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If your goal in research is to p-hack your way to a conclusion, you will always succeed.
by mensetmanusman 2y ago
If your goal in research is to p-hack your way to a conclusion, you will always succeed.
- wheelerwj 2y agoP-hack?
- mensetmanusman 2y agohttps://statisticsbyjim.com/hypothesis-testing/p-hacking/ https://statisticsbyjim.com/hypothesis-testing/p-hacking/
- opinion-is-bad 2y agoIn statistics, the p-value is shorthand for “how unlikely was this result.” Smaller p-values indicate less likely results, which in turn creates evidence of a relationship between variables. Many naive approaches to statically analysis place an almost magical value on the 5% threshold, but that’s not actually a rare event if you run dozens of tests. P-hacking generally refers to running tests and discarding the values that do not support what you want to be true. It’s a big problem in academia.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- j7ake 2y agoTechnically it’s how unlikely of an event under a null model. The null model is key: if you are mischievous, you can just define a seemingly benign but incorrect null model and generate extreme p values without discarding: all values will be significant!
- em500 2y agohttps://xkcd.com/882 https://xkcd.com/882
- skybrian 2y agoI’m wondering how often p-values are even used in papers about archeological digs? It seems like historical arguments are often made without doing statistics at all?
- llamaimperative 2y agoI don't think they're talking about literal p-values, but the more general practice of defining your question in terms of the desired result.
- skybrian 2y agoYes, but I’m annoyed with the low-effort use of science-based metaphor, and taking it more seriously leaves an opening for someone who actually knows something to elaborate.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]