INTRODUCTION TO BASIC

STATISTICS AND
BIOSTATISTICS
Objectives
At the end of this lecture students will be
able to
 Define Statistics, Types of Statistics,
Population and Sample, Characteristics
of Statistics
 Measurement Scales , Variable and its
types
 Data , Types of Data, Collection of
different types of data
 Importance , Uses and Misuses of
Statistics
 Introduction to Statistics

What is Statistics?
Statistics is a mathematical science including methods of
collecting, organizing and analyzing data in such a way that
meaningful conclusions can be drawn from them. In general, its
investigations and analyses fall into two broad categories called
descriptive and inferential statistics.
 Meaning of statistics

Two meaning of statistics:

 Singular sense;
“ A discipline that includes procedures and techniques used
to
Collect Process and Analyze numerical data.”
 Plural sense;
In plural sense, statistics refers to information in terms of
numbers or numerical data. Characteristics of statistics in the
plural sense are: 1. It is an aggregate of facts. 2.
Biostatistics
 It is that branch of statistics concerned with the mathematical facts
and data related to biological events.
 The tools of statistics are employed in many fields:
business, education, psychology, agriculture, economics,
… etc.
 When the data analyzed are derived from the biological
science and medicine, we use the term biostatistics to
distinguish this particular application of statistical tools
and concepts.
 Uses of Statistical Information

 Statistics helps in gathering information about the

appropriate quantitative data
 It depicts the complex data in the graphical form,
tabular form and in diagrammatic representation, to
understand it easily
 It provides the exact description and better
understanding
 It helps in designing the effective and proper planning
of the statistical inquiry in any field.
 CONTI…

 It gives valid inferences with the reliability measures

about the population parameters from the sample
data
 It helps to understand the variability pattern through the
quantitative observations.
Characteristics of Statistics

 The important characteristics of Statistics are as follows:

 Statistics are numerically expressed.
 It has an aggregate of facts
 Data are collected in systematic order
 It should be comparable to each other
 Data are collected for a planned purpose
 Branches of Statistics

1. Descriptive Statistics:
A descriptive statistic is a summary statistic that
quantitatively describes or summarizes features from a
collection of information, while descriptive statistics is the
process of using and analysing those statistics.
2. Inferential Statistics:
Statistical inference is the process of using data analysis to
deduce properties of an underlying distribution of
probability. Inferential statistical analysis infers properties of a
population, for example by testing hypotheses and deriving
estimates.
 Population and Sample:

A population is the entire group that you want to draw

conclusions about. A sample is the specific group that you
will collect data from. The size of the sample is always less
than the total size of the population.
 Importance of Statistics:

 Large numbers are always estimated not counted.

 Statistics helps in the proper and efficient planning of a
statistical inquiry in any field of study.
 Statistics helps in collecting appropriate quantitative data.
 Statistical knowledge helps you use the proper methods to
collect the data, employ the correct analyses, and effectively
present the results.
 Statistics is a crucial process behind how we make
discoveries in science, make decisions based on data, and
make predictions.
 CONTI…

 studies methodologies to gather, review, analyze, and draw

conclusions from data.
 There are many different types of statistics pertaining to which
situation you need to analyze.
 Statistics used Statistics to make better-informed business
decisions.
Observation:
An observation in statistics is a value of something of
interest you’re measuring or counting during a study or
experiment.

“Any numerically recorded

information is called observation.”

Ex: A person’s height, or number of

animals.
 Variable:
A factor or an element that can change from person to
person , time to time and place to place is called variable.

Person to person: Age, Height, Mobile No, Eye

color.

Time to time: Prices, Rent, Mobile apps.

Place to place: Temperature, Language,

Currency, Food.
 Types of Variable

• Quantitative Variable: Variables whose values result

from counting or measuring something.
Examples: height, weight, speed, temperature.

• Qualitative Variable: Variables that are not

measurement variables. Their values do not result from
measuring or counting.
Examples: beauty, honesty, softness, curse.
 Types of Quantitative Variable

• Discrete Variable: A discrete variable is a variable whose

value is obtained by counting.
Examples: number of votes in an election, number of chairs
in a class, no of planets in the solar system.

• Continuous Variable: A continuous variable is

a variable whose value is obtained by measuring.
Examples: water temperature, volts of electricity, speed,
heartbeat.
Measurement Scales:

Scales of measurement refer to ways in which

variables/numbers are defined and categorized.

