COMMON MISTEAKS
MISTAKES IN
USING STATISTICS: Spotting and Avoiding Them
Introduction
Types of Mistakes
Suggestions
Resources
Table
of Contents
About
Problematical choices of summary statistics
Probably the most common summary statistic used in statistical
analysis is the mean. Many of the most common statistical techniques
(e.g., one and two sample t-tests, linear regression, analysis of
variance) concern the mean. In many circumstances, focusing on the mean
is appropriate. But there are also many circumstances where focusing on
the mean can lead us astray. Here are some of them.
Last updated June 1, 2011