The good, the bad, and the statistics
Posted by Joy on November 5, 2009 in statistics
On the eighth day God created statistics and saw that it was bad, so on the ninth day he created man and told him to go forth and teach the dreaded subject. I approached statistics with dread and that sentiment has not changed much. I often sit in lab and marvel at the fact that I take double the amount of time to complete assignments in comparison to the majority of my classmates. I have noticed that a pattern has taken form. I receive an assignment from Dr. Lindgren, take the time to digest the material, and then slowly but surely go about an intense process that involves confusion, contemplation, and crying. Okay, maybe not crying, but self-pity is often looming in the shadows. I must admit that I do feel I have learned a lot about statistics but preference for it has not increased in the slightest bit.
Statistics are tricky but nevertheless very important. It reminds me of having to eat vegetables as a child; you hate it but the nutrients are essential for growth and development. Statistics are quite the same. I understand that having a basic knowledge of statistics is essential for my growth as a psychology student and for future endeavors. Also, the importance of being able to run z-tests, t-tests, and ANOVAs in order to retain results that would otherwise be very difficult to attain is very valuable. We see this even in our group project with
Iraq. Being able to run tests for them is essential in grouping data and seeing whether or not results are significant. And with the information that we have recently learned, we can also locate where differences may occur in different goups and conditions.
Subscribe
Follow comments by subscribing to the The good, the bad, and the statistics Comments RSS feed.