WGU D772 Statistical Data Literacy Made Simple
and Powerful
population
an entire group of individuals or objects that you want to study
sample
a smaller, more manageable group selected from the population to represent the larger group
parameter
a numerical value describing an entire population's characteristics
statistic
a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a sample
individuals
persons or objects described by a set of data
variables
characteristics or measurements that we are interested in studying
quantitative variables
numerical measurements, such as age, height, weight, or income
categorical variables
categories or labels, such as hair color, occupation, or favorite type of food
data
actual values of the variables (raw information) that we collect and analyze to gain insights into the
phenomenon we are studying
, random sampling
process that allows researchers to choose a random set of individuals from a population
simple random sample
sample chosen from a population from which each possible subset of the same size has an equal
probability of being chosen
stratified sampling
method of random sampling that involves dividing the population into distinct subgroups called strata,
based on specific characteristics such as age, gender, or socioeconomic status
cluster sampling
method of random sampling that involves dividing the population into clusters, which are naturally
occurring groups like schools, neighborhoods, or cities
systematic sampling
method of random sampling that involves selecting every nth individual from a list of the population,
starting from a randomly chosen point
explanatory variable
variable that a researcher manipulates or observes changes in to explain or predict the results
response variable
variable that represents the outcome the researcher is interested in explaining or predicting
observational study
when researchers observe and record data on variables as they naturally occur, without any
intervention or manipulation
sample survey
specific type of observational study where individuals self-report the values of variables, often by
providing their opinions or answering questions
experiment
when researchers intentionally manipulate one or more variables (the explanatory variables) to observe
their effect on another variable (the response variable)
treatments
different values of the explanatory variable
experimental unit
a single object or individual being measured
and Powerful
population
an entire group of individuals or objects that you want to study
sample
a smaller, more manageable group selected from the population to represent the larger group
parameter
a numerical value describing an entire population's characteristics
statistic
a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a sample
individuals
persons or objects described by a set of data
variables
characteristics or measurements that we are interested in studying
quantitative variables
numerical measurements, such as age, height, weight, or income
categorical variables
categories or labels, such as hair color, occupation, or favorite type of food
data
actual values of the variables (raw information) that we collect and analyze to gain insights into the
phenomenon we are studying
, random sampling
process that allows researchers to choose a random set of individuals from a population
simple random sample
sample chosen from a population from which each possible subset of the same size has an equal
probability of being chosen
stratified sampling
method of random sampling that involves dividing the population into distinct subgroups called strata,
based on specific characteristics such as age, gender, or socioeconomic status
cluster sampling
method of random sampling that involves dividing the population into clusters, which are naturally
occurring groups like schools, neighborhoods, or cities
systematic sampling
method of random sampling that involves selecting every nth individual from a list of the population,
starting from a randomly chosen point
explanatory variable
variable that a researcher manipulates or observes changes in to explain or predict the results
response variable
variable that represents the outcome the researcher is interested in explaining or predicting
observational study
when researchers observe and record data on variables as they naturally occur, without any
intervention or manipulation
sample survey
specific type of observational study where individuals self-report the values of variables, often by
providing their opinions or answering questions
experiment
when researchers intentionally manipulate one or more variables (the explanatory variables) to observe
their effect on another variable (the response variable)
treatments
different values of the explanatory variable
experimental unit
a single object or individual being measured
