A First Course in Statistics, 12th Edition

2.1 Describing Qualitative Data

Consider a study of aphasia published in the Journal of Communication Disorders. Aphasia is the “impairment or loss of the faculty of using or understanding spoken or written language.” Three types of aphasia have been identified by researchers: Broca’s, conduction, and anomic. The researchers wanted to determine whether one type of aphasia occurs more often than any other and, if so, how often. Consequently, they measured the type of aphasia for a sample of 22 adult aphasics. Table 2.1 gives the type of aphasia diagnosed for each aphasic in the sample.

Teaching Tip

Use data collected in the class to illustrate the techniques for describing qualitative data. Collect data such as year in school, major discipline, ...