Читать книгу Practical Statistics for Nursing and Health Care - Jim Fowler - Страница 26

Descriptive statistics are used to organize, summarize and describe measures of a sample. No predictions or inferences are made regarding population parameters. Inferential (or deductive) statistics, on the other hand, are used to infer or predict population parameters from sample measures. This is done by a process of inductive reasoning based on the mathematical theory of probability. Fortunately, only a very minimal knowledge of the mathematical theory of probability is needed in order to apply the rules of the statistical methods, and the little that is needed will be explained. However, no‐one can predict exactly a population parameter from a sample statistic, but only indicate with a stated degree of confidence within what range it lies. The degree of confidence depends upon the sample selection procedures and the statistical techniques used.