Question

Consider the four key questions that guide the choice of an inference method. Two of these questions are Q: Question type. Estimation or hypothesis testing? S: Study type. Sample data or experiment data? What are the other two questions that make up the four key questions?

Short answer

The other two key questions that guide the choice of an inference method are: M: Measurement scale. Is the data categorical or quantitative? D: Sample distribution. Does the sample follow a normal distribution?

Step-by-step solution

Understanding The Key Questions

Firstly, we already have two key questions provided - question type and study type. The question type determines whether we need to estimate a parameter (estimation) or test a hypothesis (hypothesis testing). The study type defines whether the data comes from an experiment or a sample.

Determining The Remaining Key Questions

Consulting statistics textbooks and resources, the other two important questions that guide the choice of an inference method usually pertain to the 'measurement scale' and 'sample distribution'. The measurement scale refers to whether the data is categorical or quantitative, and the sample distribution refers to whether the data follows a normal distribution or not.