PS296 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Threshold Of Pain, Descriptive Statistics, Morphine
Chapter 1: Introduction:
The word statistics is used in 3 different ways:
1) a set of procedures and rules for reducing large masses of data to manageable proportions and
for allowing us to draw conclusions from those data
2) used in place of the word data (not correct to use statistics in place of this)
3) reference to the result of some arithmetic or algebraic manipulation applied to data; thus the
mean of a set of numbers is a statistic
-confidence limits/intervals: designed to give info about how confident you can be about the likely
calues of some measure on a whole population of observations
The Importance of Context:
Siegal:
-experimented with rats and hot surfaces to shot effects of heroin addiction/tolerance
-a heroin addict in a familiar environment can take a lethal dose of heroin without dying because
his body will compensate for expected effects
-however if they took it in a new context, this lethal dose will now kill them
-animals tested in a new environment with morphine will show a much higher pain threshold than
the animals injected in their usual environment
Basic Terminology:
-statistical procedures can be separated into 2 overlapping areas: descriptive statistics and
Document Summary
Confidence limits/intervals: designed to give info about how confident you can be about the likely calues of some measure on a whole population of observations. Experimented with rats and hot surfaces to shot effects of heroin addiction/tolerance. A heroin addict in a familiar environment can take a lethal dose of heroin without dying because his body will compensate for expected effects. However if they took it in a new context, this lethal dose will now kill them. Animals tested in a new environment with morphine will show a much higher pain threshold than the animals injected in their usual environment. Statistical procedures can be separated into 2 overlapping areas: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Purpose is to merely decribe a set of data. Ex a statement about the average length of time it takes a normal mouse to lick its paw when placed on a warm surface. Ex crime rates as reported by the department of justice.
