ABSTRACT
Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics involves techniques for summarizing or describing data in an abbreviated form. Descriptive statistics provide a measurable summary of data and can aid in the study of a population and samples. This could include a single summary number, a percentage, a table, or a chart. The general idea behind descriptive statistics is to find a summary measure that best deK scribes a large body of data. As an example, suppose a researcher is reviewing 10,000 Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores for all high school seniors in a given state. Rather than attempting to digest a computer printout containing 10,000 such scores, an analyst may elect to look at one or two descriptive statistics that summarizes all the data. From this data, a researcher can accept or reject hypothesized relations between phenomena. As an example, do students from suburban areas score better academically than students from urban areas, and if so, how much better? Do students from families with more than two siblings score better on the SAT exam than students from a family with two or less siblings, and if so, what is the effect of family size on SAT scores?
