Statistical Question Statistics Example 4
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Example 4
hardA student asks: 'Do students who eat breakfast perform better on tests?' (a) Is this a statistical question? (b) What kind of data would need to be collected? (c) What type of study would be appropriate — observational or experimental?
Solution
- 1 Step 1: (a) Yes, this is statistical — performance will vary among students, and we are investigating a relationship between two variables (breakfast eating and test scores).
- 2 Step 2: (b) Data needed: whether each student ate breakfast (categorical: yes/no) and their test score (numerical). (c) An observational study recording existing habits is more practical and ethical than an experiment forcing students to skip breakfast.
Answer
(a) Yes, it is statistical. (b) Categorical data (ate breakfast: yes/no) and numerical data (test scores). (c) An observational study would be most appropriate.
Statistical questions about relationships between variables require collecting data on multiple variables from many subjects. The choice between observational and experimental studies depends on practicality and ethics — we cannot always manipulate variables in a controlled experiment.
About Statistical Question
A statistical question is a question that anticipates variability in answers — it cannot be answered with a single fixed number because different data points will give different responses. It requires collecting data from multiple sources to answer.
Learn more about Statistical Question →More Statistical Question Examples
Example 1 easy
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