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Frequency Distributions. PSY 211 8-29-07. Frequency Distribution. Definition: Table/graph showing number of participants in each category. If I gave a 5-point quiz to a class, the distribution of scores might look like this:.
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Frequency Distributions PSY 211 8-29-07
Frequency Distribution • Definition: Table/graph showing number of participants in each category
If I gave a 5-point quiz to a class, the distribution of scores might look like this:
Find the proportion (p) of people who have each score. p = f / N
Find the percentage (%) of people who have each score. % = p * 100
If the scores are spread out, it is okay to group them into a range of scores Some data: 96, 68, 74, 82, 86, 51, 66, 82, 91, 85, 77,89,88,88,61,90, 79,86,80,92,88,69, 44,99,81,82
Histogram of Quiz Scores f Scores
Now turn that histogram (bar graph) into a polygon (shape, line graph) Polygon of Quiz Scores f 6 Scores
You could graph relative frequencies (percentages) instead of frequencies % Scores
Relative Histogram of Quiz Scores % Scores
Distribution Shape • Rather than graph an entire distribution, sometimes researchers just describe its shape and provide a few statistics f x
f Symmetrical distributions: look the same on both sides, mirror images x f x
Positive Skew *Skewed distribution: lopsided, have a tail off to one side Tail indicates the direction of the skew (+ or -) f x Negative Skew f x
Negative Skew In actuality, frequency polygons look more like these f x f Symmetrical x
Percentile Rank • Used to describe where a score falls in a given distribution 95th percentile 50th percentile f f x x
Finding Percentile Ranks cf = cumulative frequency, number of people with that score or lower
Finding Percentile Ranks c% = cumulative percentage or percentile rank, percent with that score or lower