PSYC 217 Study Guide - Final Guide: Statistical Inference, Mean Absolute Difference, Content Analysis
Document Summary
Describe how the smarties activity illustrates why we use stats to analyze our sample data. Discuss the importance of relying on base rate data from large samples rather than small samples/single cases. Inferential stats: taking sample and making inferences about it. Data from full class was better estimate of the population because bigger sample size= better representation: small sample size more likely to get weird individuals and skew data. Probabilistic trend: the proportion of each colour of smarties in the pop of smarties at the factory/pop, try to estimate using samples. *as our sample size increases, the pattern in the sample will better represent the truth in the pop. Probabilistic trend: what is the true overall effect, doesn"t need to be true in every case for it to be true generally, eg. Regression line as the best fit to summarize all the data pts (doesn"t perfectly explain every data pt)
