What is the primary focus when calculating combinations in statistics?

The primary focus when calculating combinations in statistics is indeed selecting objects without regard to order. In combinations, what matters is the group of items chosen, not the sequence in which they are arranged. This is in contrast to permutations, where the order of selection is significant.

For instance, if you are tasked with choosing 3 students from a group of 10 to form a committee, it does not matter if you select students A, B, and C in that order or if you select them in any other order; the result is still the same group. Therefore, combinations specifically deal with situations where order does not matter, which is fundamental to understanding how to calculate the total possible selections from a given set.

This foundational concept has broad applications, from probability problems to various fields like finance and decision-making where groups rather than sequences are crucial.