Week 3 discussion
Central Tendency and Variability
Understanding descriptive statistics and their variability
is a fundamental aspect of statistical analysis. On their own, descriptive
statistics tell us how frequently an observation occurs, what is considered
“average”, and how far data in our sample deviate from being “average.” With
descriptive statistics, we are able to provide a summary of characteristics
from both large and small datasets. In addition to the valuable information
they provide on their own, measures of central tendency and variability become
important components in many of the statistical tests that we will cover.
Therefore, we can think about central tendency and variability as the
cornerstone to the quantitative structure we are building.
For this Discussion, you will examine central tendency and
variability based on two separate variables. You will also explore the
implications for positive social change based on the results of the data.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review this week’s Learning Resources and the Descriptive
Statistics media program.
For additional support, review the Skill Builder: Visual
Displays for Categorical Variables and the Skill Builder: Visual Displays for
Continuous Variables, which you can find by navigating back to your Blackboard
Course Home Page. From there, locate the Skill Builder link in the left
navigation pane.
Review the Chapter 4 of the Wagner text and the examples in
the SPSS software related to central tendency and variability.
From the General Social Survey dataset found in this week’s
Learning Resources, use the SPSS software and choose one continuous and one
categorical variable Note: this dataset will be different from your Assignment
dataset).
As you review, consider the implications for positive social
change based on the results of your data.
By Day 3
Post, present, and report a descriptive analysis for your
variables, specifically noting the following:
For your continuous variable:
Report the mean, median, and mode.
What might be the better measure for central tendency?
(i.e., mean, median, or mode) and why?
Report the standard deviation.
How variable are the data?
How would you describe this data?
What sort of research question would this variable help
answer that might inform social change?
Post the following information for your categorical
variable:
A frequency distribution.
An appropriate measure of variation.
How variable are the data?
How would you describe this data?
What sort of research question would this variable help
answer that might inform social change?
Be sure to support your Main Post and Response Post with
reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA
Style.
By Day 5
Respond to at least one colleagues’ post with a comment on
the presentation and interpretation of their analysis. In your response, address
the following questions:
Was the presentation of results clear? If so, provide some
specific comments on why. If not, provide constructive suggestions.
Are you able to understand how the results might relate back
to positive social change? Do you think there are other aspects of positive
social change related to the results?
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for
entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
