BUKIDNON STATE UNIVERSITY Graduate External Studies Surigao Study Center Surigao City

Standard Scores and the Normal Curve

Report Presentation by:
Mary Jane C. Lepiten Araya I. Mejorada Johny S. Natad

16 January 2010

Content for Discussion

Standard Scores or Z scores by: Ms. Mary Jane C. Lepiten Uses of Z scores by: Johny S. Natad The Normal Curve by Ms. Araya I. Mejorada

Ms. Mary Jane C. Lepiten

What is a z-score?

A z score is a raw score expressed in standard deviation units.

z scores are sometimes called standard scores

X X X or z = Here is the formula for a z score: z = S

Computational Formula
x X X = z= S s
Where

or

z=

= any raw score or unit of measurement standard distribution of scores mean and standard distribution of scores deviation deviation of of the the

X , s = mean and

Score minus the mean divided by the standard deviation

Using z scores to compare two raw scores from different distributions

You score 80/100 on a statistics test and your friend also scores 80/100 on their test in another section. Hey congratulations you friend sayswe are both doing equally well in statistics. What do you need to know if the two scores are equivalent? the mean? What if the mean of both tests was 75? You also need to know the standard deviation What would you say about the two test scores if the S in your class was 5 and the S in your friends class is 10?

Calculating z scores
What is the z score for your test: raw score = 80; mean = 75, S = 5?

X X z= S

z=

80 75 =1 5

What is the z score of your friends test: raw score = 80; mean = 75, S = 10?

X X z= S

80 75 z= = 0. 5 10

Who do you think did better on their test? Why do you think this?

Calculating z scores
Example: Raw scores are 46, 54, 50, 60, 70. The mean is 60 and a standard deviation of 10.
X 70 60 50 54 46 x 10 0 - 10 -6 - 14 z 1.00 .00 - 1.00 - 0.60 - 1.40

z=

X X S

70 60 10 = =1 10 10

z=

60 60 0 = = .0 10 10 50 60 10 = = 1 10 10 54 60 6 = = 0.6 10 10 46 60 14 = = 1.4 10 10

z=

z= z=

Why zz-scores?
Transforming scores in order to make comparisons, especially when using different scales Gives information about the relative standing of a score in relation to the characteristics of the sample or population Location relative to mean Relative frequency and percentile

What does it tell us?

z-score describes the location of the raw score in terms of distance from the mean, measured in standard deviations Gives us information about the location of that score relative to the average deviation of all scores

Z-score Distribution
Mean of zero
Zero distance from the mean

Standard deviation of 1 Z-score distribution always has same shape as raw score. If distribution was positively skewed to begin with, z scores made from such a distribution would be positively skewed.

Distribution of the various types of standard scores

z Scores Navy Scores ACT CEEB

-3 20 0 200

-2 30 5 300

-1 40 10 400

0 50 15 500

+1 60 20 600

+2 70 25 700

+3 80 30 800

Transformation Equation
Transformations consist of making the scale larger, so that negative scores are eliminated, and of suing a larger standard deviation, so that decimals are done away with. Transformation scores equation:
standard score= z(new standard deviation) + the new mean

Transformation Equation
standard score= z(new standard deviation) + the new mean

A common form for these transformations is based upon a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. in equation form this becomes:
standard score= z(10) + 50

Or starting with the raw score, we have:

Standard score
= XX (10) + 50 S

Fun facts about z scores

Any distribution of raw scores can be converted to a distribution of z scores The mean of a distribution has a z score of ____? Positive z scores represent raw scores that are __________ (above or below) the mean? Negative z scores represent raw scores that are __________ (above or below) the mean? zero

above

below

Mr. Johny S. Natad

Comparing distributions

scores

from

different

Interpreting/desribing individual scores Describing and interpreting sample means

Comparing Different Variables

Standardizes different scores
PART A: RAW SCORES Student Geography Spelling A 60 140 B 72 100 C 46 110 etc. Mean Mean 60 100 Standard deviation deviation Standard 10 20 PART B: STANDARD SCORES
Student A B C Geography 50 62 36 Spelling 70 50 55

Arithmetic 40 36 24 22 6

Arithmetic Average 80 67 73 62 53 48

Using transformation equation:

Standard score =

X X (10) + 50 S 60 60 SS = (10) + 50 = (0) + 50 = 50 10

Interpreting Individual Scores

PART A: RAW SCORES Student Geography Spelling A 60 140 B 72 100 C 46 110 etc. Mean 60 100 Standard deviation 10 20 PART B: STANDARD SCORES Student A B C Geography 50 62 36 Spelling 70 50 55 Arithmetic 40 36 24 22 6

Arithmetic Average 80 67 73 62 53 48

Student As performance is average in geography, excellent in spelling, and superior in arithmetic.

Using standard deviation units to describe individual scores

Here is a distribution with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 10:

80 -2 s

90 -1 s

100

110 1s

120 2s

What score is one standard deviation below the mean?

90

What score is two standard deviation above the mean? 120

Using standard deviation units to describe individual scores

Here is a distribution with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 10:

80 -2 s

90 -1 s

100

110 1s

120 2s

How many standard deviations below the mean is a score of 90? How many standard deviations above the mean is a score of 120?

