Statistical methods in psychology have two main branches, which are descriptive and inferential.
They each play a major part in the data that is collected for research and other studies. This paper will show the functions of statistics, how descriptive and inferential statistics are defined and the relationship between the two. Statistics is a necessary tool in psychology. It provides data for research studies as well as providing background information and support. Without it, understanding the various aspects of psychology and what causes disorders and behaviors would be almost impossible.Scientific, social, and economic studies use statistics in one form or another (Anand, 2013).
These disciplines make use of observations, facts and figures, enquiries, and experiments using statistics and statistical methods (Anand, 2013). Statistics presents facts in a simple form for researchers and psychologists to understand the findings from a research study. It reduces the complex nature of data, especially raw data. Statistics are put into various graphs or diagrams to make data more accessible and intelligible.
When statistics are put into a graph, it helps draw inferences and aids in interpretation.Another function of statistics is allowing different sets of observation to be compared and contrasted with other data to predict the likelihood of a situation occurring again or the changes that have been made (Aron, Aron, & Coups, 2009). Statistics allows for hypothesis testing, which develops new theories and examines the truth and aides in improving ideas. It also aides in forecasting the future of trends and tendencies; meaning that it will aid in predicting the future of values in variables. For example, when estimating the growth of the population, research analysts look at trends of births in various areas.This can help predict the need for more schools or the expansion of schools.
Statistics also derives valid inferences from an enquiry (Aron, Aron, & Coups, 2009). There are two main braches of statistical methods. They are descriptive and inferential. Psychologists use statistical methods to help make sense of the numbers that are collected when conducting research on various topics (Aron, Aron, Coup, 2009). According to Descriptive Statistics, Inferential Statistics, Rhetorical Statistics, “applying statistical techniques on a population is descriptive statistics.
Inferential statistics is generalizing from random samples to populations.Descriptive statistics uses statistics to describe the population that is being studied, while inferential statistics makes predictions about a population through analysis and observations (Van den Besselaar, 2003). They both look at samples of the population, but what they do with the samples is much different. Descriptive Statistics helps to describe the data and this brand of the method also helps to organize it in a way that it could be understood. Inferential statistics, on the other hand, uses the information to make generalizations on particular data while analyzing a population sample.They both have different jobs but work together in statistical methods to prove or disprove research that has already been completed.
In statistics, research can deal with many figures that may describe results known as descriptive statistics. Descriptive statistics is a method of summarizing a large set of numbers. This method describes the characteristics of a single variable such as the distribution, central tendency, and dispersion. There are three methods to finding the central tendency of number series: the mode, the median, and the mean.
The mode is defined as the value that has the most or greatest frequency in a distribution; in other words, the number that appears the most in a number series. This method is not used as often in psychology. The median is defined as the middle score that appears when all the numbers are arranged from smallest to largest. This method is also not used as commonly as the mean in psychology.
Out of all three, the mean is the most popular method to finding the middle digit. Also known as the average, the mean is gathered by adding all the scores in the number series and dividing it by the amount of numbers in the series (Boeree, 2005).Unlike descriptive statistics, inferential statistics is used to make inferences about a large population based on a sample group. A sample refers to a group that is a subset of a larger group. The inferences of the sample group are not exactly error proof; it does not represent the larger population 100%. In psychology, there are different types of inferential statistics that are used.
Depending on the type of variable being measured, the inferential is used. Variables measured by an inferential such as nominal, ordinal, and interval and ratio are compared to one another to determine the correlation from one another (McHugh, 2003).Methods such as descriptive and inferential statistics are used to better understand sums that can be produced when conducting research. Psychologists today give the world and its people a better understanding of the environment present by using these methods. Numbers can represent a small or large group of people depending on the set up of the statistical formula.
Once place within a method, numbers become a visual aid for research and puts into perspective a once large sum.
