A politician delivers a speech outlining a plan to fix the economy. Two days later, polls show that fewer voters than ever plan to vote for him in the next election. HE concluded that his speech on the economy caused this drop in popularity. Which of the following is true, would suggest that the speech was correlated, but not the cause, of his changing in poll numbers?

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Charlee Oconnell

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29 November, 02:36

A politician delivers a speech outlining a plan to fix the economy. Two days later, polls show that fewer voters than ever plan to vote for him in the next election. HE concluded that his speech on the economy caused this drop in popularity. Which of the following is true, would suggest that the speech was correlated, but not the cause, of his changing in poll numbers?

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Elliana Sutton · Answer 1

Statistics are supposed to make something easier to understand but when used in a misleading fashion can trick the casual observer into believing something other than what the data shows. That is, a misuse of statistics occurs when a statistical argument asserts a falsehood. In some cases, the misuse may be accidental. In others, it is purposeful and for the gain of the perpetrator. When the statistical reason involved is false or misapplied, this constitutes a statistical fallacy.

The false statistics trap can be quite damaging to the quest for knowledge. For example, in medical science, correcting a falsehood may take decades and cost lives.

Misuses can be easy to fall into. Professional scientists, even mathematicians and professional statisticians, can be fooled by even some simple methods, even if they are careful to check everything. Scientists have been known to fool themselves with statistics due to lack of knowledge of probability theory and lack of standardization of their tests.