Descriptive statistics

Chapter 10 of Performing Music Research sets out the fundamental principles that underpin all statistics. Statistics must be used with care, and strict conditions govern their deployment, many of which have to be considered in the earliest stages of research. The chapter discusses techniques for organizing, describing, and summarizing data. It introduces the concepts of central tendency and variability, as it is essential for carrying out statistical tests to know the difference between means, medians, and modes, and when and how to use them, and to understand how data vary within, as well as between, samples.