A Field Guide to Lies

Question 1

Statistics because they are ___ can seem like facts but statistics are not facts they are _____.

Answer 1

Statistics because they are NUMBERS can seem like facts but statistics are not facts they are INTERPRETATIONS.

Question 2

If a claim a research paper makes passes the plausibility test what are the next three questions you should consider?

Answer 2

1. How the data is collected?
2. How the data was interpreted ?
3. How it is represented?

Question 3

When is the median a better measure of the average?

Answer 3

The median is a better measure of the average when there are lots of outliers in the data set.

Median = Middle value. Half of the data falls above & half below.

Question 4

Averages may be used to foll you if they combine samples from____ populations

Answer 4

Averages may be used to foll you if they combine samples from DISPARATE populations

Disparate = esentially different in kind; not able to be compared.

Humans on average have one {}

Question 5

What is the mean particularly sensitive to?

Answer 5

Outliers— an observation that lies an abnormal distance from other values in a random sample from a population.