Final answer:
The sample statistic is used to estimate the population parameter in statistical inference, where data from a smaller group is analyzed to estimate the values for the entire population.
Step-by-step explanation:
The value of the sample statistic is used to estimate the value of the population parameter. When we collect data from a part of the population, known as a sample, we can calculate measures such as the mean or standard deviation of that sample. These measures are sample statistics, and they serve as estimates of the corresponding population parameters, which are the true values we are trying to estimate for the entire population. For instance, if we take a sample of students' test scores from a larger population, the sample mean score would be the sample statistic used to estimate the true average score, or population mean, of all the students.
Statistical inference is the process by which these estimates are made. With a confidence interval, for example, instead of providing a single point estimate, statisticians create a range within which they are confident that the population parameter lies, based on sample statistics.