What is the table called that cross-classifies two or more categorical variables and shows observed counts in cells?

What is the table called that cross-classifies two or more categorical variables and shows observed counts in cells?

• A. Frequency table
• B. Contingency table
• C. Cross-tabulation
• D. Pivot table

Answer: (B)

When you want to examine how two categorical variables relate, you use a contingency table, which is also called a cross-tabulation. It lays out every combination of category levels in rows and columns, with the cell values representing the observed counts for each combination. This is exactly what the question describes: cross-classifying variables and showing how many observations fall into each cell. A frequency table, by contrast, typically shows the distribution of a single variable rather than joint categories. A pivot table is a general data-summary tool you might use in spreadsheets, but the standard statistical term for this structure is contingency table (cross-tabulation). This kind of table is also the basis for tests of association, like the chi-square test, because it provides the observed counts to compare against expected counts under independence.

When you want to examine how two categorical variables relate, you use a contingency table, which is also called a cross-tabulation. It lays out every combination of category levels in rows and columns, with the cell values representing the observed counts for each combination. This is exactly what the question describes: cross-classifying variables and showing how many observations fall into each cell.

A frequency table, by contrast, typically shows the distribution of a single variable rather than joint categories. A pivot table is a general data-summary tool you might use in spreadsheets, but the standard statistical term for this structure is contingency table (cross-tabulation). This kind of table is also the basis for tests of association, like the chi-square test, because it provides the observed counts to compare against expected counts under independence.