Final answer:
The chi-square statistic calculates the sum of the squared differences between the observed and expected frequencies in a contingency table analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chi-square statistic calculates the sum of the squared differences between the observed and expected frequencies in a contingency table analysis. It measures how closely the observed frequencies match the expected frequencies under the assumption of independence between the variables being analyzed. The formula for calculating the chi-square statistic is (O-E)²/E, where O is the observed frequency and E is the expected frequency.