standard deviation.

20
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What is range?

A simple calculation of the spread of scores.

21
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How is the range calculated?

Taking the lowest value from the highest value and (usually) adding one.

22
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Why is 1 added to the range?

It is a matematical correctcion that allows for the fact that raw scores are often rounded when they are recorded for research.

23
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What are the strengths of the range?

  • Easy to calculate.

24
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What are the limitations of the range?

  • Only takes into account the two most extreme values - may be unrepresentative of the data set as a whole.

25
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When is it most appropriate to use the range?

To describe the set of data.

26
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What is standard deviation?

A single value that tells us how far scores deviate from the mean.

27
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What does a large standard deviation indicate?

A greater spread between the data.

28
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What does a low standard deviation indicate?

Data that is more tightly clustered.

29
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What are the strengths of standard deviation?

  • More precise than the range.

  • Includes all values in the final calculation.

30
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What are the limitations of standard deviation?

  • Can be distorted by extreme values.