Hi. First posting here, apologies for the beginner’s question.
I am using data that measures a continuous variable (how anxious did you feel yesterday) on an incremental (0 to 10) scale. Each scale increment records a range of anxiety feelings. For example, anxiety = 3 responses record levels of anxiety feelings between 2.5 and 3.5, assuming respondents’ use of the scale is perfectly precise.
I know from the shape of the score distribution, particularly the number of anxiety = 2 responses and the number of anxiety = 4 responses that
fewer than half of the anxiety = 3 respondents experience a level of anxiety feelings between 2.5 and 3, and
more than half of the anxiety = 3 respondents experience a level of anxiety feelings between 3 and 3.5.
So the mean level of anxiety across all anxiety = 3 respondents appears to be (a little) more than 3.
This doesn’t present a data analysis problem for me, but I didn’t expect it and would like to read about it.
Am I confused, or is there a name for this effect? Did I miss a STATS101 class?
Thanks for your help…!
Best wishes,
Glen
I am using data that measures a continuous variable (how anxious did you feel yesterday) on an incremental (0 to 10) scale. Each scale increment records a range of anxiety feelings. For example, anxiety = 3 responses record levels of anxiety feelings between 2.5 and 3.5, assuming respondents’ use of the scale is perfectly precise.
I know from the shape of the score distribution, particularly the number of anxiety = 2 responses and the number of anxiety = 4 responses that
fewer than half of the anxiety = 3 respondents experience a level of anxiety feelings between 2.5 and 3, and
more than half of the anxiety = 3 respondents experience a level of anxiety feelings between 3 and 3.5.
So the mean level of anxiety across all anxiety = 3 respondents appears to be (a little) more than 3.
This doesn’t present a data analysis problem for me, but I didn’t expect it and would like to read about it.
Am I confused, or is there a name for this effect? Did I miss a STATS101 class?
Thanks for your help…!
Best wishes,
Glen