Distinguish between sample/population and statistic/parameter

In What to Know [2A], you learned about populations and samples. You saw that one primary use of statistics is to make inferences about a population based on data collected on a sample from that population. The population is the group of individuals or entities that our research question pertains to (e.g., all Americans), and a parameter is a numerical summary measure that summarizes that population (e.g., the proportion who use social media). A sample is a group of individuals or entities on which we collect data, and a statistic is a numerical summary measure of a sample.

Let’s practice distinguishing between sample and population, statistic and parameter. Use the following scenario to answer Questions 5 – 8.

A survey is administered to undergraduate students at college in Nebraska about their attitudes on the new learning management system used in all courses. Of the 40,322 students enrolled at the college, a random sample of 2,500 students were surveyed.

In this corequisite support activity, you’ve learned the statistical definition of random, and learned to distinguish between a sample and population and between a statistic (of the sample) and a parameter (of the population). Let’s move on to the course section and activity to practice using these terms!