4 ms·

Another reason to be skeptical of the statistics thrown around in popular news.

• pacaro 13y ago
  Unfortunately it's not just the nightly news one needs to be skeptical of, it's also (amongst many others) your doctor—who probably isn't particularly well educated w.r.t. statistics, but who will nonetheless give advice and prescribe treatments based on them.
  • mattfenwick 13y ago
    This is a great -- and scary -- point. These statistical fallacies and misunderstandings are so deeply ingrained into our scientific and medical systems that it's hard to see how and when they will be removed. I can attest from personal experience that many scientists 1) don't understand these statistical tests, 2) don't care to find out, and 3) don't think there's a problem.