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The misuse of Statistics can trick the observer who does not understand them into believing something other than what the data shows or what is really 'true'. That is, a misuse of statistics occurs when an argument uses statistics to assert a falsehood. In some cases, the misuse may be accidental.
While looking for patterns in data is legitimate, applying a statistical test of significance or hypothesis test to the same data until a pattern emerges is prone to abuse. One way to construct hypotheses while avoiding data dredging is to conduct randomized out-of-sample tests. The researcher collects a data set, then randomly partitions it ...
In statistics, a misleading graph, also known as a distorted graph, is a graph that misrepresents data, constituting a misuse of statistics and with the result that an incorrect conclusion may be derived from it. Graphs may be misleading by being excessively complex or poorly constructed.
Simpson's paradox has been used to illustrate the kind of misleading results that the misuse of statistics can generate. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Edward H. Simpson first described this phenomenon in a technical paper in 1951, [ 9 ] but the statisticians Karl Pearson (in 1899 [ 10 ] ) and Udny Yule (in 1903 [ 11 ] ) had mentioned similar effects earlier.
Misuse of statistics can be both inadvertent and intentional, and the book How to Lie with Statistics, [72] by Darrell Huff, outlines a range of considerations. In an attempt to shed light on the use and misuse of statistics, reviews of statistical techniques used in particular fields are conducted (e.g. Warne, Lazo, Ramos, and Ritter (2012)). [73]
The origin of the phrase "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is unclear, but Mark Twain attributed it to Benjamin Disraeli [1] "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a phrase describing the persuasive power of statistics to bolster weak arguments, "one of the best, and best-known" critiques of applied statistics. [2]
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Pages in category "Misuse of statistics" The following 27 pages are in this category, out of 27 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. ...