Descriptive Statistics

Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe data sets.  Descriptive statistics are used to:
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• Summarize Data Sets:  measures of central tendency (mean, median or mode) reduce large amounts of raw data into meaningful summary values, making them easier to interpret and visualize. 

 

• Understand Data Variation:  measures of dispersion (range, standard deviation, standard error or quartiles) quantify how much data points vary, providing insight into the variability of biological processes or populations. 

 

• Detect Outliers:  outlier analysis can help identify extreme data points that might be due to errors or genuine biological phenomena, prompting further investigation. 

 

• Describe the Symmetry of the Data Set: skew analysis indicates the asymmetry of the data distribution relative to the "normal" distribution. 

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• Quantify the Relationship between Variables: correlation coefficients are used to describe the direction and strength of two continuous variables.