z Scores & the Normal Curve Model

The normal distribution and standard deviations

The normal distribution and standard deviations

In a normal distribution: Approximately 68% of scores will fall within one standard deviation of the mean

The normal distribution and standard deviations

In a normal distribution: Approximately 95% of scores will fall within two standard deviations of the mean

The normal distribution and standard deviations

In a normal distribution: Approximately 99% of scores will fall within three standard deviations of the mean

Using standard deviation units to describe individual scores

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

80 -2 sd

90 -1 sd

100

110 1 sd 90 120

120 2 sd

What score is one sd below the mean? What score is two sd above the mean?

Using standard deviation units to describe individual scores

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

80 -2 sd

90 -1 sd

100

110 1 sd

120 2 sd 1 2

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

Z scores
What is a z-score? A z score is a raw score expressed in standard deviation units.

z scores are sometimes called standard scores

Here is the formula for a z score:

XX z! S

Computational Formula
 

z = (X

M)/SX

Score minus the mean divided by the standard deviation Different formula for the population

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?

XX z! S

80  75 z! !1 5

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

XX z! S

80  75 z! ! .5 10

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

Why z-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 Slug, Binky and Biff example p 133

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


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

Computing Raw Score when Know z-score



X = (z) (SX) + M

Z-score Distribution
 

Mean of zero


Zero distance from the mean

Standard deviation of 1  The z-score has two parts:

 

The number The sign

Negative z-scores aren t bad  Z-score distribution always has same shape as raw score


Uses of the z-score

Comparing scores from different distributions  Interpreting individual scores  Describing and interpreting sample means


Comparing Different Variables

Standardizes different scores  Example in text:

 

Statistics versus English test performance Can plot different distributions on same graph increased height reflects larger N

Determining Relative Frequency

Proportion of time a score occurs  Area under the curve  The negative z-scores have a relative frequency of .50  The positive z-scores have a relative frequency of .50  68% scores +/- 1 z-score


The Standard Normal Curve

Theoretically perfect normal curve  Use to determine the relative frequency of z-scores and raw scores  Proportion of the area under the curve is the relative frequency of the z-score  Rarely have z-scores greater than 3 (.26% of scores above 3, 99.74% between +/- 3)


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


Using the z-Table

Important when dealing with decimal z-scores  Table I of Appendix B (p. 488 491)  Gives information about the area between the mean and the z and the area beyond z in the tail  Use z-scores to define psychological attributes


Using z-scores to Describe Sample Means

  

 

Useful for evaluating the sample and for inferential statistical procedures Evaluate the sample mean s 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 (most of the means will be around Q)

Central Limit Theorem

 

  

Used for creating a theoretical sampling distribution A statistical principle that defines the mean as equal to Q, SD that is equal to W, and the shape of the distribution which is approximately normal Obtain information without having to actually sample the population Interpretation is the same: if close to mean occurs more frequently Compute z-scores to indicate relative frequency of the sample mean

Standard Error of the Mean

Average amount that the sample means deviate from the Q  Population standard error:



WM = WX/square root of N

Larger N produces more representative samples  Determine on average how much the means differ from the Q


Calculating z-score for sample mean

Z = (M - Q)/WM  Determine relative frequency of sample means  Use the standard normal curve and z-tables to describe relative frequency of sample means  Interpretation is identical: larger the z, the smaller the relative frequency