Learn Before
Define descriptive statistics and identify the two primary categories of quantitative techniques described in the text, including the specific measures associated with each.
Question: Define descriptive statistics and identify the two primary categories of quantitative techniques described in the text, including the specific measures associated with each.
Sample answer: Descriptive statistics are a set of quantitative techniques used to summarize, organize, and visually display data collected from a research sample. The two primary categories described are: (1) measures of central tendency, which describe average scores and include the mean, median, and mode; and (2) measures of dispersion, which indicate how spread apart the scores are and include the range, standard deviation, and variance.
Key points:
- Descriptive statistics are quantitative techniques used to summarize, organize, and visually display sample data.
- Measures of central tendency are used to describe the average scores of a sample.
- Examples of central tendency measures are the mean, median, and mode.
- Measures of dispersion indicate how spread apart the scores are.
- Examples of dispersion measures are the range, standard deviation, and variance.
Rubric: The response must accurately define descriptive statistics as techniques for summarizing, organizing, and displaying sample data. It must also correctly identify the two categories: measures of central tendency (naming mean, median, and mode) and measures of dispersion (naming range, standard deviation, and variance).
0
1
Tags
KPU
Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
Related
Correlation Coefficient
Sample Statistic
Descriptive Statistics in Experimental Research
Descriptive Statistics in Non-Experimental Research
Inferential Statistics
Understanding Descriptive Statistics
Scatterplot
Measures of Central Tendency
Measures of Dispersion
Forms of Statistical Relationship
Mean
Standard Deviation
Bar Graph
Line Graph
What is the primary purpose of using descriptive statistics in psychological research?
Match each category of descriptive statistics with the specific goal it accomplishes when a researcher is summarizing their data.
A researcher finds that a distribution of scores on a memory task is negatively skewed, meaning there are a few extremely low scores that pull the tail of the distribution to the left. Arrange the following measures of central tendency in order from the lowest numerical value to the highest numerical value based on this distribution's shape.
In a psychological study where a distribution of scores is highly skewed by a single extreme outlier, the mean is a more valid descriptive statistic than the median for evaluating the typical performance of the sample.
Measures of dispersion, such as the standard deviation and variance, are descriptive statistics used to describe the average scores within a research sample.
Tables in Research Reports
A psychologist studies the sleep patterns of college students and wants to summarize the collected data. Why must the psychologist report both a measure of central tendency (such as the mean) and a measure of dispersion (such as the standard deviation) to provide a complete descriptive summary of the sample's sleep duration?
A researcher records the number of errors made by five participants on a memory task: 3, 8, 2, 5, and 7. The range for this sample is _____.
A research team is summarizing data from a psychology study. Match each descriptive statistic on the left to the research situation on the right where it would be the most appropriate single summary to report.
A researcher reports that two groups of participants completed an identical mood-rating scale (scored 0–100). Group A had a mean of 60 and a standard deviation of 4, while Group B had a mean of 60 and a standard deviation of 22. Although both groups share the same measure of central tendency, a student analyzing these results should conclude that Group B's scores show substantially greater _____ than Group A's scores.
A researcher has collected scores on a stress questionnaire from 80 undergraduate participants and must decide which descriptive statistics to select and report. Arrange the following evaluative steps in the order that best supports an accurate, justified statistical summary of the data.
Define descriptive statistics and identify the two primary categories of quantitative techniques described in the text, including the specific measures associated with each.
Based on the case context, decide how the researcher should apply descriptive statistics to describe their data. Explain the two different types of measures the researcher needs to calculate and specify what each type of measure will communicate about the sample's performance.
A psychological researcher reports that a sample of participants completed a stress assessment, resulting in a mean score of and a standard deviation of . Explain what these specific descriptive statistics indicate about the scores of the participants in this sample.
Cohen's