Education Technology


Statistics: Influence and Outliers

by Texas Instruments

Objectives

  • Students will identify outliers that are influential with respect to the least-squares regression line.
  • Students will describe the role of the location of a point relative to the other data in determining whether that point has influence on the least-squares regression.
  • Student will use appropriate tools strategically (CCSS Mathematical Practices).

Vocabulary

  • centroid
  • influence
  • least-squares regression line
  • residual
  • scatter plot

About the Lesson

  • Students will investigate the relationship between the location of an outlier relative to the main pattern of a scatter plot and the influence that point exerts on the least-squares regression line.
  • Students will manipulate a designated point and observe how its location alters an existing least-squares line.
  • Students will manipulate a line fixed through the centroid of the scatter plot and observe how various slopes affect the sum of squared residuals.