Scribd
Upload
22 views

Introduction To Statistical Analysis

The document provides an introduction to statistical analysis and quantitative data analysis techniques. It discusses topics like data collection and cleaning, different question types, levels of measurement, descriptive and inferential analysis, and measures of central tendency. Statistical analysis is presented as an objective way to analyze relationships in data and test hypotheses.

Uploaded by

Darling Selvi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
22 views

Introduction To Statistical Analysis

The document provides an introduction to statistical analysis and quantitative data analysis techniques. It discusses topics like data collection and cleaning, different question types, levels of measurement, descriptive and inferential analysis, and measures of central tendency. Statistical analysis is presented as an objective way to analyze relationships in data and test hypotheses.

Uploaded by

Darling Selvi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 24

Introduction to Statistical Analysis

Dr. V. Darling Selvi


Assistant Professor
Rani Anna Government College for
Women, Tirunelveli
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting,
cleansing, transforming and modeling data
with the goal of discovering useful
information suggesting conclusions and
supporting decision-making.

Analysis refers to breaking a whole into its


separate components for individual
examination. Data analysis is a process for
obtaining raw data and converting it into
information useful for decision-making by
users. Data is collected and analyzed to
answer questions, test hypotheses or
disprove theories
Analysis of data
More reliable and objective
Can use statistics to generalise a finding
Often reduces and restructures a complex
problem to a limited number of variables
Looks at relationships between variables and
can establish cause and effect in highly
controlled circumstances
Tests theories or hypotheses
Assumes sample is representative of the
population
Subjectivity of researcher in methodology is
recognised less
Less detailed than qualitative data and may
miss a desired response from the participant

Importance of Quantitative Data


Check raw data for anomalies prior to
performing your analysis;
Re-perform important calculations, such as
verifying columns of data that are formula
driven;
Confirm main totals are the sum of
subtotals;
Check relationships between numbers
Normalize numbers to make comparisons
easier,
Break problems into component parts by
analyzing factors that led to the results
Techniques for Analyzing Quantitative Data
Dichotomous Questions: When a
question has two possible responses, we
consider it dichotomous. Eg: Yes/No,
True/False or Agree/Disagree response.

Types of Questions
Here, the number next to each response
has no meaning except as a placeholder
for that response. Nominal question

Questions Based on Level of Measurement


We might ask respondents to rank order
their preferences for presidential
candidates using an ordinal question

Ordinal Question:
Likert response scale: we might ask an
opinion question on a 1-to-5 bipolar scale

Likert Response Questions


Here, an object is assessed by the
respondent on a set of bipolar adjective
pairs (using 5-10 point rating scale)

Semantic Differential
Here, the respondent checks each item with
which they agree. The items themselves
are constructed so that they are
cumulative -- if you agree to one, you
probably agree to all of the ones above it
in the list

Cumulative or Guttman Scale


Sometimes you have to ask the respondent
one question in order to determine if they
are qualified or experienced enough to
answer a subsequent one.

Filter or Contingency Questions


Open ended and closed Questions
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Types of Scales
Nominal: Objects or people are
categorized according to some criterion
(gender, job category)
Ordinal: Categories which are ranked
according to characteristics (income- low,
moderate, high)
Interval:Contain equal distance between
units of measure- but no zero (calendar
years, temperature)
Ratio:Has an absolute zero and consistent
intervals (distance, weight)
15
Levels of Measurement
Levels of Measurement
Categories of Analysis
Number of Variables Analyzed
Univariate analyses
 Examine the distribution of value
categories (nominal/ordinal) or values
(interval or ratio)
Bivariate analyses
 Examine the relationship between two
variables
Multivariate analyses
 Simultaneously examine the relationship
among three or more variables
18
Purpose of Analysis
Descriptive
 Summaries of population studied
(parameters)
 Preliminary to further analysis
Inferential
 Used with sample from total
population and how well can results
be generalized to total population
19
Parametric vs. Non-Parametric
Parametric Tests require:
 One variable (usually the DV) is at the interval or
ratio level of measurement
 DV is normally distributed in the population;
independent samples should have equal or near
equal variances
 Cases selected independently (random selection or
random assignment)
 Robustness how many and which assumptions
above can be violated without affecting the result
(delineated in advanced texts).

20
Parametric vs. Non-Parametric
Nonparametric Tests involve nominal or ordinal level
data when:
◦ Samples complied form different populations
and we want to compare the distribution of a
single variable within each of them
◦ Variables are nominal or can only be rank
ordered
◦ Very small samples: e.g. only 6 or 7 are
available
◦ Statistical power is low, increases with sample
size (as with parametric tests)
21
Creation & Description of a Data Set
Frequency Distributions:
 An array is an arrangement of data from smallest to
highest
 Absolute/simple frequency distribution displays
number of times a value occurs (all levels of
measurement)
 Cumulative frequency distribution adds cases
together so that it last number in distribution is the
total number of cases observed
 Percentage distribution adds the percent of
occurrence in the table
 Cumulative Percentage
22
Measures of Central Tendency
Typical representation of data, e.g. find a number
or groups of numbers that is most representative
of a dataset. The three types include:
Mode
 Values within a dataset that occur most frequently, if two
occur equally then bimodal distribution, etc.
Median
 The value in the exact middle of a linear array, mean between
2 values if even number of values.
Mean: arithmetic mean
 Trimmed mean (outliers removed) minimize effect of extreme
outliers
 Weighted mean: compute an average for values that are not
equally weighted (proportionate / disproportionate sampling)
23
Measures of Central Tendency
 Variability/Dispersion
 Nominal or Ordinal use a frequency distribution
or graph (bar chart)
 Interval or ratio use range
 Range = maximum value – minimum value +1
 Informs about the number of values that exist
between the ends of the distribution e.g. 31 to 46 --
there are potentially 16 values possible. The larger
the range, the greater the variability. However,
outliers make the range misleading. Therefore use
median, or mean and standard deviation whenever
possible for interval & ratio data.
24

You might also like