Descriptive Statistics
Beverly Schieltz, MS, MT (ASCP),and Brad Westover
This course discusses statistics that are used in the laboratory for assessment of quality control.
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Continuing Education Credits
Objectives
- Explain why knowledge of statistics is important to laboratory scientists.
- Differentiate between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
- Define the following terms and apply them to specific situations:
- sample
- population
- data
- parameter
- statistic
- independent variable
- dependent variable
- Prepare tables and figures of data that meet the criteria specified in this unit.
- Describe "frequency distribution" and explain the advantage of presenting data in this manner.
- Given a set of data, construct a frequency table according to criteria stated in this unit.
- Given a set of data, construct both actual and relative frequency distributions that accurately represent the discrete or continuous nature of the data.
- Given a set of data, calculate its variance and standard deviation.
- Given the mean and standard deviation of a set of data in a normal distribution, find the ranges encompassing 68%, 95%, and 99% of all observations.
- Describe at least two situations in which coefficient of variation is a useful tool.
- Calculate coefficient of variation when given the mean and standard deviation of a set of data.
- Explain how coefficient of variation is used in the clinical laboratory.
- Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to use the appropriate descriptive statistics principles to present and analyze data.
Course Outline
Click on a link in the outline to view a sample page from this course.
- Introduction to Statistics
- Definition of Statistics Terms
- Samples and Populations
- Statistics and Parameters
- Indepentent and Dependent Variables
- Discrete and Continuous Data
- Read the following passage, and identify the underlined words:
The researchers tested 50 students chosen at random who had taken calculus in high ...
- Read the following passage, and identify the underlined words:
The researchers tested 50 students chosen at random who had taken calculus in high ...
- Read the following passage, and identify the underlined words:
The researchers tested 50 students chosen at random who had taken calculus in high ...
- Identify whether the underlined phrase is the independent of dependent variable:
The amount of sunlight that plants receive is directly proportional ...
- Graphic Representation of Data
- Importance of Professional Tables and Graphs
- Table Specifications
- Figures Specification
- What is wrong with the following table?
Table 4
Plant #
Height
Sunlight
...
- What is wrong with the following bar chart?
Figure 3
- Frequency Distribution
- Data and Data Pairs
- Using Frequency Distributions
- Reading Frequency Distributions
- Constructing Frequency Distributions
- A Frequency Distribution Example
- Step 1: Select Size and Number of Class Intervals
- Step 2: List the Class Intervals
- Step 3: Sort the Data
- Step 4: Determine Frequencies
- Step 5: Determine Relative Frequencies
- Graphing Frequency Distributions
- Bar Chart
- Histogram
- Frequency Polygon
- Absolute vs. Relative Frequency
- Use the following data for the next four questions:
Table V
Serum BUN values (mg/dL) from hospital employees at Kettering Medical Center
...
- Table V
Serum BUN values (mg/dL) from hospital employees at Kettering Medical Center
15.9
22.5
...
- Table V
Serum BUN values (mg/dL) from hospital employees at Kettering Medical Center
15.9
22.5
...
- Table V
Serum BUN values (mg/dL) from hospital employees at Kettering Medical Center
15.9
22.5
...
- Measures of Central Tendency
- Mean, Median, and Mode
- Mean
- Median
- Mode
- Use the following data for the next three questions:
Table VINumber of children in household for 20 households in Atlanta, Georgia
...
- Table VINumber of children in household for 20 households in Atlanta, Georgia
4
2
...
- Table VINumber of children in household for 20 households in Atlanta, Georgia
4
2
...
- Measures of Spread
- Standard Deviation
- Standard Deviation (continued)
- Standard Deviation Example
- Standard Deviation Example (continued)
- Use the data for the following question:
Table VII
Urea Nitrogen Concentration in 9 Employees (mg/dL)
...
- Normal Distribution
- Introduction to the Normal Distribution
- Normal Distribution
- 68-95-99 Rule Illustrated
- Inferences from Sample Data
- Suppose you measured the Serum BUN levels in a sample of several healthy people. You found that the average was 19.6 mg/dL and the standard devi...
- Your supervisor asks you to give the 95% range of normal Serum BUN levels, the range within which 95% of healthy people will fall.&nbs...
- Coefficient of Variation
- A Measure of Relative Variability
- Using the Coefficient of Variation
- Monitoring Methods
- What is the coefficient of variation of the data you used in the previous section? ( = 19.6 mg/dL, s = 6.1 mg/dL)
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Intermediate Intended audience: This course is appropriate for laboratory professionals, and for students in clinical laboratory science programs who want a review of the statistics that are analyzed for assessment of quality control. Author information: Beverly Schieltz, MS, MT(ASCP), is a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wright State University located in Dayton, Ohio. Brad Westover received his BS in Physics in 2006 from the California Institute of Technology. He is currently pursuing a Ph. D. at the University of California, San Diego. About the Course: This course is part of a series of courses adapted for the web by MediaLab Inc. under license from Educational Materials for Health Professionals Inc. Dayton OH, 45420. Copyright EMHP.
Descriptive Statistics Keywords
These are the most common topics and keywords covered in Descriptive Statistics:
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