What are the applications of confidence intervals in research?

What are the applications of confidence intervals in research?

Confidence intervals are used to estimate the range within which a population parameter lies, based on sample data. They help researchers understand the precision of their estimates and make informed decisions.

Can you give me some specific examples of how they are used?

Sure! For instance, in clinical trials, confidence intervals help determine the effectiveness of a new drug by estimating the range of possible outcomes. In survey research, they indicate the reliability of the survey results.

How do confidence intervals differ from margin of error?

Great question! The margin of error is a specific measure of the uncertainty in a survey result, while a confidence interval provides a range of values that likely contain the true population parameter.

What factors affect the width of a confidence interval?

The width of a confidence interval is influenced by the sample size, the variability in the data, and the confidence level chosen. Larger samples and lower variability lead to narrower intervals.