Statistics Archives

The Difference Between Correlation & Causation

What’s the difference between correlation and causation? What are the consequences of mistaking correlation for causation? Just because two variables are correlated doesn’t mean one is causing the other. Correlation quantifies a relationship between two variables, but it doesn’t explain that relationship. This is a crucial distinction to keep in mind, as equating correlation and causation can lead to misinformed decisions. Here’s why correlation does not imply causation.

Survivorship Bias in Statistics Skews Results

What is survivorship bias in statistics? How does survivorship bias skew our interpretation of the research findings? Any time a portion of a study sample is able to “leave” the study, we should be wary of survivorship bias. Survivorship bias occurs when we draw conclusions based on the “survivors” of a certain treatment or intervention. Keep reading to learn about survivorship bias and how it affects research findings.

The R^2 Statistic in Linear Regression

What is the R2 statistic? What does the value of R2 tell us about the change in the dependent variable? The R2 statistic represents the proportion of the variance in the dependent variable that stems from the change in the independent variable. When using the R2 statistic to quantify the association between independent and dependent variables, it’s important to keep in mind that the R2 in linear regression only applies to linear relationships. It’s possible for two variables to be related, just not in a linear way. Here’s a look at the R2 statistic in linear regression.

What Is Selection Bias in Research?—Explained

What is selection bias in research methodology? How does selection bias affect research findings? Selection bias occurs when individuals chosen to partake in a study are not representative of the population of interest. Selection bias can be subtle—if researchers aren’t cognizant of selection bias when developing data collection methods, the fact that a sample is not truly random might go unnoticed. Here’s why it’s important to watch out for selection bias when collecting data for the purposes of research.

How Is Social Science Data Collected? Big Data!

How can we use big data to study social science? How does data give us more insight into the social sciences? Through search data, researchers can discover psychological and sociological information that traditional surveys couldn’t provide. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, the author of Everybody Lies, uses Freud’s theories of sexuality as an example. Read how to receive social science data with the help of big data.

How Big Data Provides New Information

What types of information does big data provide? How does it get this information? In Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz says big data opens our eyes to new types of information that weren’t previously available. We can find this new information from search engines and unconventional data sources. Keep reading to learn where this big data information comes from.

The Key to Getting the Most Honest Information Is Big Data

Why does big data offer more honest information? How can big data spark hope? In Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz says that big data offers more honest information than we’ve ever had before. This information can be found through Google search results that reveal truths about humanity. Learn why Stephens-Davidowitz believes this information can be used for good, and why others say differently.

Statistical Measures of Central Tendency Explained

What is central tendency in statistics? What are the different ways to measure central tendency? Central tendency is a descriptive statistic that represents the middle of a data set. There are three main statistical measures of central tendency: the mean, median, and mode. Each of these measures describes a slightly different central position within a data set. Let’s examine the three statistical measures of central tendency.

Recall Bias in Research: Self-Reporting Issues

What is recall bias in research methodology? Why is self-reporting unreliable as a data-collection method? Recall bias is a major problem in studies where data is collected through self-reporting. Because human memory is not like a tape recorder, our recollection of the past is unreliable. There are significant psychological influences on how a memory is recollected (e.g. the personal meaning we’ve assigned to the events). Keep reading to learn about recall bias.

2 Benefits of Data Science: Why Data Matters

What benefits does data science have that human intuition doesn’t? Why is data an extension of our intuition? In Everybody Lies, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz looks at the bigger picture of what big data is and why we should care about it. Though data science might seem arcane, Stephens-Davidowitz argues that it’s an extension of our natural intuition. Let’s look at the major benefits of data science that natural intuition doesn’t have.