Inferential Statistics Inferential Statistics With inferential statistics, we try to reach conclusions that extend beyond the immediate data. For example, we use inferential statistics to try to infer from a sample of the population what the population might think.
Statistical inference combines methods of descriptive statistics with the theory of probability.
The purpose is to learn what the sample data tell us about the population from which they were drawn. The statistics used to describe populations are called parameters . The mean, variance and correlation of x and y in a population are examples of parameters. We take samples from populations to learn something about the parameters. Essentially, we would want the sample to be representative of the population to reflect the population's characteristics.