Biology46057220ModelBasedStatisticsinBiology.ppt

Elementary statistics courses for biologists tend to lead to the use of a stereotyped set of tests: 1 without critical attention to the underlying model involved; 2 without due regard to the precise distribution of sampling errors; 3 with little concern for the scale of measurement; 4 careless of dimensional homogeneity; 5 without considering the ideal transformation; 6 without any attempt at model simplification; 7 with too much emphasis on hypothesis testing and too little emphasis on parameter estimation. --M.J. Crawley 1993 Learning Model-based Statistics Gary Ramseyer’s 1997 Advice on Teaching Statistics 1. Utilize group activities 2. Use open-book examinations! 3. Use power not timed examinations. …another great anxiety-reducing tool. 4. I firmly believe that a comprehensive basic course that covers the waterfront of statistical techniques is WORTHLESS. 5. Emphasize the handful of reoccurring themes in basic statistics, such as variability or dispersion of the data. 6. Give graded assignments on a weekly basis consisting of one or two problems. 7. And . . . 7. Show students how statistical methodology can have relevance in their lives. Above everything else, maintain a sense of humor and dont take yourself so seriously. Gary Ramseyer’s 1997 Advice on Teaching Statistics * Biology 4605 / 7220 Model Based Statistics in Biology Topics: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics Statistics are Balderdash - Get rid of them! Statistics are like taxes - inevitable Hypothesis testing is statistical flotsam Model Based Statistics Discarding more flotsam Learning model-based statistics Biology 4605 / 7220 Model Based Statistics in Biology There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics. 5100 hits with Google in Sept 2002. Who said it ? There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics. 5100 hits with Google in Sept 2002. Who said it ? In his Autobiography (1924 vol 1 p 246) Mark Twain attributed the quote to Benjamin Disraeli