Maybe they are not so ignorant, but they know what sells and they know how ignorant their audience is??
Karl W. -----Original Message----- From: Allen Esterson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 5:03 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Correlations again What is it about science and health correspondents in newspapers that so many of them are ignorant about the significance (or otherwise) of statistical correlations? Below is a welcome corrective to one of many reports in UK newspapers on a recent widely reported study. Allen Esterson ------------------------------------------------------- Letter to the London Times, 2 December 2004 Sir, The finding that struggling into work with a cold may be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (report, November 29) does not necessarily imply a causal link. People with certain personality types may be more prone to stress, and thus coronary heart disease, and also be more likely to push themselves to go into work when ill. A few years ago, a survey associated cigarette smoking with an increased risk of car accidents. Although smoking while driving may have directly caused some accidents, the association was largely due to the fact that people who exhibited risk-taking behaviour were both more likely to smoke and to have car accidents. Yours sincerely, SHERIF GONEM, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 8RB. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
