Statistics How To

Probability > Contents: What is Monte Carlo Simulation? Quantified Probability and Real-Life Uses Accuracy Simple Example The Splitting Method Software & MATLAB Example Histogramming 1. What is Monte Carlo Simulation? Monte Carlo simulation (also called the Monte Carlo Method or Monte Carlo sampling) is a way to account for risk in decision making and quantitative … Read more

Sampling > Convenience Sampling (Accidental Sampling) What is Convenience Sampling / Accidental Sampling? Convenience sampling (also called accidental sampling or grab sampling) is where you include people who are easy to reach. For example, you could survey people from: Your workplace, Your school, A club you belong to, The local mall. Convenience sampling is a … Read more

Sampling > Haphazard Sampling What is Haphazard Sampling? Haphazard sampling is where you try to create a random sample by haphazardly choosing items in order to try and recreate true randomness. It doesn’t usually work, because of

Design of Experiments > Response Bias What is Response Bias? Response bias (also called survey bias) is the tendency of a person to answer questions on a survey untruthfully or misleadingly. For example, they may feel pressure to give answers that are socially acceptable. The respondent may not be aware that they aren’t answering the … Read more

Design of Experiments > What is Concurrent Validity? Concurrent validity is a type of Criterion Validity. If you create some type of test, you want to make sure it’s valid: that it measures what it is supposed to measure. Criterion validity is one way of doing that. Concurrent validity measures how well a new test … Read more

Statistics Definitions > Data Mining Contents: What is Data Mining? Steps in Data Mining Data sets in Data Mining. What is Data Mining? Data mining, or knowledge discovery from data (KDD), is the process of uncovering trends, common themes or patterns in “big data”. Uncovering patterns in data isn’t anything new — it’s been around … Read more

Data Analysis > Multidimensional Scaling Contents: What is Multidimensional Scaling? When to Use MDS A Simple Example Basic steps: Potential Pitfalls Notation History and Subtypes Multidimensional scaling vs. Factor Analysis Similar Techniques What is Multidimensional Scaling? Multidimensional scaling is a visual representation of distances or dissimilarities between sets of objects. “Objects” can be colors, faces, … Read more

Types of Variables > What are Observed Variables? Observed variables (sometimes called observable variables or measured variables) are measured by the researcher. If you’re working with structural equations models (SEM), they are data that actually exists in your data files—data that has been measured and recorded. They can be discrete variables or continuous variables. Observed … Read more

Statistics Definitions > Contents: Principal Component Analysis Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) Correspondence Analysis Redundancy Analysis What is Principal Component Analysis? Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a tool that has two main purposes: To find variability in a data set. To reduce the dimensions of the data set. Reducing dimensions means that redundancy in the data … Read more

Types of Graphs > Additive Tree What is an Additive Tree? An additive tree is a general way to represent clusters of data in a graph. It is used when your data table is composed of rows and columns that represent the same units; the measure must be a distance or a similarity. A “tree” … Read more