Statistics: Descriptive vs Inferential
Page 1 — Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics
- Descriptive statistics: organize and summarize data using numerical summaries, tables, and graphs. Common in media and everyday reporting.
- Inferential statistics: use results from a sample to make inferences about a population; assess reliability and confidence of those results.
- Key idea: descriptive describes the data you have; inferential generalizes to a population (generalizability).