Module3-Statistical Reasoning for Everyday Life

MODULE THREE: STATISTICAL REASONING IN EVERYDAY LIFE

• Instructor: Dr. Erica Gelven - PSY1101

STATISTICAL LITERACY

• Definition: Statistics is using mathematical methods to understand numerical information (data).

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

• Purpose: Utilizing statistical methods to provide a simple summary of data.

MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

Definitions:

• Mode:

  • Most frequent data point.

  • Unaffected by extreme values, useful for qualitative data.

  • May have more than one value (multimodal).

• Median:

  • The value that divides ranked data points into halves, where 50% of the data is larger and 50% smaller.

  • May not exist as a data point in the set.

  • Influenced by the position of items, but not their value.

• Mean:

  • Calculated as ( X = \frac{Σx}{N} ) where ( Σx ) is the sum of all data points and ( N ) is the number of data points.

  • The most stable measure of central tendency.

  • Sensitive to extreme values and may not exist as a data point.

MEASURES OF VARIATION

• Range:

  • Difference between the highest and lowest values in the data set.

• Standard Deviation:

  • Measures the variation or dispersion of the data around the mean.

• Normal Curve:

  • Bell-shaped curve that represents the distribution of a dataset.

AGE OF NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS

Statistics:

• Sample data on Age (e.g., 200, 1.35, 150, 125, 100, 75, 50)

• Range: Difference between the maximum and minimum age of winners.

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS

• Definition: Using statistical methods to interpret data meaningfully.

STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• Description: A statistical statement reflecting how likely it is that a result occurred by chance.