Most statistical concepts are complex and layered, with subtlties and implications that sometime can take decades for the scientific community to fully appreciate. For example, definition of a p-value has a precise mathematical definition that is complex even for statisticaians to put into words (see the video in this article at fivethityeight.com ) (Aschwanden 2018), and the full implications of using p-values in science are still becoming apparent.
For the Statistical vocabulary RRA you will pick out 3 important vocab terms from an assigned reading and identify another source that provides a defintion for that term or that expounds on the meaning of the term.
The overall goal of this assignment is for students to see how statistical concepts can be unpacked verbally in different ways.
First, identify 3 vocab terms from the readings for the current week. They do not all have to be from the same chapter or reading. In the reading guide I highlight the most important terms in the reading guide and you should pick from these. If there is a term you think I missed or that you think is appropriate contact me for approval. Motulsky provides a full list of terms at the end of each chapter.
Type out Motulsky’s definitions for the terms as they are given as well as any associated explanation. Provide the chapter and page number.
Second, locate a definition for, commentary on, illustration of, or even cartoon about the terms from a resource such as another stats book, a science text book, a website or even a blog post. Write our their definition or provide a relevant picture, any associated commentary and the full reference.
Third, write a sentence or 2 comparing the 2 defintions or reflecting on them. For example, you could say “Motulsky’s defintion of p-values is exactly the same as that on Wikipedia” or “I totally didn’t understand what Motulsky meant, but this defintion from Gotelli & Ellison makes it clearer” or even “These 2 definitions are different, and I don’t understand either.”
A hand-written rough draft of the assignemnt is due at the begining of class the week of the assigned reading. A typed version is due the following week.
You can locate your “defintions”" from a variety of sources; you can also be very broad in what you use as a defintion. You could use a