A cartoon to show the misleading nature of graphs with a y-axis scale that does not start at zero (here real data is plotted to make it appear that the population of Dublin, Ireland doubled in a single year between 2021 and 2022). The cartoon was based on an idea by Larry Lesser from The University of Texas at El Paso in May, 2023.
A cartoon suitable for use in teaching about model fitting techniques and the different messages a visualization puts forward based on the model used to fit the data . The cartoon is number 2048 (Sept, 2018) from the webcomic series at xkcd.com created by Randall Munroe. Free to use in the classroom and on course web sites under a creative commons attribution-non-commercial 2.5 license.
A song for discussion of the uses of weighting. In particular, Verse 1 hits the weighted mean (with a nod to Simpson’s paradox), Verse 2 connects with how/why poll data are weighted to help the sample more accurately reflect population characteristics, which can launch a discussion of what we adjust for (probability, sample design, demographics) and how (raking, matching, propensity weighting). This can be supported by examples in GAISE (https://www.amstat.org/docs/default-source/amstat-documents/gaisecollege...) and apps (e.g., https://sites.psu.edu/shinyapps/2018/12/03/weight-adjustment-in-surveys/). Finally, the Bridge touches on weighted regression. Lyrics by Larry Lesser from The University of Texas at El Paso; may be sung to the tune of the 1981 hit "The Waiting" by Tom Petty. The song received an honorable mention in the 2023 A-mu-sing competition. Thanks to UTEP’s Jose Villalobos for the song title and for contributing backing vocals and guitar to Larry’s on the recording.
A joke to initiate a conversation about the importance of understanding your Sampling Frame when conducting surveys. The joke was written by Larry Lesser from The University of Texas at El Paso in 2021.
A cartoon that can be used in discussing how choosing an appropriate sample size must balance budget and logistics along with statistical power. The cartoon was used in the April 2023 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by retired AP Statistics teacher Jodene Kissler. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University. An alternate caption for the cartoon might be “The Negative Correlation Moving Company had trouble holding on to their shorter employees,” that can be used to discuss the difference between positive and negative associations.
A cartoon that can be used in discussing how data visualizations help in thinking about the interpretation of data and stimulate critical thinking about the topic of the plot. The cartoon was used in the March 2023 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by Larry Lesser at The University of Texas at El Paso. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.
A cartoon that can be used to introduce ideas of the bias (degree of being on target) and reliability (degree of deviation) of estimators. The cartoon was used in the February 2023 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by Laurie Baker at the College of the Atlantic. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.
A cartoon that can be used to discuss the importance of investigating and understanding the outliers in data sets. The cartoon was used in the January 2023 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by Amelia Williams, a student at University of Toronto. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.
A cartoon that can be used to discuss the value of visualizations for displaying time series data. The cartoon was used in the December 2022 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by Dashiell Young-Saver, from IDEA Public Schools. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.
A cartoon that can be used in a discussion about ethical guidelines in reporting data and the importance of avoiding manipulations that represent what we hope to show while hiding opposing results also seen in the data. The cartoon was used in the November 2022 CAUSE cartoon caption contest and the winning caption was written by Kim Bennett, from Georgia State University. The cartoon was drawn by British cartoonist John Landers (www.landers.co.uk) based on an idea by Dennis Pearl from Penn State University.