An In-Class Demonstration of Bayesian Inference

This post is an extended synopsis of van Doorn, J. B., Matzke D., & Wagenmakers, E.-J. (in press). An In-Class Demonstration of Bayesian Inference. Psychology Learning and Teaching (https://doi.org/10.1177/14757 25719848574). Preprint available on PsyArXiv:https://psyarxiv.com/d8bvn/ Abstract Over 80 years ago, Sir Ronald Fisher conducted the famous experiment “The Lady Tasting Tea” in order to test whether his colleague, Dr. Muriel Bristol,…

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Informed Bayesian Inference for the A/B Test

This post is an extended synopsis of a preprint that is available on arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/1905.02068 Abstract Booming in business and a staple analysis in medical trials, the A/B test assesses the effect of an intervention or treatment by comparing its success rate with that of a control condition. Across many practical applications, it is desirable that (1) evidence can be…

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A Fix for the Kubbel Study

WARNING: this post deals exclusively with a chess endgame study. A previous post discussed the Bristol theme from chess endgame study composition. One of the featured studies was created by the great Leonid Kubbel. This is what I wrote: “Since its inception, the Bristol theme has appealed to several composers. One of the most famous, Leonid Kubbel, created the following…

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The Future of the Earth

  Most statisticians know Sir Harold Jeffreys as the conceptual father and tireless promotor of the Bayesian hypothesis test. However, Jeffreys was also a prominent geophysicist. For instance, Jeffreys is credited with the discovery that the earth has a liquid core. Recently, I read Jeffreys’s 1929 book “The Future of the Earth”, which is a smaller and more accessible version…

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The Jeffreys-Fisher Maxim and the Bristol Theme in Chess

WARNING: This post starts with two chess studies. They are both magnificent, but if you don’t play chess you might want to skip them. I thank Ulrike Fischer for creating the awesome LaTeX package “chessboard”. NB. The idea discussed here also occurs in Haaf et al. (2019), the topic of a previous post. The Bristol Theme The game of chess…

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The Best Statistics Book of All Time, According to a Twitter Poll

Some time ago I ran a twitter poll to determine what people believe is the best statistics book of all time. This is the result: The first thing to note about this poll is that there are only 26 votes. My disappointment at this low number intensified after I ran a control poll, which received more than double the votes:

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Curiouser and Curiouser: Down the Rabbit Hole with the One-Sided P-value

  WARNING: This is a Bayesian perspective on a frequentist procedure. Consequently, hard-core frequentists may protest and argue that, for the goals that they pursue, everything makes perfect sense. Bayesians will remain befuddled. Also, I’d like to thank Richard Morey for insightful, critical, and constructive comments. In an unlikely alliance, Deborah Mayo and Richard Morey (henceforth: M&M) recently produced an…

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A Comprehensive Overview of Statistical Methods to Quantify Evidence in Favor of a Point Null Hypothesis: Alternatives to the Bayes Factor

An often voiced concern about p-value null hypothesis testing is that p-values cannot be used to quantify evidence in favor of the point null hypothesis. This is particularly worrisome if you conduct a replication study, if you perform an assumption check, if you hope to show empirical support for a theory that posits an invariance, or if you wish to…

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