Video Resources

Video Link 1.1: TED Talk: Why You Should Love Statistics

Description: Think you’re good at guessing stats? Guess again. Whether we consider ourselves math people or not, our ability to understand and work with numbers is terribly limited, says data visualization expert Alan Smith. In this delightful talk, Smith explores the mismatch between what we know and what we think we know. Complementing this chapter’s emphasis on numeracy and evaluating research, this TED talk covers what numeracy can mean and how everyone can appreciate statistics. Even mathematicians are scared of statistics, because it’s all about interpretation and perception.

Video Link 1.2: Scientific Studies with John Oliver

Description: Note that is an “R” rated clip with mild profanity and sexual content. The comedian John Oliver illustrates how the media often reports snapshots of scientific studies without any critical analysis, which may leave the public confused or dismissive of science. He suggests multiple reasons for this problem, including the “publish or perish” mentality and p-hacking, lack of replication, press releases or media that oversimplify or misrepresent results of scientific studies. The key point of the video is that science is a “slow and rigorous process that does not lend itself to sweeping conclusions.”