Chapter 1: Collecting Data

Flashcards for key vocabulary from Chapter 1: Collecting Data, covering data structure and variable classification.

Statistics

The science of collecting, describing, and analyzing data.

Cases/Units

The subjects or objects that we obtain information about in a dataset.

Variable

A characteristic that is recorded for each case.

Categorical Variable

A variable that divides cases into groups, placing each case into exactly one of two or more categories (e.g., Gender, Household income as Low/Medium/High).

Quantitative Variable

A variable that measures or records a numerical quantity for each case (e.g., GPA, Household income as a specific dollar amount).

Explanatory Variable

A variable that helps us understand or predict values of another variable.

Response Variable

The variable whose values are understood or predicted by an explanatory variable.