Descriptive+Statistics

Descriptive Statistics (Statistics) (GWU EMSE-271)
Index | Topics (Logical Lectures) | Lectures | Problems | Readings | Nomenclature | Concepts

"The objective of description statistics is to communicate the resutls of without attempting to generalize" beyond the sample. - PDQ Statistics, page 5


 * "Descriptive statistics** are used to describe the main features of a collection of data in quantitative terms. Descriptive statistics are distinguished from inferential statistics (or inductive statistics), in that descriptive statistics aim to quantitatively summarize a data set, rather than being used to support inferential statements about the population that the data are thought to represent. Even when a data analysis draws its main conclusions using inductive statistical analysis, descriptive statistics are generally presented along with more formal analyses, to give the audience an overall sense of the data being analyzed." - [|Wikipedia]

- PDQ Statistics, pages 6-10
 * Types of Descriptive Statistics**
 * Frequencies and Distributions
 * Measaures of the Middle: Means, Medians and Modes (Central Tendancy {[|Wikipedia]})
 * Measures of Variation: Range, Percentile, and Standard Deviation (Dispersion {[|Wikipedia})]
 * Measures of Association - [|Wikipedia]
 * More ([|Wikipedia])

For regression (and other statistical analyses), the first three may make the most sense from a report section paragraph perspective.


 * Sources:**
 * PDQ (PrettyDarnedQuick) Statistics, 3rd Edition, by Geoffrey R. Norman and Davaid L. Streiner, (c) 2003. (2nd Edition, [|Amazon])
 * Descriptive statistics. (2009, November 16). In //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Retrieved 18:10, December 6, 2009, from []
 * EMSE 271, Fall 2009