Statistics in Psychology: How Psychology Data Are Analyzed

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Statistics in Psychology: How Psychology Data Are Analyzed

Introduction

17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape (National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1998; Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network [RAINN], 2009) and were three times more likely to suffer from depression (World Health Organization, 2002; RAINN, 2009). Statistics like these help psychologists know how common an incident is and to determine what may be wrong with their patient thus being able to treat them more efficiently. Statistics, like those above, apply every day in psychology, are extremely important, and analyzed in a specific way.

How Statistics are used in Psychology

Most psychological research involves measuring and analyzing observations of certain characteristics of a population or a sample of a population (Statistics for psychology, n.d.). In other words, it involves the use of statistics. Statistics answers whether or not one variable affects another variable (Cherry K., n.d.). Psychology would not be near as useful if psychologists did not know how one incident may affect an individual and their future, or how well a technique works to elevate certain issues.

To begin with, a psychiatrist would ask a question and design a relevant research experiment. They then must collect data in an unbiased manner, such as a double-blind trial, using psychometric instruments to measure psychological states (Why study statistics in psychology, 2007). After the experiment finishes and all the possible data is collected, the psychiatrist would use statistics to measure the relationship using the data they collected (Cherry K., n.d.).

Statistics then analyzes the observations, or data...

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