Join with a free account for more service, or become a member for full access to exclusives and extra support of WorldSupporter >>
1.1 What is statistics and how can you learn it?
Statistics is used more and more often to study the behavior of people, not only by the social sciences but also by companies. Everyone can learn how to use statistics, even without much knowledge of mathematics and even with fear of statistics. Most important are logic thinking and perseverance.
To first step to using statistical methods is collecting data. Data are collected observations of characteristics of interest. For instance the opinion of 1000 people on whether marihuana should be allowed. Data can be obtained through questionnaires, experiments, observations or existing databases.
But statistics aren't only numbers obtained from data. A broader definition of statistics entails all methods to obtain and analyze data.
1.2 What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics?
Before being able to analyze data, a design is made on how to obtain the data. Next there are two sorts of statistical analyses; descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics summarizes the information obtained from a collection of data, so the data is easier to interpret. Inferential statistics makes predictions with the help of data. Which kind of statistics is used, depends on the goal of the research (summarize or predict).
To understand the differences better, a number of basic terms are important. The subjects are the entities that are observed in a research study, most often people but sometimes families, schools, cities etc. The population is the whole of subjects that you want to study (for instance foreign students). The sample is a limited number of selected subjects on which you will collect data (for instance 100 foreign students from several universities). The ultimate goal is to learn about the population, but because it's impossible to research the entire population, a sample is made.
Descriptive statistics can be used both in case data is available for the entire population and only for the sample. Inferential statistics is only applicable to samples, because predictions for a yet unknown future are made. Hence the definition of inferential statistics is making predictions about a population, based on data gathered from a sample.
The goal of statistics is to learn more about the parameter. The parameter is the numerical summary of the population, or the unknown value that can tell something about the ultimate conditions of the whole. So it's not about the sample but about the population. This is why an important part of inferential statistics is measuring and crediting how representative a sample is.
A population can be real (for instance foreign students) or conceptual (for instance the foreign students that will pass their statistics course this year).
1.3 What part does software play in statistics?
Software enables an easy application of complex methods. The most used software for statistics are SPSS, R, SAS and Stata.
Statistical methods for the social sciences - Agresti - 5th edition, 2018 - Summary (EN)
- What are statistical methods? – Chapter 1
- Which kinds of samples and variables are possible? – Chapter 2
- What are the main measures and graphs of descriptive statistics? - Chapter 3
- What role do probability distributions play in statistical inference? – Chapter 4
- How can you make estimates for statistical inference? – Chapter 5
- How do you perform significance tests? – Chapter 6
- How do you compare two groups in statistics? - Chapter 7
- How do you analyze the association between categorical variables? – Chapter 8
- How do linear regression and correlation work? – Chapter 9
- Which types of multivariate relationships exist? – Chapter 10
- What is multiple regression? – Chapter 11
- What is ANOVA? – Chapter 12
- How does multiple regression with both quantitative and categorical predictors work? – Chapter 13
- How do you make a multiple regression model for extreme or strongly correlating data? – Chapter 14
- What is logistic regression? – Chapter 15
Selected contributions for Introduction to Statistics
Statistical methods for the social sciences - Agresti - 5th edition, 2018 - Summary (EN)
Summary of Statistical methods for the social sciences by Agresti, 5th edition, 2018. Summary in English.
Selected contributions for Introduction to Statistics
Selected contributions of other WorldSupporters on the topic of Introduction to Statistics
- 1 of 20
- volgende ›
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams
- Check out: Register with JoHo WorldSupporter: starting page (EN)
- Check out: Aanmelden bij JoHo WorldSupporter - startpagina (NL)
How and why would you use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?
- For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
- For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
- For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
- For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
- For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.
Using and finding summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
- Use the menu above every page to go to one of the main starting pages
- Starting pages: for some fields of study and some university curricula editors have created (start) magazines where customised selections of summaries are put together to smoothen navigation. When you have found a magazine of your likings, add that page to your favorites so you can easily go to that starting point directly from your profile during future visits. Below you will find some start magazines per field of study
- Use the topics and taxonomy terms
- The topics and taxonomy of the study and working fields gives you insight in the amount of summaries that are tagged by authors on specific subjects. This type of navigation can help find summaries that you could have missed when just using the search tools. Tags are organised per field of study and per study institution. Note: not all content is tagged thoroughly, so when this approach doesn't give the results you were looking for, please check the search tool as back up
- Check or follow your (study) organizations:
- by checking or using your study organizations you are likely to discover all relevant study materials.
- this option is only available trough partner organizations
- Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
- by following individual users, authors you are likely to discover more relevant study materials.
- Use the Search tools
- 'Quick & Easy'- not very elegant but the fastest way to find a specific summary of a book or study assistance with a specific course or subject.
- The search tool is also available at the bottom of most pages
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
- Check out: Why and how to add a WorldSupporter contributions
- JoHo members: JoHo WorldSupporter members can share content directly and have access to all content: Join JoHo and become a JoHo member
- Non-members: When you are not a member you do not have full access, but if you want to share your own content with others you can fill out the contact form
Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance
Field of study
- All studies for summaries, study assistance and working fields
- Communication & Media sciences
- Corporate & Organizational Sciences
- Cultural Studies & Humanities
- Economy & Economical sciences
- Education & Pedagogic Sciences
- Health & Medical Sciences
- IT & Exact sciences
- Law & Justice
- Nature & Environmental Sciences
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
- Public Administration & Social Sciences
- Science & Research
- Technical Sciences
Add new contribution