The four scales of measurement are;

• Nominal
• Ordinal
• Interval
• Ratio
Nominal Scale:

Nominal scale is a naming scale, where variables are

simply “named” or labeled, with no specific order.
Example. One example of a nominal scale could be
“gender".
Ordinal Scale:
Ordinal scale is the 2nd level of measurement that
reports the ranking and ordering of the data.
Interval Scale:

An interval scale is one where there is order and the

difference between two values is meaningful.
• It does not involve the true zero.
• You can not speak about ratios.

A simple example of interval data: The difference between

100 degrees Fahrenheit and 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the
same as 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ratio Scale:
• Highest and most informative scale.
• Contains the qualities of the nominal, ordinal, and
interval scales with the addition of an absolute zero
point.

Example: height, weight, length.

Note: All scales, whether they measure weight in kilograms

or pounds, starts at 0. The zero means something and is
not arbitrary.
COLLECTION OF DATA:

 Census:
A census is a survey conducted on the full set of
observation objects belonging to a given population.
 Data

Primary Data Secondary Data

Types of Data

 Primary Data:
Primary data means the raw data which has just been
collected from the source and has not gone any kind of
statistical treatment .

 Secondary Data:
Secondary data is the data that has already been
collected through primary sources and made readily available
for researchers to use for their own research.
 Collection
through
Questionnaires

Direct and
Computer
Personal
Interviews
Investigation

Methods of
Primary

Collection
Indirect
through Local
Investigation
sources

Collection
through
Enumerator
 Methods of Collection of Primary Data:

 Direct Personal Investigation:

Direct personal investigation is
the method in which data are collected by the
investigator personally from sources concerned collected data
are uniform because they are collected by one person.
 Indirect Investigation or Personal Interview:
The investigator collects the data
indirectly by interviewing persons who are known to be close to
the original persons or the incidence.
 Collection through Questionnaires:
A questionnaire can is a research
instrument that consists of a set of questions to collect
information from a respondent
 Methods of Collection of Primary Data

 Collection through Enumerators:

In this method, trained enumerators collected the information.
They assist the informants in making the entries in the schedules
or questionnaires correctly.
 Collection through Local Sources:
In this method, the agent or local correspondents collect and
send the required information, using their judgment as to the
best way of obtaining it, but there is no formal collection of data.
 Computer interviews:
Respondents enter a data into the
computer in response of question presented on the monitor.
Experimental Research

 Laboratory Experiments:
In this method, manipulation of
the independent variables in artificial sutiation
Field Experiments:
Field experiments are experiments
carried out outside of laboratory settings. They
randomly assign subjects (or other sampling units) to
either treatment or control groups in order to test
claims of causal relationships.
 Methods of Collection of Secondary Data

Secondary Research:-
 Internal Secondary Data:
Internal secondary data is found inside your
organization, while external secondary data is information
collected and stored by some person or organization outside of
your organization.
 External secondary data:
External secondary data is information collected and stored by
some person or organization outside of your organization. The
difficulty in collecting secondary data depends on its method of
storage and indexing.
 Methods of Collection of Secondary Data

 Official Sources:
publication of statistical divisions, reports of
ministries of finance, food and agriculture, planning and
development etc.
 Semi Official Sources:
publication of state bank, wapda, P.I.A local
bodies etc.
 Private Sources:
publication of state association, chambers of
commerce and industry, private commercial and financial
institutions etc.
Methods of Collection of Secondary Data

 Technical Sources:
Technical, Trade journals and newspaper
etc.

 Research Organization:
publication of research
organizations like universities, institute of education and
research etc.
 Editing of Data:

Data editing is defined as the process involving the review and

adjustment of collected survey data. The purpose is to control
the quality of the collected data. Data editing can be
performed manually, with the assistance of a computer or a
combination of both.
 Uses of Statistics:

1. Statistics helps in providing a better understanding and exact

description of a phenomenon of nature.
2. Statistics helps in the proper and efficient planning of a statistical
inquiry in any field of study.
3. Statistics helps in collecting appropriate quantitative data.
4. Statistics helps in presenting complex data in a suitable tabular,
diagrammatic and graphic form for easy and clear
comprehension of the data.
5. Statistics helps in understanding the nature and pattern of
variability of a phenomenon through quantitative observations.
6. Statistics helps in drawing valid inferences, along with a measure
of their reliability about the population parameters from the
sample data
 Misuses of Statistics:

1. Manipulating scale to change the appearance of the

distribution of data.
2. Eliminating high/low scores for more coherent presentation.
3. Inappropriately focusing on certain variables to the exclusion
of other variables.
4. Presenting correlation as causation.