ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses three types of statistics that, although they vary, can each take on the role of the others depending on the context. These are descriptive, correlation, and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics is used to discover the characteristics of data. It involves the summary description of sample data by variable. Variables are described or defined by their attributes from two related perspectives. First, data from a given variable are described by their distribution as part of the data screening process quite often using significance testing. Second, after the data screening process is complete, descriptive statistics is used to define variables in summary. Correlation statistics is used to determine whether a relationship exists between two sample variables. It is generally used in inferential statistics and normally refers to a linear relationship. Inferential statistics is used to make conclusions and potential predictions about a population based on the analysis and evidence of data provided from a representative sample of that population.
