Lecture 3 Flashcards
Statistical Literacy in Everyday Life
what is data
a collection of numbers or other pieces of information to which meaning has been attached
what is statistics
a collection of procedures and principles for gaining and analyzing information in order to help people make decisions when faced with uncertainty
what is caution
the meaning we can attach to data and the conclusions we make depends on how well the info was acquired and summarized
what is statistical literacy
the ability to understand and reason with statistics and data and to critically evaluate claims/conclusion based on data
randomized experiment
study in which people are randomly assigned into one of two groups - a group that receives a manipulation or a group that does not - in order to measure the effect of the manipulation
what is the explanatory variable
the feature being manipulated
what is the outcome/response variable
the outcome of the manipulation
observational study
study in which the ‘manipulation’ occurs naturally rather than being imposed by the experimenter
what are the 7 critical components for reading the news
- the source of the research and of the funding
- the researchers who had contact with the participants
- the individuals or objects studied and how they were selected
- the exact nature of the measurements made or questions asked
- the setting in which the measurements were taken
- differences in the groups being compared, in addition to the factor of interest
- the extent or size of any claimed effects or differences
where can researchers and organizations obtain funding from
- government
- corporations
- non-profit organizations
what do we need to consider with researchers who had contact with the participants
the identity or social characteristics may matter for how the participant responds and we also need to consider relations of power between researcher and participant
(ask yourself how could the identity of the researcher have impacted how participant responds?)
what do we need to consider with the individuals/objects studied and how they were studied
we need to remember the results of the study only apply to individuals similar to those in the study and how researchers sample matters for the outcome of the research
(ask yourself do the people who were included in the study differ in an important way from those who were not included)
what do we need to consider with the exact nature of measurements or questions asked
the words and measurement tools used in a survey can influence the results and different people may interpret a survey tool in a different way so researchers have to do their best to minimize range of interpretation
(ask yourself how is the researcher defining and measuring the thing they are researching? is there something about the wording itself that could shape how people respond?)
what do we need to consider with the setting in which measurements were taken
factors like when and where a study can bias the results or undermine the goal of a representative sample
(ask yourself how could time and location impact how people respond?)
what should we consider with the differences in the groups being compared, in addition to the factors of interest
it is important to consider other ways in which the groups may differ that might influence the comparison
(ask yourself when a study makes claims about differences between groups, ask yourself: are these groups otherwise the same, or are they different? what other factors could explain the difference?)
