Statistics for Six Sigma Green Belts with Minitab and JMP

2.1. Enumerative and Analytic Studies

There are two types of statistical studies: enumerative and analytic. The two types of studies have different purposes, so you need to understand the distinction between them.

Enumerative studies are used to draw conclusions about a population fixed in place and time. A common example of an enumerative study is a political poll in which you select a sample of registered voters from a list of all registered voters in a particular geographical area as of a certain time such as October 2005. Based on the results of the sample, you make statistical inferences about the entire voter registration list in the geographical area as of October 2005. Another example of an enumerative study is a study of the waiting ...