Valuable article. I spend some time teaching students to not confuse stat. significance with importance, and helping them struggle with the problematic inferences from stat. techniques. Then they read Psych journals employing causal language in describing correlational studies, and speaking about significant values or differences that are actually just statistically different.
Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 11:22:51 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [tips] Odds are, it's wrong Alerted by a colleague, I recommend an instructive if depressing essay on the problematic use of statistics in science. http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/57091/title/Odds_ar e,_its_w or http://tinyurl.com/yh7sk7r Teaser: "Supposedly, the proper use of statistics makes relying on scientific results a safe bet. But in practice, widespread misuse of statistical methods makes science more like a crapshoot." Stephen -------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: sblack at ubishops.ca 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13445.e3edca0f6e68bfb76eaf26a8eb6dd94b&n=T&l=tips&o=1419 or send a blank email to leave-1419-13445.e3edca0f6e68bfb76eaf26a8eb6dd...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=1421 or send a blank email to leave-1421-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
