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Psych Stats Notes in Normal Distribution

This document discusses z-scores and the standard normal distribution. [1] Z-scores are a standardized version of a raw score that indicates how many standard deviations a score is from the mean. [2] Converting raw scores to z-scores allows scores from different distributions to be compared. [3] Z-scores can also be used to transform a score onto a new scale by using the formulas x=zσ + μ or x=zs + X.

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LIEZEL ANN ORDINAN
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8 views

Psych Stats Notes in Normal Distribution

This document discusses z-scores and the standard normal distribution. [1] Z-scores are a standardized version of a raw score that indicates how many standard deviations a score is from the mean. [2] Converting raw scores to z-scores allows scores from different distributions to be compared. [3] Z-scores can also be used to transform a score onto a new scale by using the formulas x=zσ + μ or x=zs + X.

Uploaded by

LIEZEL ANN ORDINAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Z-Scores and the Standard Normal Distribution

Normal Distributions
- Most important and widely used distribution in statistics.
- Sometimes called the “bell curve”
- Also called “Gaussian Curve” of Gaussian Distribution after the mathematician
Karl Friedrich Gauss.
- Can differ in their means and in their standard deviations.
- Has consistent shape and the proportion of scores within a given distance along
the x-axis.
- Has a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1

7 Features of Normal Distributions:


These properties enable us to see the Normal Distribution to understand how
scores relate to one another within and across a distribution.

1. Symmetric around their mean.


2. Mean, median, and mode are equal.
3. Area under the normal curve is equal to 1.0
4. Denser in the center and less dense in the tail.
5. Defined by 2 parameters, the mean (µ) and the standard deviation (σ)
6. 68% of the area of a normal distribution is within one standard deviation of the
mean.
7. Approximately 95% of the area of a normal distribution is within 2 standard
distributions of the mean.

Z – scores
- A standardized version of a raw score (x) that gives information about the
relative location of that score within its distribution.
- Combine information about where the distribution is located (the mean/center)
with how wide the distribution is (the standard deviation/spread) to interpret
raw score (x).
- Tells us how far the score is away from the mean in units of standard deviations
and in what direction.
- We can convert raw scores to z – scores to get a better idea of where in
distribution those scores fall.

The value of Z – score


- Has two parts: the sign (positive or negative) or the magnitude (the actual
number).
- The sign of the z – score tells you in which half the z – score falls: a positive
sign (or no sign) indicates that the score is above the mean and on the right
hand – side or upper end of the distribution. Negative sign tells you the score
is from the center mean.
Magnitude
- Magnitude of the number tells you, in units of SD, how far away the score is
from the center or mean.
- Can take on any value between negative and positive infinity, they generally fall
between -3 and 3.

Formula for converting a raw score into a z – score is:


x−µ
For values from a population: Z= σ

x−X
For values from a sample: Z= s

EXAMPLES:

Using Z – score to get a better idea of where in the distribution those scores fall:

We got a score of 68 on an exam, we find out that the class got an average score of
54 with a standard deviation of 8. To find our relative location within this
distribution, we simply convert our test score into a z – score.
X−µ 68−54
Z= σ = 8 = 1.75
We find that we are 1.75 standard deviations above the average, above our rough cut
off for close and far.

Using Z – score for comparing scores from different distributions:

We take the SAT and score 501 on both the math and critical reading sections. Does
that mean we did equally on both? Scores on the math portion are distributed
normally with a mean of 511 and standard deviation of 120, so our Z – score of
math section is:
Score−Mean 501−511
Z math = SD
=¿
120 = -0.08
Scores on Critical Reading has a mean of 495 and standard deviation of 116 so:

Score−Mean 501−495
ZCR = SD
=¿
116 = 0.05

So even though we were almost exactly average on both tests, we did a little bit better
on critical reading portion relative to other people.

Setting the Scale of a Distribution


- Another convenient characteristic of z – score is that they can be converted into
any “scale” that we would like.
- The term scale means how far apart the scores are (spread) and where they are
located (central tendency).
- Can be useful if we don’t want to work with negative numbers or if we have
specific range we would like to present.

Formulas for transforming z to x are: these are just rearrangements of the original
formulas calculating z from raw scores.

For a population: x=zσ + µ

For a sample: x=zs + X

Example:

Let’s say we create a new measure of intelligence, and initial calibration finds that our
score has a mean of 40 and standard deviation of 7. Three people who have
scores of 52, 43, and 34 want to know how well they did on the measure.
Convert raw scores into z – scores:
Score−Mean 52−40
Z= SD
=¿
7 = 1.71
Score−Mean 43−40
Z= SD
=¿
7 = 0.43
Score−Mean 34−40
Z= SD
=¿
7 = -0.80
Translate these z – scores into the more familiar metric of IQ scores, which have a
mean of 100 and standard deviation of 16:

IQ=z−score∗SD+ Mean
IQ=1.71∗16+100=127.36∨127

IQ=0.43∗16+ 100=1 06.88∨1 0 7

IQ=−0. 80∗16+ 100=87.20∨87

Z – scores and Area Under the Curve


- Z – scores and the standard normal distribution go hand-in-hand.
- Z – scores will tell you exactly where in the standard normal distribution a
value is located.
- Any area under the curve is bounded by (defined by, delineated by, etc.) by a
single z – score or pair of z – scores.
Tails of the distribution
- Area that is split between two tails and the normal distribution is symmetrical,
each tail has one-half of the area under the curve.

Standardization
- A process where any normal distribution can be converted into a standard
normal distribution by converting all of the scores in the distribution into z –
scores.

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