Week 12¶
Ethics¶
➤ This week we will discuss ethical considerations for statistical consulting.
Complete Before Class¶
Ethics¶
đź“– I Fooled Millions Into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss. Here's How.
- Bohannon’s study had small sample size, they didn’t bother to balance age and gender across treatment groups, they examined multiple possible outcomes, and they didn’t report that at the termination of the study the two groups had lost the same amount of weight. Which of these faults is the biggest concern for you and why?
- Journalists are pressured to write on interesting, sensational stories (think of all the “click bait” on the internet). Bohannon reports that “if you lay out the information just right, you can shape the story that emerges in the media almost like you were writing those stories yourself.” That said, who has the most responsibility in ensuring that a study’s findings are reported accurately?
🎥 The Potti Case
- Who stands most to lose in cases when inaccurate or misleading studies are published?