s of statistical inference. Descriptive statistics describe the performance or activity of one group or class, without attempting to make generalizations about other groups or classes. Decision theory used in conjunction with quantitative statistical analysis provides knowledge about events and relationships that reduce the level of uncertainty in the data upon which decisions are based, thereby improving the quality of decisions.
Inference is among the most important of the uses made of quantitative methods. Hypothesis testing falls in the realm of inferential statistics (Singleton, Straits, & McAllister, 1993, p. 104). The basic theoretical principle upon which inferential statistics are based is probability (Ott, 1993, pp. 75-77). Probability is a number expressing the likelihood of occurrence of a specific event. For use in inferential statistics, this probability must be statistically independent. In inferential statistical applications, probability is largely a function of samplin
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