Understanding descriptive statistics, their measures of center and their variability, helps form the foundation of statistical analysis. 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 these statistics, we are able to provide a summary of characteristics from both large and small datasets. Measures of central tendency and variability provide valuable information on their own, and form the cornerstone of the quantitative structures that we build in our research studies.
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
OpenStax Textbook: Chapter 2
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
In your reference for this assignment, be sure to include both your text/class materials AND your outside reading(s).
Initial Post Instructions
For this Discussion, you will examine central tendency and variability in terms of pulse rate.
Find and record the pulse rate of 10 different people where you work. Tell us a little about the population from which you drew your data. Describe your findings in terms of central tendency and variability.
Consider using some of the following to help you form your initial discussion post:
What are your measures of central tendency (i.e., mean, median, and mode)? Which might be the better measure for central tendency and why?
What is the standard deviation of your data? How variable are the data (range)?
Are there any outliers? Investigate possible reasons for these outliers, and things that might limit them if further study were to be carried out.
What are some variables that should be considered in discussing your measures of central tendency and variation? Is there any skewness in your measured data?
How would you describe this data (i.e. what insights did you gain from this data)?
Follow-Up Post Instructions