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Using a discussion about scientific controversy to teach central concepts in experimental design
Author(s) -
Bennett Kimberley Ann
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
teaching statistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.425
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1467-9639
pISSN - 0141-982X
DOI - 10.1111/test.12071
Subject(s) - causation , interpretation (philosophy) , computer science , sample (material) , mathematics education , management science , sample size determination , psychology , data science , epistemology , statistics , mathematics , engineering , philosophy , chemistry , chromatography , programming language
Summary Students may need explicit training in informal statistical reasoning in order to design experiments or use formal statistical tests effectively. By using scientific scandals and media misinterpretation, we can explore the need for good experimental design in an informal way. This article describes the use of a paper that reviews the measles mumps rubella vaccine and autism controversy in the UK to illustrate a number of threshold concepts underlying good study design and interpretation of scientific evidence. These include the necessity of sufficient sample size, representative and random sampling, appropriate controls and inferring causation.