What Are The Difference Between Descriptive And Inferential Statistics

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1. What are the differences between descriptive and inferential statistics?

Descriptive stats summarize data so the data can be comprehended. The researchers prepare a frequency distribution which shows the frequencies as descriptive statistics. Percentages, and averages are also descriptive statistics. Therefore, the descriptive statistics describe sets of data collected through observation. Then the statistics are organized in tables, pie charts, graphs etc. Researchers must be sure the kind of descriptive statistics matches the kind of data that has been collected. Influential statistics is when, due to the size of the …show more content…

What is the null hypothesis? Why is the null hypothesis important?

A null hypothesis is when samples are taken in inferential statistics but those samples are unrepresentative because of random sampling errors. This can happen in three ways: 1. The observed difference was created by sampling errors, keeping in mind there is no bias because the survey is done randomly. 2. Null hypothesis also occurs when there is no true difference between the two groups. This meaning that the true difference is the difference a researcher would find if there were no sampling errors. 3. The true difference between the two groups is zero.

The null hypothesis is important to determine if there is a difference between the groups being tested or not. If the null hypothesis was not present, the number of possibilities would make it impossible to test. Also at the beginning of the research the null hypothesis can make the research more objectively based and play a key role in the statistical analysis as results become available. Ultimately, then, with the degree of the null hypothesis and its probability (p) it can be determined rather it is rejected in lieu of alternative hypothesis (Patten,

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