Common Mistakes in Using Statistics - Spotting Them and Avoiding Them

2011 Summer Statistics Institute Course, University of Texas at Austin

May 23 - 26, 2010 

Course Notes

Please Note:

Day                            Slides (2 per sheet)            Appendix
1 (M May 23)                slides1                                app1

2 (T May 24)                 slides 2, pp. 1 - 23              (No appendix for Day 2)
                                       slides 2, p. 24
                                       slides 2, pp. 25 - 44

3 (W May 25)                slides 3                               app 3

4 (Th May 26)               slides 4                               app 4

Additional appendices
Suggestions for Teaching Statistics
Suggestions for Reading Research Involving Statistics
Suggestions for Researchers
Suggestions for Reviewers, Editors, etc.

External Links

Empirical Probability Example

Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Sampling Distribution Simulation

Bioconsulting Confidence Interval Simulation

R. Webster's Confidence Interval Simulation

W. H Freeman's Confidence Interval Simulation

The Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Confidence Interval Simulation

Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics Robustness Simulation

Claremont University's Wise Project's Statistical Power Applet

Jerry Dallal's Simulation of Multiple Testing
This simulates the results of 100 independent hypothesis tests, each at 0.05 significance level. Click the "test/clear" button  to see the results of one set of 100 tests (that is, for one sample of data). Click the button two more times (first to clear and then to do another simulation) to see the results of another set of 100 tests (i.e., for another sample of data). Notice as you continue to do this that i) which tests give type I errors (i.e., are statistically significant at the 0.05 level) varies from sample to sample, and ii) which samples give type I errors for a given test varies from test to test. (To see the latter point, it may help to focus just on the first column.)

Negative Consequences of Dichotomizing Continuous Predictor Variables

Website on Common Misteaks Mistakes in Using Statistics

    Content similar to the content of the course notes, but includes embedded links and more information. Continually under construction.

Last updated May 19, 2011