What analysis method uses summary measures to describe the main features of a dataset?

Descriptive statistics is the method that uses summary measures to illustrate the main features of a dataset. It provides a quantitative overview of the data, helping to identify patterns, trends, and central tendencies. Common measures included in descriptive statistics are measures of central tendency such as mean, median, and mode, as well as measures of variability such as range, variance, and standard deviation. This approach focuses on presenting the basic characteristics of data without making predictions or inferences, which is a key distinction from other methods like inferential statistics or regression analysis.

In contrast, inferential statistics allows for conclusions to be drawn and generalizations made about a population based on a sample, while correlation analysis explores the relationship between two variables, and regression analysis assesses the relationship between dependent and independent variables with the goal of prediction. Descriptive statistics serves as a foundational tool in data analysis, providing the necessary summaries that can then be explored further with other analytic methods.