• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • My Store
  • Glossary
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

Statistics By Jim

Making statistics intuitive

  • Graphs
  • Basics
  • Hypothesis Testing
  • Regression
  • ANOVA
  • Probability
  • Time Series
  • Fun

Basics

Contingency Table: Definition, Examples & Interpreting

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is a Contingency Table?

A contingency table displays frequencies for combinations of two categorical variables. Analysts also refer to contingency tables as crosstabulation and two-way tables. [Read more…] about Contingency Table: Definition, Examples & Interpreting

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions

Cumulative Frequency: Finding & Interpreting

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is Cumulative Frequency?

Cumulative frequency is the running total of frequencies in a table. Use cumulative frequencies to answer questions about how often a characteristic occurs above or below a particular value. It is also known as a cumulative frequency distribution.

For example, how many students are in the 4th grade or lower at a school? [Read more…] about Cumulative Frequency: Finding & Interpreting

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions

Cohort Study: Definition, Benefits & Examples

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is a Cohort Study?

A cohort study is a longitudinal experimental design that follows a group of participants who share a defining characteristic. For example, a cohort study can select subjects who have exposure to a risk factor, are in the same profession, population or generation, or experience a particular event, such as a medical procedure. This design determines whether exposure to a risk factor affects an outcome. [Read more…] about Cohort Study: Definition, Benefits & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design

How to Find the Mode

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

There are several ways to find the mode depending upon the data type and sample size. In statistics, the mode is the most frequently occurring value in a data set. It is a measure of central tendency. To learn more about the mode, read my post, Measures of Central Tendency. [Read more…] about How to Find the Mode

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual

Bimodal Distribution: Definition, Examples & Analysis

By Jim Frost 1 Comment

A bimodal distribution has two peaks. In the context of a continuous probability distribution, modes are peaks in the distribution. The graph below shows a bimodal distribution. [Read more…] about Bimodal Distribution: Definition, Examples & Analysis

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions, graphs

Quartile: Definition, Finding, and Using

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What are Quartiles?

Quartiles are three values that split your dataset into quarters. [Read more…] about Quartile: Definition, Finding, and Using

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions

Construct Validity: Definition and Assessment

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is Construct Validity?

Construct validity relates to the soundness of inferences that you draw from test scores and other measurements. Specifically, it addresses whether a test measures the intended construct. For example, does a test that evaluates self-esteem truly measure that construct or something else? [Read more…] about Construct Validity: Definition and Assessment

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual

Qualitative Research: Goals, Methods & Benefits

By Jim Frost 4 Comments

Qualitative research aims to understand ideas, experiences, and opinions using non-numeric data, such as text, audio, and visual recordings. The focus is on language, behaviors, and social structures. Qualitative researchers want to present personal experiences and produce narrative stories that use natural language to provide meaningful answers to their research questions. [Read more…] about Qualitative Research: Goals, Methods & Benefits

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual

What is a Variable?

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

The definition of a variable changes depending on the context. Typically, a letter represents them, and it stands in for a numerical value. In algebra, a variable represents an unknown value that you need to find. For mathematical functions and equations, you input their values to calculate the output. In an equation, a coefficient is a fixed value by which you multiply the variable.

In statistics, a variable is a characteristic of interest that you measure, record, and analyze. Statisticians understand them by defining the type of information they record and their role in an experiment or study. [Read more…] about What is a Variable?

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual

Kurtosis: Definition, Leptokurtic & Platykurtic

By Jim Frost 3 Comments

What is Kurtosis?

Kurtosis is a statistic that measures the extent to which a distribution contains outliers. It assesses the propensity of a distribution to have extreme values within its tails. There are three kinds of kurtosis: leptokurtic, platykurtic, and mesokurtic. Statisticians define these types relative to the normal distribution. Higher kurtosis values indicate that the distribution has more outliers falling relatively far from the mean. Distributions with smaller values have a lower tendency for producing extreme values. When you’re assessing a sample, outliers have the greatest impact on this statistic. [Read more…] about Kurtosis: Definition, Leptokurtic & Platykurtic

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions

Reliability vs Validity: Differences & Examples

By Jim Frost 1 Comment

Reliability and validity are criteria by which researchers assess measurement quality. Measuring a person or item involves assigning scores to represent an attribute. This process creates the data that we analyze. However, to provide meaningful research results, that data must be good. And not all data are good! [Read more…] about Reliability vs Validity: Differences & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual

Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Scales

By Jim Frost 6 Comments

The nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales are levels of measurement in statistics. These scales are broad classifications describing the type of information recorded within the values of your variables. Variables take on different values in your data set. For example, you can measure height, gender, and class ranking. Each of these variables uses a distinct level of measurement. [Read more…] about Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Scales

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, data types

Case Control Study: Definition, Benefits & Examples

By Jim Frost 2 Comments

What is a Case Control Study?

