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Characteristics of Sampling Distribution

The document discusses the characteristics of random sampling distribution, highlighting the differences between large and small samples, parameters versus statistics, and the importance of the Central Limit Theorem. It explains how the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution relate to the population and how sample size affects standard error. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of independence in random sampling for accurate statistical analysis.

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20 views5 pages

Characteristics of Sampling Distribution

The document discusses the characteristics of random sampling distribution, highlighting the differences between large and small samples, parameters versus statistics, and the importance of the Central Limit Theorem. It explains how the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution relate to the population and how sample size affects standard error. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of independence in random sampling for accurate statistical analysis.

Uploaded by

Mohammed afread
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF RANDOM SAMPLING DISTRIBUTION

1. Large sample & Small sample


In statistics, the terms "large sample" and "small sample" generally refer to the size of the sample in relation to the entire
population and the type of statistical methods that can be appropriately applied.
A sample is considered "large" when it has 30 or more observations (typically n≥30). Large samples tend to better
represent the population and reduce the impact of outliers.
Example:
A researcher wants to determine the average test score of high school students in a large city. They collect data from 200
students. Since the sample size is large, they can use the z-distribution to perform statistical tests and make inferences about
the population mean.
A sample is considered "small" when it has fewer than 30 observations (typically n<30). Small samples tend to have
greater variability and may not accurately represent the population.

Example:

A psychologist is studying the effects of a new therapy on a small group of patients (n = 20). The sample size is small, so
the analysis will rely on the t-distribution to determine if the therapy has a significant effect.
2. Parameter & Statistic
A parameter is a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a population. A parameter provides information about an
entire population.
Examples of Parameters:

Population Mean (μ): The average of all values in the population.


Population Proportion (P): The fraction of the population that possesses a certain characteristic.
Population Variance (σ2) The measure of the spread of the population values.
Population Standard Deviation (σ): The square root of the population variance.

A statistic is a numerical value that represents a characteristic or a summary measure of a sample. It is used to describe and
make inferences about the population from which the sample was drawn.
Examples of Statistics:

Mean (Average): The sum of all sample values divided by the number of sample values.
Median: The middle value when the sample values are arranged in ascending order.
Mode: The value that appears most frequently in the sample.
Variance and Standard Deviation: Measures of the spread or dispersion of the sample values.
Proportion: The fraction or percentage of the sample that possesses a certain characteristic.
What is random sampling distribution?

A random sampling distribution is the probability distribution of a given statistic based on a random sample. It represents the
distribution of that statistic over all possible samples of a specific size drawn from the same population. Understanding random
sampling distributions is fundamental in inferential statistics because they allow us to make inferences about population parameters
based on sample statistics.

*A probability distribution is a mathematical function that describes the likelihood of different outcomes in a random
experiment. It provides a comprehensive description of the possible values of a random variable and the probabilities associated with
these values.

Characteristics of Random Sampling Distribution:

(1) Central Limit Theorem


The Central Limit Theorem is a fundamental concept in statistics that describes how the distribution of sample means
approaches a normal distribution as the sample size becomes large, regardless of the shape of the population distribution.
• If you take sufficiently large random samples from any population with a finite mean (μ) and finite variance (σ2), the
sampling distribution of the sample mean (xˉ) will be approximately normally distributed.
• This approximation to the normal distribution improves as the sample size n increases.
(2) Normal Distribution:
If the population is normally distributed, the sampling distribution of the sample mean will also be normally distributed, even
for small sample sizes.
Example:
Consider the population of heights of adult males in a city:
Mean (μ): 175 cm
Standard Deviation (σ): 10 cm
If the heights are normally distributed:
About 68% of the adult males have heights between 165 cm (175 - 10) and 185 cm (175 + 10).
About 95% of the adult males have heights between 155 cm (175 - 20) and 195 cm (175 + 20).
About 99.7% of the adult males have heights between 145 cm (175 - 30) and 205 cm (175 + 30).
In summary, a normally distributed population has values that follow the bell-shaped curve described by the normal distribution,
characterized by specific properties that allow for easy prediction and application in statistical analysis.
(3) Mean of the Sampling Distribution:
The mean of the sampling distribution of the sample mean (denoted as μx̅ ) is equal to the mean of the population (denoted as
μ). This is expressed as:
𝜇𝑥̅ = μ
(4) Standard Deviation of the Sampling Distribution:
The standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample mean also known as the standard error, denoted as (σx̅ ) is
σ
related to the population standard deviation (σ) and the sample size (n) as follows: σx̅ =
√𝑛
This shows that as the sample size increases, the standard error decreases, making the sampling distribution narrower.
Sample Question:
Suppose you are studying the average weight of apples in an orchard. The population of apple weights is known to have a
standard deviation (σ) of 2 kg. You take two different sample sizes from this population: a sample of 25 apples and a sample of
100 apples.
Question: Calculate the standard error (standard deviation of the sampling distribution of the sample mean) for each sample
size. Explain how the standard error changes as the sample size increases.
Explanation:
Sample Size 25: The standard error is 0.4 kg. This indicates that the sample means will vary by approximately 0.4 kg around
the population mean.
Sample Size 100: The standard error is 0.2 kg. This indicates that the sample means will vary by approximately 0.2 kg around
the population mean.
Conclusion: As the sample size increases from 25 to 100, the standard error decreases from 0.4 kg to 0.2 kg. This decrease in
the standard error makes the sampling distribution of the sample mean narrower, meaning that the sample means are more
tightly clustered around the population mean. This reflects the increased precision of the sample mean as an estimate of the
population mean with larger sample sizes.

(5) Independence
Random Sampling: The observations in each sample must be independent of each other. This independence is typically ensured
by random sampling, where each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

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