Tables/Charts/Graphs
“In addition to a table of numbers, you can represent your findings visually”
Charts and Graphs
“usually represented in tests of significance as p < .05 or p < .001, meaning the probability of obtaining that statistic (or score) by chance is less than 5 in 100 (5 percent), 1 in 100 (1 percent), or 1 in 1000 (.1 percent) respectively”
Alpha Levels (Significance Level)
“provides a quick summary of where the responses are clustered”
Measures of central tendency
“if the values for the variables are ranked or ordered categories, a median is the ideal measure of central tendency to report. The median like median that runs down the middle of the highway -is the halfway point.”
Median
“Used for calculating the percentiles of individual scores.”
Z scores
“Shows how often each response (a value) was given by the respondents to each item (a variable)”
Frequency Table
“a distribution of sample means – again, not to be confused with the distribution of individual sample scores – will approach a normal curve, the larger the sample size and the larger the number of samples taken”
Central Limit Theorem
“is one of the most important frequency polygons. The normal curve is bell-shaped and symmetrical, statistically measured by skewness"
Normal Curve
“is obtained by finding the most frequently selected value for a variable.”
Mode
“How much the sample means deviate from the norm.”
Standard error of the mean
“These graphic representations give a quick visual description of your variables”
Bar Graphs
“we infer (arrive at some conclusion about) the population perimeters from the sample statistics are from the mean”
Inferential Statistics
“tells you the percentage of responses that fall above and below a particular point.”
Percentiles
When “there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables, but we rejected that by mistake and declared there is a relationship.”
Type I Error
“The average variation of all the values from the mean.”
Standard Deviation
“The result of connecting the midpoints of each of the intervals (bars) in the histogram with a line”
Frequency Curves (Frequency Polygon)
“how confident we are that the true mean of the population is within a range of plus or minus a certain number of points”
Confidence Interval
“a graphic representation that gives a quick visual description of your variables”
Pie Chart
When you “accept a null hypothesis that should be rejected , that is, declaring that there is no relationship between our variables when in fact there really is a statistically significant one.”
Type II Error
“Take the concepts of the research topic and translate them into something measurable.”
Variables
“are similar to bar charts, but the bars are adjacent and touching each other to indicate the continuous nature of the measure. Their width and height communicate the number of responses grouped within some interval”
Histograms
“the numbers at the beginning and end of the (confidence) interval”
Confidence Limits
“The most sophisticated measure of central tendency. The mean is the sum of the values divided by the number of values and is most suitable for interval/ratio variables.”
Mean
“if the probability of obtaining a statistic by chance alone is less than 5 percent.”
Statistical Significance
“Categories” within a concept.”
Values