College --Undergrad Upper Division

This text article gives a relatively short description of the concept of p-values and statistical significance. This article aimed at health professionals frames the idea of statistical significance in the setting of a weight loss program. In addition to discussing p-values and comparing them with confidence intervals, the article touches on the ideas of practical significance and the fact that the significance of 0.05 is arbitrary.

This lecture example discusses calculating chance with probabilities (a ratio of occurrence to the whole) or odds (a ratio of occurrence to nonoccurrence). It presents a clinical example of measuring the chance of initiating breastfeeding among 1000 new mothers. Tables are provided in pdf format.

This lecture example reviews the concept of CIs and their relationship to P values. Tables are provided in pdf format.

Because surveys are increasingly common in the medical literature, readers need to be able to critically evaluate the survey method. Two questions are fundamental: 1) Who do the respondents represent? 2) What do their answers mean? This lecture example discusses survey sampling terms and aspects of interpreting survey results.