Statistical inference
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Inferential statistics or statistical induction comprises the use of statistics to make inferences concerning some unknown aspect of a population. It is distinguished from descriptive statistics.
Two schools of inferential statistics are frequency probability and Bayesian inference.
[edit] See also
[edit] Definition
Statistical inference is inference about a population from a random sample drawn from it or, more generally, about a random process from its observed behavior during a finite period of time. It includes:
- point estimation
- interval estimation
- hypothesis testing (or statistical significance testing)
- Inferential statistics and prediction
There are several distinct schools of thought about the justification of statistical inference. All are based on some idea of what real world phenomena can be reasonably modeled as probability.
The topics below are usually included in the area of statistical inference.
