Compare and contrast descriptive and inferential statistics

Descriptive And Inferential Statistics Worksheet

This worksheet provides you with experience in calculating (by hand or using Excel®) formulas from the weekly readings. Using these formulas and performing these calculations provides you with an understanding of how and why statistical formulas work and what they mean. This worksheet also provides you the opportunity to interpret results in the context of specific problems, which assists you in critically evaluating current research in your field.

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics Worksheet

PSYCH/625 Version 5

2

University of Phoenix Material

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics Worksheet

Complete both Part A and Part B below.

Part A
Before completing the following questions, be sure to have read Appendix C and the Statistical Software Resources at the ends of Chapters 2 and 3 from Statistics Plain and Simple.

Highlight the required answers to the question in your Excel output.

1. Using Microsoft® Excel®, enter the following data from the 40 participants by first creating a variable labeled “Score”. Next, compute the mean, median, and mode for the following set of 40 reading scores:

SUMMARY

31

32

43

42

24

34

25

44

23

43

24

36

25

41

23

28

14

21

24

17

25

23

44

21

13

26

23

32

12

26

14

42

14

31

52

12

23

42

32

34

2. Imagine you are the assistant manager of a fast food store. Part of your job is to report which special is selling best to the store manager at the end of each day. Use your knowledge of descriptive statistics and write one paragraph to let the store manager know what happened today. Use the following data.

Special number

Sold

Cost

Huge Burger

20

$2.95

Baby Burger

18

$1.49

Chicken Littles

25

$3.50

Porker Burger

19

$2.95

Yummy Burger

17

$1.99

Coney Dog

20

$1.99

Total specials sold

119

3. Suppose you are working with a data set that has some different (much larger or much smaller than the rest of the data) scores. What measure of central tendency (mean, median or mode) would you use and why?

4. During the course of a semester, 10 students in Mr. Smith’s class took three exams. Use Microsoft® Excel® to compute all the descriptive statistics for the following set of three test scores over the course of a semester. Which test had the highest average score? Which test had the smallest amount of variability? How would you interpret the differences between exams, and note the range, means, and standard deviations over time?

Test 1

Test 2

Test 3

90

94

95

65

75

90

51

77

91

88

84

93

72

88

92

75

84

90

60

75

83

78

85

90

80

80

92

84

88

94

5. For each of the following, indicate whether you would use a pie, line, or bar chart, and why:

a. The proportion of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in a particular university

b. Change in GPA over four semesters

c. Number of applicants for four different jobs

d. Reaction time to different stimuli

e. Number of scores in each of 10 categories

6. Using the data from question 1, create a frequency table and a histogram in Microsoft® Excel®.

Part B
Answer the questions below. Be specific and provide examples when relevant.

Cite any sources consistent with APA guidelines.

Question

Answer

What are statistics and how are they used in the behavioral sciences? Your answer should be 100 to 175 words.

Providing examples of each, compare and contrast the four levels of measurement. Your answer should be 175 to 350 words.

Differentiate between descriptive and inferential statistics. What information do they provide? What are their similarities and differences? Your answer should be 175 to 350 words.