1 2

Describing Individual Scores

PART B: STANDARD SCORES Student A B C Geography 50 62 36 Spelling 70 50 55 Arithmetic Average 80 67 73 62 53 48

-3

-2 30

-1 40

0 50 50

1 60

2 70 67 70

3 80 80

scores
Student A

20

z =
1. What is the standard deviation of 50? 2. What is the standard deviation of 70?

0 ___ ___ 2

67 50 10
17 = 1 .7 10

=
=

3. What is the standard deviation of 80? ___ 3 4. What is the standard deviation of 67? 1.7 ___

Describing Individual Scores

PART B: STANDARD SCORES Student A B C Geography 50 62 36 Spelling 70 50 55 Arithmetic Average 80 67 73 62 53 48

-3

-2 30

-1 40

0 50 50

1 60

2 70 67 70

3 80 80

scores
Student A

20

1.7 2

Student A is at mean in Geography, 2 standard deviation above the mean in Spelling, 3 standard deviation above the mean in Arithmetic and has an average of 67 which is 1.7 standard deviation above the mean.

Describing Individual Scores

PART B: STANDARD SCORES Student A B C Geography 50 62 36 Spelling 70 50 55 Arithmetic Average 80 67 73 62 53 48

-3

-2 30

-1 40

0 50 50

1 60

2 70 67 70

3 80 80

scores
Student A Student B

20

0
50 62

1.7 2
73

0 Student C
36 48 53 55

1.2

2.3

-1.4

-0.2 0.3 0.5

Using the zz-Table

Important when dealing with decimal zscores Gives information about the area between the mean and the z and the area beyond z in the tail Use z-scores attributes to define psychological

Using zz-scores to Describe Sample Means

Useful for evaluating the sample and for inferential statistical procedures Evaluate the sample means relative standing Sampling distribution of means could be created by plotting all possible means with that sample size and is always approximately a normal distribution Sometimes the mean will be higher, sometimes lower The mean of the sampling distribution always equals the mean of the underlying raw scores of the population

Ms. Araya I. Mejorada

Random variation conforms to a particular probability distribution known as the normal distribution, which is the most commonly observed probability distribution. Mathematicians de Moivre and Laplace used this distribution in the 1700's
de Moivre

The Standard Normal Curve

German mathematician and physicist Karl Friedrich Gauss used it to analyze astronomical data in 1800's, and it consequently became known as the Gaussian distribution among the scientific community.

Karl Friedrich Gauss

The shape of the normal distribution resembles that of a bell, so it sometimes is referred to as the "bell curve".

Bell Curve Characteristic

Symmetric - the mean coincides with a line that divides the normal curve into parts. It is symmetrical about the mean because the left half of the curve is just equal to the right half. Unimodal - a probability distribution is said to be normal if the mean, median and mode coincide at a single point Extends to +/- infinity - left and right tails are asymptotic with respect to the horizontal lines Area under the curve = 1

Completely Parameters

Described

by

Two

The normal distribution can be completely specified by two parameters: 1.mean 2.standard deviation If the mean and standard deviation are known, then one essentially knows as much as if one had access to every point in the data set.

Drawing of a Normal curve

Normal Curve

Standardized Normal Curve

Areas Under the Normal Curve

.3413 of the curve falls between the mean and one standard deviation above the mean, which means that about 34 percent of all the values of a normally distributed variable are between the mean and one standard deviation above it

The normal curve and the area under the curve between units

about 95 percent of the values lie within two standard deviations of the mean, and 99.7 percent of the values lie within three standard deviations

Percentage under the Normal Curve at various standard deviation units from the mean

68.26%

2.15%

13.59%

13.59%

2.15%

-3s

-2s

-1s

+1s

+2s

+3s

In a normal distribution: Approximately 68.26% of scores will fall within one standard deviation of the mean

Points in the Normal Curve

90%
10%

c10
z = 1.28

c90
z = 1.28

N = 1,000

Points in the normal curve above or below which different percentage of the curve lie

= 80 = 16

Areas Cut Off Between different Points

XX z= S
=
16 cases

110 80 16

30 = 16
= 1.875

X = 80

X = 110

z = 1.875

Equation of unknown

for

different

z=

Similarly, the raw-score equivalent of the point below which 10 percent of the case fall is:

X 80 1.28 = 16
X 80 = 16(1.28) X = 80 + 20.48 X = 100.5

1.28 =

X 80 16

X 80 = 20.48 X = 80 20.48 X = 59.5

Application of Normal Curve Model

Can determine the proportion of scores between the mean and a particular score Can determine the number of people within a particular range of scores by multiplying the proportion by N Can determine percentile rank Can determine raw score given the percentile

Acknowledgement of References:
N.M Downie and R.W Heath. Basic Statistical Methods, 5th Edition. Harper & Row Publisher, 1983 Robert Niles
http://www.robertniles.com/stats/stdev.shtml

Rosita G. Santos, Phd, et. al. Statistics. Escolar University, 1995. Leslie MacGregor. z Scores & the Normal Curve Model (presentation)