PSY/POS/SOC 300 Statistics for BSS

Tierra M. Freeman, Ph.D. Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences Kentucky State University Office: 229 Hathaway Hall Office Hours: TWR 10-2 Phone: 502-597-5932 Email: tierra.freeman@kysu.edu

My Expectations:

Read assignments before attempting homework/quizzes. Check your email often Practice, practice, practice

Be RESPONSIBLE for your learning! Be RESPECTFUL to ALL!!!

Your Expectations?

An approach to studying
Preview

the chapter outline. Develop questions from the outline. Read chapter summary. Read the chapter (in 20-30 minute segments). Reflect on how the section will help you understand your field. Review the questions from your outline. Re-read the chapter summary.

What is Statistics?
A

way of organizing information. A way of communicating information. A way to examine results of a study.
Why
In

study statistics?

order to evaluate claims made by researchers regarding the results of their study findings. To be an informed consumer.

Terminology for research

A

Variable is anything that varies to which you can assign a numerical value (characteristics measured by researchers) Variables must be Operationally Defined (clearly, and measurable) Cases (subject of study whom variables are being measured)

Branches of Stats.
Statistics organize, summarize, and communicates a group of numerical observations from a sample Inferential Statistics used to make general estimates about a population
Descriptive

Types of Research
Correlation

examines the relationships between variables that are observed/measured as they naturally occur
DOES

NOT provide causality (or cause and

effect)

Types of Research
Experiment

one variable is manipulated and one variable is measured (observed) implies causality (we can infer)
Independent

Variable (IV) is the variable that is manipulated and has levels. Dependent Variable (DV) is the variable that is measured Confounding Variable any variable that systematically varies with the IV

 Experiments

have control groups, treatment groups, and random assignment

Random assignment is where cases have an equal chance of being put in each group

Types of Research
Quasi-experimental

design cases are classified as being in different groups on basis of some pre-existing characteristic (naturally occurring groups)

Levels of Measurement
categorical variable that has more than one level, but no true zero and does not assume equal distances between levels (or no numerical meaning). Ordinal meaning to the order between ranks, but no true zero & no equal distances. Interval meaning to the order and equal distances between levels. Ratio equal distances and true zero
Nominal

Populations
Larger

group of cases a researcher is interested in studying/making inferences about Data from populations are called parameters (Greek letters)

Samples
A

sub-group of a cases from a population Data from a sample is a statistic (Latin symbols)

Math skills/knowledge needed

Addition,

subtraction, multiplication, and

division. When working with formulas

Do

inside the Parenthesis first Exponentials next (squares) Multiplication and Division next (make fractions into decimals aka. proportion) Addition and Subtraction last.

Importance in rounding
Do

not round until you have reached your final answer. Report 2 decimals places in final answer
>.495

round up <.494 leave as is

Leave

4 decimals places during calculations (.0000)

Homework
1.29 1.50 and choose either 1.68 or 1.70 Due next class meeting
Complete