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Home / Syllabus / Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) / TY BA / Semester 5 / Psychology / Introduction to Inferential Statistics

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Introduction to Inferential Statistics Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Syllabus for Introduction to Inferential Statistics

Major · Psychology · Semester 5 · TY BA · 2 credits · 50 marks · 30 hours

The University sets this paper under Scheme II only, so your college may not run it.

Module 1: Conceptual Foundations of Statistical Inference

  • 1 Understanding Data: Description, Inference and Populations
  • Difference between descriptive and inferential statistics
  • Role of inference in research and decision-making
  • Population vs sample, parameter vs statistic, Relationship between them
  • 2 Probability
  • Meaning of probability
  • Laws of probability
  • Its importance in decision making,
  • 3 Sampling Concepts
  • Representativeness: Meaning, Characteristics of a representative sample, Factors affecting representativeness, Consequences of poor representativeness, Improving representativeness.
  • Sampling Methods (Random sampling, Stratified sampling and Convenience sampling)
  • Sampling Error and Bias: Concept of sampling error (natural variation), Concept of bias (systematic error), Types of bias, Relationship between bias and representativeness
  • The Concept of Standard Error
  • 4 Distribution Concepts
  • Normal distribution
  • Central tendency of sampling outcomes
  • Sampling distribution

Module 2: Statistical Estimation and Inference

  • 1 Hypothesis Testing
  • Null and alternative hypothesis
  • Significance level and p-value
  • Confidence level
  • Type I and Type II errors
  • 2 Overview of Common Parametric Statistical Tests
  • Meaning and characteristics of parametric tests
  • Assumptions (normality, homogeneity, etc.)
  • t-test
  • ANOVA
  • Correlation
  • Regression
  • 3 Overview of Common Non-Parametric Tests and Test Selection
  • Meaning and characteristics of non-parametric tests
  • Chi-square test
  • When to use parametric vs non-parametric tests
  • Criteria for test selection: Type of data, Research design and Assumptions
  • Practical decision-making in choosing tests
  • 4 Interpretation of Results
  • Reading research findings
  • Practical vs statistical significance

Reference Books

  • 1 Gabhane, D. & Bankar, M. (2018). Descriptive statistics and introduction to probability. Himalaya Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.
  • 2 King, B. M., & Minium, E. W. (2008). Statistical reasoning in the behavioral sciences (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  • 3 Kothari, C. R. (2002) Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Delhi: Wishwa Prakashan
  • 4 Mangal, S. K. (2002). Statistics in Psychology and Education. 2nd Edition. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Limited
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