What is Statistics?

Let’s start by talking about what Statistics is and why we need Statistics to understand much of biology. Many university programs in biology require a class in Statistics. Why is this field of science so fundamental to our understanding of biology that Statistics is so frequently a required class? Despite its importance, many students are afraid of Statistics. So let’s also talk a bit about why Statistics is intimidating and how we can move forward in a less intimidating way.

 
 
An introduction to what statistics is and why we need statistics to answer some biological questions.
 

What is Statistics?

What is Statistics and why do I need to learn about it? This video will provide you with an introduction to Statistics and the basic principles for how we use statistics to answer biological questions.

Statistics is both important and intimidating for many students. Here's why.
 

Why is Statistics so Intimidating?

Let’s face it. Even if you appreciate how important Statistics will be to your future courses and careers, many of you will be scared to take your first statistics class. Let’s talk about this! Being open about the challenges is the first step!

What is the difference between an anecdote an observation and an experiment?

 

Types of Scientific Evidence

Why was that TikTok of the monkey peeling away the banana strings so popular? Unusual or rare events catch our attention, but they are not good forms of scientific evidence. In this video we will discuss differences between anecdotes, observations and experiments. How do these different forms of evidence differ and is one type of evidence better than others?

Additional Resources

Whitlock & Schluter - The Analysis of Biological Data

Chapter 1: pages 1-2 [Sapling]

 
 

How do People Use Statistics in their work?

Members of the American Statistical Association explain how they use statistics in their work.

Why Statistics?

Members of the American Statistical Association explain why they became statisticians.

 

Why Study Statistics?

Why is statistics important to your education, future employment and life?

Review Questions

 

  1. Which of the following questions can only be answered with a degree of uncertainty? In other words, which questions require statistics to answer?

    • How many different amino acids are there?

    • How many individual pine trees are there in colorado?

  2. Which of the following is an example of anecdotal evidence?

    • A mother describes how her child developed autism after receiving a vaccination.

    • A doctor publishes a case study describing a patient who survived rabies after being placed in a medically induced coma.

  3. Which of the following is an example of an experiment?

    • Researchers flooded the roots of 4 birch seedlings while leaving 4 other birch seedlings as a control. ATP concentration was then measured in roots of flooded and unflooded plants.

    • Researchers measured MAO (an enzyme that is involved in the regulation of behaviour) in patients with one of three types of schizophrenia.

The Next Steps

Confused?

Let’s move down the tree and review these concepts.

Ready to Move Forward?

Let’s move up the tree to the next topic(s).