Research Article

Decreasing Body Temperatures

Posted January 21, 2020January 22, 2020 sullystatsLeave a commentPosted in Data Set, Research Article, Statistics Articles

Researchers at Stanford University used data from the Union Army Veterans of the Civil War (1860-1940), the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1971-1975), and the Stanford Translational Research Integrated Database Environment (2007-2017) to determine that the mean body temperature in men and women has decreased by 0.03 degrees Celsius per birth decade. The reduction in body temperature is a proxy for metabolic rate and this may help to explain the changes in the health of humans and the increase in life expectancy. In 1851, Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich measured the body temperature of 25,000 humans and found that normal body temperature was 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (or 37 degrees Celsius). […]

Fooled by Randomness

Posted December 11, 2017 sullystatsLeave a commentPosted in Research Article

Here is a link to a short article on randomness. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-12-08/how-not-to-be-fooled-by-randomness

Replication and the Media

Posted March 21, 2017March 21, 2017 sullystatsLeave a commentPosted in Research Article

The following research article published in PlosOne describes the role of replication in research articles as well as the lack of media follow-up on research. I recommend that you ask your students to read this article and have a discussion about the role the media plays in delivering scientific research. Does the media have an obligation to follow up its own reports to confirm their validity? Here are some highlights that I garnered from the article. A key idea to understand is that the P-value from a hypothesis test is computed from the sample data. Therefore, the P-value is really the P-value based on the sample data in the […]

Data Models versus Algorithmic Models

Posted February 3, 2017February 9, 2017 sullystatsLeave a commentPosted in Research Article

Here is an interesting article on the differences between Data Models (the typical models used in an Intro Stats course) and Algorithmic Models (the type of models Data Scientists use). Statistical Models: Two Cultures

Co-Requisite Remediation

Posted February 1, 2017February 15, 2017 sullystatsLeave a commentPosted in Classroom Strategy, Research Article

Here is an interesting study completed within the City University of New York system on co-requisite remediation. They compared three groups using a randomized trial – Elementary Algebra students, Elementary Algebra with Supplemental Instruction, Elementary Statistics with Supplemental Instruction. The 721 participants were randomly assigned to one of those three groups. Guess what? The pass rates for the courses were as follows: Elementary Algebra: 39% Elementary Algebra with SI: 45% Statistics with SI: 56% Read about the study here. The Sullivan Statistics series offers an Introductory Statistics text with Integrated Review. The Integrated Review content is based on Sullivan’s popular Developmental Mathematics series.