American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Practice Exam

Population, unit of analysis, parameter are terms related to?

1. Inferential statistics

2. Mean, Median, Mode

3. Sampling

4. Null hypothesis

The correct answer is: Sampling

The terms population, unit of analysis, and parameter are closely related to the concept of sampling. In research, a population refers to the entire group that is the subject of study, while a unit of analysis specifies the individual element or entity being examined within that population. Parameters are numerical characteristics of the population, such as means or proportions. When conducting research, especially in fields related to social sciences and planning, it is often impractical or impossible to collect data from an entire population due to time, cost, or accessibility. Therefore, researchers draw a sample from the population, and they use that sample to make inferences about the broader group. The considerations of what the population is, how to identify units of analysis within it, and what parameters need to be collected or analyzed are all vital to the sampling process. The other terms, while relevant in various statistical contexts, do not directly encapsulate the relationship defined by the question as effectively as sampling does. Inferential statistics pertains more broadly to methods for making predictions or generalizations about a population based on sample data. Mean, median, and mode refer specifically to measures of central tendency rather than the conceptual framework of sampling. The null hypothesis is a statement made for the purpose of statistical testing, which serves