A case control study is a retrospective, observational study that compares two existing groups. Researchers form these groups based on the existence of a condition in the case group and the lack of that condition in the control group. They evaluate the differences in the histories between these two groups looking for factors that might cause a disease. [Read more…] about Case Control Study: Definition, Benefits & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design, interpreting results

5 Number Summary: Definition, Finding & Using

By Jim Frost 6 Comments

What is the 5 Number Summary?

The 5 number summary is an exploratory data analysis tool that provides insight into the distribution of values for one variable. Collectively, this set of statistics describes where data values occur, their central tendency, variability, and the general shape of their distribution. [Read more…] about 5 Number Summary: Definition, Finding & Using

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: analysis example, distributions, interpreting results

Simple Random Sampling: Definition & Examples

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is Simple Random Sampling?

Simple random sampling (SRS) is a probability sampling method where researchers randomly choose participants from a population. All population members have an equal probability of being selected. This method tends to produce representative, unbiased samples. [Read more…] about Simple Random Sampling: Definition & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design, sampling methods

Convenience Sampling: Definition & Examples

By Jim Frost 1 Comment

What is Convenience Sampling?

Convenience sampling is a non-probability sampling method where researchers use subjects who are easy to contact and obtain their participation. Researchers find participants in the most accessible places, and they impose no inclusion requirements. Convenience sampling is also known as opportunity or availability sampling. [Read more…] about Convenience Sampling: Definition & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design, sampling methods

Systematic Sampling: Definition, Advantages & Examples

By Jim Frost Leave a Comment

What is Systematic Sampling?

Systematic sampling is a probability sampling method for obtaining a representative sample from a population. To use this method, researchers start at a random point and then select subjects at regular intervals of every nth member of the population. Like other probability sampling methods, the researchers must identify their population of interest before sampling from it. [Read more…] about Systematic Sampling: Definition, Advantages & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design, sampling methods

Variance: Definition, Formulas & Calculations

By Jim Frost 2 Comments

Variance is a measure of variability in statistics. It assesses the average squared difference between data values and the mean. Unlike some other statistical measures of variability, it incorporates all data points in its calculations by contrasting each value to the mean. [Read more…] about Variance: Definition, Formulas & Calculations

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, distributions, interpreting results

Natural Numbers: Definition & Examples

By Jim Frost 1 Comment

What are Natural Numbers?

Natural numbers are the numbers you use for counting—for example, its definition includes all the positive integers from 1 to infinity. These numbers occur in nature and are the fundamental origins of the number system. Consequently, we see examples of natural numbers all around us in the world. [Read more…] about Natural Numbers: Definition & Examples

Filed Under: Basics

Validity in Research and Psychology: Types & Examples

By Jim Frost 3 Comments

What is Validity in Psychology, Research, and Statistics?

Validity in research, statistics, psychology, and testing evaluates how well test scores reflect what they’re supposed to measure. Does the instrument measure what it claims to measure? Do the measurements reflect the underlying reality? Or do they quantify something else? [Read more…] about Validity in Research and Psychology: Types & Examples

Filed Under: Basics Tagged With: conceptual, experimental design

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to page 6
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Meet Jim

I’ll help you intuitively understand statistics by focusing on concepts and using plain English so you can concentrate on understanding your results.

Read More...

Buy My Introduction to Statistics Book!

Cover of my Introduction to Statistics: An Intuitive Guide ebook.

Buy My Hypothesis Testing Book!

Cover image of my Hypothesis Testing: An Intuitive Guide ebook.

Buy My Regression Book!

Cover for my ebook, Regression Analysis: An Intuitive Guide for Using and Interpreting Linear Models.

Subscribe by Email

Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email.

    I won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

    Follow Me

    • FacebookFacebook
    • RSS FeedRSS Feed
    • TwitterTwitter

    Top Posts

    • How to Interpret P-values and Coefficients in Regression Analysis
    • How To Interpret R-squared in Regression Analysis
    • How to Interpret the F-test of Overall Significance in Regression Analysis
    • Multicollinearity in Regression Analysis: Problems, Detection, and Solutions
    • How to do t-Tests in Excel
    • Z-table
    • Mean, Median, and Mode: Measures of Central Tendency
    • How to Find the P value: Process and Calculations
    • Understanding Interaction Effects in Statistics
    • F-table

    Recent Posts

    • Sampling Frame: Definition & Examples
    • Probability Mass Function: Definition, Uses & Example
    • Using Scientific Notation
    • Selection Bias: Definition & Examples
    • ANCOVA: Uses, Assumptions & Example
    • Fibonacci Sequence: Formula & Uses

    Recent Comments

    • Morris on Validity in Research and Psychology: Types & Examples
    • Jim Frost on What are Robust Statistics?
    • Allan Fraser on What are Robust Statistics?
    • Steve on Survivorship Bias: Definition, Examples & Avoiding
    • Jim Frost on Using Post Hoc Tests with ANOVA

    Copyright © 2023 · Jim Frost · Privacy Policy