PSYCH 2220H Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Operational Definition, Confounding, Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
Chapter 1: introduction: two branches of stats, descriptive stats. Organize, summarize and communicate a group of numerical observations. Using single number or only a few numbers. Use sample data to make general estimates about larger population: distinguishing between the two. Set of observations drawn from population of interest. Includes all possible observations about which we"d like to. How to transform observations into variables know something: variables. Any observation of a physical, attitudinal or behavioral characteristic that can take on different values: discrete observations. Can take on only specific values; no other values can exist between. Used for observations that have categories, or names, as values. Used for observations that have rankings as their values; no set distance between rankings: continuous observations. Can take on a full range of values. Used for observations that have numbers as their values; distance between pairs of consecutive numbers is assumes to be equal. Meet criterion for an interval variable but has meaningful zero point.