What are inferential statistics?

Inferential statistics are numerical summaries from a sample that help you to test a particular hypothesis.

Examples

In a study of a cholesterol lowering drug, simvastatin, on vascular mortality and overall mortality, the abstract mentions:

There was a highly significant 17% (95% CI 9-25) proportional reduction in vascular deaths, along with a non-significant reduction in all non-vascular deaths, which translated into a significant reduction in all-cause mortality (p=0.0003). The effects of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin on cause-specific mortality and on cancer incidence in 20,536 high-risk people: a randomised placebo-controlled trial [ISRCTN48489393]. Jane Armitage and For Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group. BMC Medicine 2005, 3:6. [Abstract] [PDF]

In a study of sleep disturbances in patients with schizophrenia, the abstract mentions:

Analyses revealed that poor sleep quality predicted low quality of life (r = -0.493; p = .022) and reduced preference for employing positive reappraisal when facing a stressor (r = -0.0594; p = 0.0012). Quality of sleep in patients with schizophrenia is associated with quality of life and coping. John R Hofstetter, Paul H Lysaker and Aimee R Mayeda. BMC Psychiatry 2005, 5:13. [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

This webpage was written by Steve Simon on 2005-03-24, edited by Steve Simon, and was last modified on 2008-07-08. This page needs minor revisions. Category: Definitions, Category: Hypothesis testing.