Summary
Contents
Subject index
Understanding and Using Statistics in Psychology takes the fear out of psychological statistics to help students understand why statistics are carried out, how to choose the best test, how to carry out the tests, and then perform the analysis in SPSS. Emphasizing the place of statistical analysis in the process of conducting research, from design to report writing, this accessible and straightforward guide takes a non-technical approach, encouraging the reader to understand why a particular test is being used and what the results mean in the context of a psychological study. The focus is on meaning and understanding rather than numerical calculation.
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive Statistics
What's in This Chapter?
- Levels of measurement
- The normal distribution
- Measures of dispersion
- Measures of central tendency
- Graphical representations
- Using SPSS
Key Terms
binary measures
boxplot
categorical measures
ceiling effect
central tendency
continuous measures
descriptive statistics
discrete measures
dispersion
distribution
exploratory data analysis
floor effect
frequencies
histogram
inter-quartile range
interval measures
kurtosis
mean
median
mode
nominal measures
normal distribution
ordinal measures
outliers
range
ratio measures
skew
standard deviation
variable
Introduction
The purpose of descriptive statistical analysis is (you probably won't be surprised to hear) to describe the data that you have. Sometimes people distinguish between descriptive statistics and exploratory data analysis. Exploratory data analysis helps you to understand what is happening in your data, while descriptive statistics help you to explain to other people what is happening in your data. While these two are closely related, they are not quite the same thing, and the best way of looking for something is not necessarily the best way of presenting ...
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