Abuses of Statistics
"You can prove anything with statistics." This is a claim you have
probably heard someone make. (If you haven't, you will!) The truth is
that statistics is an important and useful field of study that is
fundamental to most scientific research. It is also true that if you
set out to deceive an uncritical audience, you can probably use the
language of statistics to help accomplish your objectives.
However, if your audience knows the language of statistics (and the
underlying concepts) such deception will be more difficult. The purpose
of this project is not to encourage you to learn "how to lie with
statistics," but rather to start you on the road to being an astute and
discerning consumer of statistics, i.e. one that is not easily
led astray...
Part 1 .
First, find out how prevalent the use of statistics is in our society.
Take a daily newspaper and count the number of references to statistical
data: means, medians, percentages, samples, surveys, graphs, charts,
etc. Listen to a television news broadcast and do the same thing. Look
at advertising in magazines: how many marketing strategies utilise
statistical information in some form?
Find out how many majors at TAMU require at least one statistics course.
How many departments teach their own statistics course?
Second, take a look at some of the ways in which statistics can be
misused. Begin by reading several chapters of the book,
How to Lie with Statistics , published in 1954. Choose at least
three of the potential abuses of statistics that are described. Look
for current examples of such misuses or
abuses in newspapers, magazines, or even television talk shows.
Part II .
Choose one of the following:
- Write a graphing calculator lab, designed to teach a student how to
use the statistical capabilities of the TI-83. Such a lab would include
instructions for entering in data in lists; find the mean, meadian,
standard deviation; and for doing several kinds of statistical plots
with data. It would also ulde problems to be completed by the student,
and questions to be answered by the student -- and of course, an answer
key.
- Write a Maple lab, similar to the above, but using Maple instead of
the TI-83.
Part III .
Give a 15 minute presentation.