Which statement correctly distinguishes descriptive statistics from inferential statistics?

Which statement correctly distinguishes descriptive statistics from inferential statistics?

• A. They are the same.
• B. Descriptive statistics summarize data; inferential statistics allow conclusions beyond the data (significance testing, p-values).
• C. Descriptive is about sampling; inferential is about measurement.
• D. Descriptive tests cause; inferential tests descriptive.

Answer: (B)

Descriptive statistics focus on organizing and summarizing the data you have in front of you, like calculating the average, median, or creating a chart. Inferential statistics use that same data to make statements or test ideas about a larger group beyond the data you collected, including significance tests and p-values. For example, describing the average score of a class is descriptive; using that class data to infer how all students in the school might perform or to test whether a teaching method affects scores is inferential. The statement that captures this distinction is that descriptive statistics summarize the data, while inferential statistics allow conclusions beyond the data. The other options mix up concepts—descriptive statistics aren’t primarily about sampling, and inferential statistics aren’t about measurement in the sense of data collection alone; nor do these branches “cause” or simply differ in labeling.

Descriptive statistics focus on organizing and summarizing the data you have in front of you, like calculating the average, median, or creating a chart. Inferential statistics use that same data to make statements or test ideas about a larger group beyond the data you collected, including significance tests and p-values. For example, describing the average score of a class is descriptive; using that class data to infer how all students in the school might perform or to test whether a teaching method affects scores is inferential. The statement that captures this distinction is that descriptive statistics summarize the data, while inferential statistics allow conclusions beyond the data. The other options mix up concepts—descriptive statistics aren’t primarily about sampling, and inferential statistics aren’t about measurement in the sense of data collection alone; nor do these branches “cause” or simply differ in labeling.