Making and Justifying Decisions Using Evidence from the Interpretation of Data

Understand the research question and identify the appropriate type of data required for analysis.
Collect clean, unbiased data to ensure valid results.
Apply suitable mathematical and statistical tools to analyse data and draw results.
Identify trends and patterns in the data to support the decision-making process.
Use visual aids like graphs and charts to make data interpretation more accessible.

Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative decisions. Qualitative decisions rely on subjective judgement, while quantitative are based on numerical analysis.
Distinguish between statistical and deterministic decisions. Statistical decisions consider the probabilities of different outcomes, while deterministic decisions assume certain outcomes.

Explain how the data and analysis supports your decision. Outline your reasoning, referencing specific findings from your analysis.
Understand the importance of validating your results. Compare your results with existing research or run controls to detect any errors.
Be aware of fallacies or biases that could impact your decision. This could be from sampling bias, confirmation bias, or cognitive bias.

Appreciate that data and statistics only provides an estimate, not firm certainty, when making decisions.
Understand that data can be misinterpreted or misrepresented, leading to incorrect decisions.
Acknowledge that unpredictable factors that weren’t considered in the data analysis could influence outcomes.
Recognise that decisions based on data are only as good as the quality of the data itself. Incomplete or inaccurately collected data can lead to flawed conclusions.