Statistics in Relationships
It is important to understand the limitations of mathematics, number and statistics. Stats and numbers play a larger role in assigning value to things in today's society. The entire monetary system is based in this statistical mire. The idea of stats being viewed as only a tool or artifact of technology can prevent the misuse of this concept. The following will address several of these examples to demonstrate the essence and true value of statistics as merely an extension of the individual who is applying this type of numeric manipulation.
The famous author Mark Twain once described statistics being more confusing than actual lying and lies. Bad statistics are found everywhere and there are many examples of how things can be confused for the truth. Bayes Theorem describes the incidents of conditional probability. But inherent in this model, the original probability is assumed to be known. If this error was discovered by doctors, the incidence of false positives in cancer would soon skyrocket and actual cancer rates would be significantly reduced.
Compounding interest rates applied to credit cards and loans seem to be a misuse of statistics. Percentage rates seem very low, but when mathematical statistical modeling is applied, the extent of the , unless a clear and well defined application with assumptions and premises clearly laid out, the analysis may not be valid.
Coontz (2013) wrote "But averages can be misleading when a distribution is heavily skewed at one end, with a small number of unrepresentative outliers pulling the average in their direction. In 2011, for example, the average income of the 7,878 households in Steubenville, Ohio, was $46,341. But if just two people, Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey, relocated to that city, the average household income in Steubenville would rise 62% overnight, to $75,263 per household." This examples highlights simply how averages can be used to mislead into a certain argument.
Stats are often used too often in determining winners and losers in sports as well. The win loss records are the only stats that matter in deciding who is a champion. Sometimes theses stats overshadow the very purpose of competition in the first place. Hitting a home run means nothing if the team loses the game in the long run.
Stats are often misused in the legal arena as well. Life and death is often decided due to statistical manipulation…
One of the most common fallacies is to confuse correlation with causation, but the two are actually distinct. My demonstrating that construction of snowmen and outbreak of acne occur simultaneously does not mean that snowmen produce acne. It may imply an underlying matter, such as the snow itself may contain some component that may instigate the outbreak, or the children who build the snowmen may be particularly vulnerable to
Damned Lies & Statistics discusses a number of factors that impact the ways quantitative research is conducted, disseminated, and ultimately interpreted by researchers and consumers (e.g., readers of journal and newspaper articles). In what ways are the arguments raised in this book "bigger" than the simple misuse and/or misunderstanding of statistics by researchers and consumers? How might the arguments raised in the book connect with bigger themes/issues pertaining to the
Divorce on the Lives of Children In today's society, half of all marriages end in divorce. Many of those marriages involve children. Parents who are involved in a divorce are often concerned about the effect of the divorce on their children. During the time of a divorce the parents may be preoccupied with their problems but still hold their roles as the most important people in their children's lives. While a
Perception of Helplessness Helplessness is defined in the dictionary as a "powerlessness revealed by an inability to act." Alternative definitions are: "a feeling of being unable to manage" or "the state of needing help from something." Helplessness is part and parcel of human existence. Given the natural order of life's process, helplessness is a reaction to traumatic events in our own lives. These are mental, emotional and physical anguish. In addition,
Mental Health The health of women has been a subject of discussion for many years and it has been emphasized because the health of women is directly related to the health of the child and thus the health of the society (Jacobson, 1993). However, the unfortunate part is that when considering the health of the women, only her physical and reproductive health is given importance and there is no consideration of
Chi-Square Analysis Chi square analysis is a way of comparing categorical responses from two or more different groups (Ryan & Eck, Unk.). This comparison can help reveal whether there is a relationship between the two different groups, and also whether real-world results are in line with anticipated results. Chi square analysis is what is known as a nonparametic test. "Parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures test hypotheses involving different assumptions. Parametric statistics
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