1542509908 | hypothesis | A plausible and testable explanation for observed phenomena. | 0 | |
1542509909 | independent variable | The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. | 1 | |
1542509910 | dependent variable | The variable that responds to manipulations of the independent variable. The data. | 2 | |
1542509911 | confounding variable | Any extraneous variable that affects the variables being studied so that the results do not reflect an actual relationship between the variables under investigation. | 3 | |
1542509912 | quantitative data | Data based on quantities (numerical data). | 4 | |
1542509913 | qualitative data | Data based on qualities (non-numerical data). | 5 | |
1542509914 | continuous data | Data that can be any value on a range. | 6 | |
1542509915 | discrete data | Data that is capable of assuming only particular values. Usually the result of counting or grouping. | 7 | |
1542509916 | control group | The empirical group that does not receive the independent variable. Serves as a basis for comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment. | 8 | |
1542509917 | experimental group | The empirical group that is exposed to the independent variable. | 9 | |
1542509918 | correlational study | A research method that can determine the degree to which two variables are related, but cannot show which variable caused a change in the other variable. | 10 | |
1542509919 | pseudoscience | A body of ideas clothed in the jargon and outward appearance of science but was not created with the standards required of the scientific method. | 11 | |
1542509920 | extrapolation | Estimating a value outside the range of measured data. | 12 | |
1542509921 | statistics | The study of the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. | 13 | |
1542509922 | population (N) | A complete set of items (people, animals, etc.) that have at least one thing in common and are the subject of the statistical analysis. | 14 | |
1542509923 | sample (n) | A subset of individuals selected from the population. | 15 | |
1542509924 | descriptive statistics | Statistics that quantitatively describe the main features of a data set, especially measures of central tendency and dispersion. | 16 | |
1542509925 | inferential statistics | Statistics that draw conclusions from sample data. Used to test hypotheses and make estimations about the population. | 17 | |
1542509926 | sampling bias | A problem that occurs when a sample is not representative of the population from which it is drawn. | 18 | |
1542509927 | normal distribution | A unimodal, symmetrical, bell-shaped distribution of data. | 19 | |
1542509928 | parametric data | Data that show an approximate normal distribution on a histogram. | 20 | |
1542509929 | nonparametric data | Data that do not show an approximate normal distribution on a histogram. Can be qualitative data. | 21 | |
1542509930 | frequency or count data | Recordings of discrete, or qualitative, data. Generated by counting. | 22 | |
1542509931 | comparative statistics | Statistics that compare variables. | 23 | |
1542509932 | association statistics | Statistics that look for correlations between variables. | 24 | |
1542509933 | standard deviation | A measurement measures the amount of variation or dispersion from the mean. | 25 | |
1542509934 | standard error | A statistic used to make an inference about how well the sample mean matches up to the true population mean. | 26 | |
1542509935 | linear regression | Defines a line of best fit for correlational data that can be used as a prediction of the relationship between two variables. | 27 | |
1542509937 | histogram | A graphical representation of tabulated frequencies. | 28 | |
1542509938 | scatterplot | A graph of plotted points that show the relationship between two sets of data. | 29 | |
1542509939 | bar graph | A graph drawn using rectangular bars to show how large each value is. | 30 | |
1542509940 | box-and-whisker plots | A way of graphically depicting groups of numerical data through their quartiles. | 31 | |
1542509941 | bins | Ranges of numerical values into which data are sorted in statistical analysis. | 32 | |
1542509943 | mean | A measure of central tendency determined by adding all scores together and dividing by the number of scores. Often referred to as the statistical average. | 33 | |
1542509944 | sampling | The selection of a subset of individuals from within a statistical population to estimate characteristics of the whole population. | 34 | |
1542509945 | 68-95-99.7 Rule | In a normal distribution, about 68% of values fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, about 95% fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean, and about 99.7% fall within 3 standard deviations of the mean. | 35 | |
1542509946 | error bars | A graphical representation of the variability of data and are used on graphs to indicate the error, or uncertainty in a reported measurement. | 36 | |
1542509947 | median | A measure of central tendency, represented by the score that separates the upper half of the scores in a distribution from the lower half. | 37 | |
1542509948 | mode | Measure of central tendency that refers to the most frequently occurring scores. | 38 | |
1542509949 | Chi-square test | A statistical hypothesis test that measures the difference between observed frequencies and expected frequencies. | 39 | |
1542509950 | null hypothesis | Hypothesis that predicts NO relationship between variables. | 40 | |
1542509951 | alternative hypothesis | Hypothesis that predicts a relationship DOES EXIST between variables. | 41 | |
1542509954 | degrees freedom | The number of ways by which a dynamic system can move without violating any constraint imposed on it. (n-1) | 42 | |
1542509955 | critical value | A cutoff value corresponding to a given significance level. | 43 | |
1542509956 | p-value | A predetermined choice of test certainty. The smaller the p-value, the more confidence can be claimed. | 44 | |
1542509957 | mathematical modelling | A description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. | 45 | |
1542509958 | r-value | The correlation coefficient that ranges from -1.0 to +1.0. The closer it is to 0, the less two variables are related. | 46 | |
1542509959 | hypothesis testing | A method of statistical inference that determines if a result is statistically significant or if it is likely to have occurred by chance alone. | 47 | |
1542509960 | Occam's razor | A principle that states that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. | 48 | |
1542509961 | type I error | False positive. Mistakenly reject the null hypothesis. | 49 | |
1542509962 | type II error | False negative. Mistakenly reject the null hypothesis. | 50 |
Quantitative Skills for AP Biology Flashcards
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