STAT 5002

Chapters 1&5

Prof. Tan Le

Chapter 1:

WHAT IS STATISTICS? (page 1)

Statistics is a way to get information from data.
Descriptive statistics: The methods that are used to describe the important characteristics of an available
set of data.
Descriptive statistics deals with methods of organizing, summarizing, and presenting data in a convenient
and informative way. One form of descriptive statistics uses graphical techniques to present data.
Another form of descriptive statistics uses numerical techniques (mean, median, ) to summarize data.
Inferential statistics: The methods that use sample data to make inferences (or generalizations) about a
population.
Example: A professor of statistics, estimated the mean age of a sample of 50 students in his statistic class
STAT 5002. Using this information, he concluded that the mean age of all students at the
Lakeshore Campus was 19.5 years old.
-----1.1 KEY STATISTICAL CONCEPTS
A population is the complete collection of all elements (scores, people, measurements, and so on) to be
studied.
A descriptive measure of a population is called a parameter.
A sample is a set off data drawn from the studied population.
A descriptive measure of a sample is called a statistic.
Statistical inference is the process of making an estimate, prediction, or decision about a population
based on sample data.
There are two measures: Confidence level and significance level.
The confidence level is the proportion of times that an estimating procedure will be correct.
The significant level measures how frequently the conclusion will be wrong.
-----Data are the observed values of a variable (such as measurements, genders, and survey responses) that
have been collected.
There are two types of data:
1. Qualitative (or categorical or attribute) data can be separated into different categories that are
distinguished by some nonnumeric characteristic.
2. Quantitative data consist of numbers representing counts or measurements.
Discrete data (representing counts) result from either a finite number of possible values or a
countable number of possible values. (That is, number of possible values is 0, 1, or 2, and so on.)
Continuous (or numerical) data (representing measurements) result from infinitely many
possible values that can be associated with points on a continuous scale in such a way that there
are no gaps or interruptions.
Data
Qualitative

Quantitative
Discrete
Continuous
Page 1 of 3

STAT 5002

Chapters 1&5

Prof. Tan Le

Chapter 5:

DATA COLLECTION AND SAMPLING

5.1 METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA
Direct Observation: Observing and measuring specific characteristics without attempting to modified the
subjects being study.
Experiments: Apply some treatment and then observed its effects on the subjects.
Surveys
Personal Interview
Telephone Interview
Self-Administered Interview
Questionnaire Design
-----5.2 SAMPLING
The chief motive for examining a sample rather than a population is cost. Statistical inference permits us
to draw conclusions about a population parameter based on a sample that is quite small in comparison to
the size of the population.
-----5.3 SAMPLING PLANS
There are five common sampling methods:
1. In a simple random sample, members of the population are selected in such a way that each individual
has an equal chance of being selected.
2. With stratified sample, we subdivide the population into at least two different sub-populations
(or strata) that share the same characteristics (such as gender), then we draw a sample from each
stratum.
3. In systematic sample, we select some starting point and then select every kth (such as every
3rd) element in the population.
4. In cluster sample, we first divide the population area into sections (or clusters), then randomly
select a few of those sections, and then choose all the members from those selected sections.
5. With convenience sample, we simply use results that are readily available.
-----5.4 SAMPLING and NONSAMPLING ERRORS
A sampling error is the difference between a sample result and the true population result; such an error
results from chance sample fluctuations.
A non-sampling error occurs when the sample data are incorrectly collected, recorded, or analyzed (such
as by selecting a nonrandom and biased sample, using a defective measuring instrument, or copying the
sample data incorrectly).

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STAT 5002

Chapters 1&5

Prof. Tan Le

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