Common Words With Precise Statistical Meanings

Clarifying the familiar but foreign language of statistics

The language of statistics is a funny thing, but there usually isn’t much to laugh at in the consequences that can follow when misunderstandings occur between statisticians and nonstatisticians. We see these consequences frequently in the media, when new studies—that usually contradict previous ones—are breathlessly related, as if their findings were incontrovertible facts.

Similar, though less visible, misinterpretations abound in meeting rooms throughout the business world. When people who work with data and know statistics share their analyses with colleagues who aren’t well-versed in the world of data, the message that gets received may be very different than the one the analyst tried to send.

There are two equally vital solutions to this problem. One is encouraging and instilling greater statistical literacy in the population. Obviously that’s a big challenge that can’t be solved by any one statistician or analyst. But we individuals can control the second solution, which is to pay more attention to how we present the results of our analyses, and enhance our sensitivity to the statistical knowledge possessed by our audiences.

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Comments

Words Mean Things!

Precise: Statisticians mean repeatable with little variation. Most people mean "accurate".

Accurate: Statisticians mean on target. Most people mean "the right answer".

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This was quite an eye opener, and further intensified my dislike of math word problems. It’s also a reminder you have to adapt to your audience. If you are going to talk to other statistically minded peers they yes speak the language. But you will have to remember those of us that are not possessing degrees in the field are going to give you the deer in the headlights look. I like that this article points out were not stupid or inferior it places emphasis on miscommunication and the importance of identifying possible misinterpretations. As I went down this list I could understand its use in terms of statistics but found myself more comfortably in the far right definition out of habit. A few of these made some lectures and discussions suddenly snap into focus. I agree you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them research definitions. I also agree trying to educate everyone would be quite a task. At this time you have the power to educate as you communicate the information, but also providing readily available statistic to English translation is a step in the “Accurate” direction.