STA 308: Chapter 1

THE NATURE OF STATISTICS

Jing Wu

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Statistics

Definition
Statistics is a collection of procedures and principles for gathering
data and analyzing information to help people make decisions when
faced with uncertainty.

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Statistics can be classified into two areas:
I Descriptive Statistics A collection of methods of organizing,
summarizing and presenting data
I Inferential Statistics A collection of methods for drawing
conclusions about a population based on information available
in a sample taken from a population

Q: What are population and sample?

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Basic Concepts

I Population
The set of all individuals or items of interest in a statistical study
I Parameter
A descriptive measure or characteristic of the population

If desired information is available for all objects in the population, it is called a census.
Too costly or even infeasible when the population is large!

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Basic Concepts

I Sample
A subset of the population selected in a prescribed manner.
I Statistics
A descriptive measure or characteristic of the sample

The purpose to collect a sample is to get useful information about the population.
The manner in which a sample is generated must be carefully designed.

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 Sampling

Statistics: a descriptive
measure of sample
Parameter: a descriptive
measure of population

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Example
In 1988, the Physicians’ Health Study Research Group conducted 5-year randomized
experiment using 22,071 physicians between the ages of 40 and 84.
The purpose of the experiment was to determine whether or not taking aspirin
reduces the risk of a heart attack?

Sampling

Statistics: Heart Attack

Rates of sample

Parameter: Heart Attack

Rates of population

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Sampling Design

Simple Random Sampling (SRS)

Each item of a population is equally likely to be chosen
I SRS with replacement Members of a population can be
selected more than once
I SRS without replacement Members of a population can be
selected at most once
In this course we assume SRS without replacement!

Optional Reading: Other sampling designs are introduced in Section 1.3

in the textbook.

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Experimental Design

I Observational Studies Researchers observe characteristics

and take measurements
I Design Experiment researchers impose treatments and
controls (such as placebo) and then observe characteristics
and take measurements

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Example
A study took random sample of adults and asked them about their
bedtime habits. The data showed that people who drank a cup of
milk before bedtime were more likely to go to sleep earlier than
those who didn’t drink milk.
What type of experimental design is this?
A. Observational study
B. Designed experiment

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Example
A study took random sample of adults and asked them about their
bedtime habits. The data showed that people who drank a cup of
milk before bedtime were more likely to go to sleep earlier than
those who didn’t drink milk.
What type of experimental design is this?

A. Observational study
B. Designed experiment

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Example
Another study took a group of adults and randomly divided them
into two groups. One group was told to drink milk every night for a
week, while the other group was told not to drink milk that week.
Researchers then compared when each group fell asleep.

What type of experimental design is this?

A. Observational study
B. Designed experiment

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Example
Another study took a group of adults and randomly divided them
into two groups. One group was told to drink milk every night for a
week, while the other group was told not to drink milk that week.
Researchers then compared when each group fell asleep.

What type of experimental design is this?

A. Observational study

B. Designed experiment

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