>
> >The use of statistical analysis to draw conclusions from seemingly
> confused data is one of my biggest concerns about the studies we read and
> (try to) believe.


Allen, I'm in complete agreement!

The intention of statistics is to tease actual results from noise in an
objective (read, mathematical) manner.   But I feel that too many
researchers use statistics as a crutch (I fell into the same trap long ago).

To me, the human eye is so good at pattern detection, that I'd rather see
the data simply graphed out, with ranges, error bars, or standard
deviations, than to read complex statistical terms and analyses.  If
results aren't completely obvious from the graph, then they don't resonate
with me.

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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