1
2
2
2
3
Mean = 4.8
Median = 3
4
4
27
Mode = 2
3
Correlation measures the strength of a
relationship between two variables.
Positive
Correlation
Negative
Correlation
No
Correlation
0<R<1
-1 < R < 0
R=0
Correlation does
not imply
causation
“75% of kids who smoke have parents who
smoke.
Does this imply that if a child smokes then
the parent is more likely to smoke?”
Correlations can be misleading!!!
A person wearing red is 129 times more
likely to be gored by a charging bull!
But what is the base rate?
98% of Americans have internet access available.
Sprint has a “Nationwide Network”
The average temperature in Oklahoma City over
the past 100 years is 63.4 degrees. (and each year
has been within 1 degree of that average)
Consumer spending on prescription drugs has
doubled since 1980.
85% of all car accidents occur within 10 miles of
the home.
10 times as many people die each year by plane
crashes than train crashes.
During the Spanish-American war, the death rate
for soldiers was 9 per 1000. The death rate for
civilians in New York City was 16 per 1000.
Fluffy O’s Cereal Gives a body Energy!!
10
?? 5
1 minute
2 minutes
62.5
62
61.5
Earnings
61
60.5
60
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
Earnings
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
40
Even when the scale is
fine, graphs can still be
deceptive
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
Even when the scale is fine, graphs can still be
deceptive
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
As you can see, Bob earns substantially more
than Joe
Joe’s income
Bob’s Income
Is it really a two to one ratio that’s being displayed?
Percent of US income going to federal taxes
Percent of US income going to federal taxes
Tylenol is used by 90% doctors for their own
aches and pains!
So are Asprin,
Ibuprofen, and
Bayer!
When Dewey was elected Governor in 1942, the
minimum teacher’s salary in some districts was
as low as $900 per year. Upon Governor
Dewey’s recommendation… the Legislature in
1947 appropriated $32,000,000 out of state
surplus to provide an increase in teacher’s
salaries. As a result, the minimum salaries of
teachers in New York City range from $2500 to
$5325.
1) Stanford is the #1 program in psychology
2) I am the only (and therefore #1) student at
Stanford studying Decision Errors
Therefore:
I am the top student studying Decision Errors in
the country.
Group A:
I
II
III IV V
6.2 6.4 7.6 6.1 6.2
Group B:
I
II
III IV V
6.1 6.3 2.2 6.0 6.2
Is Group A
superior to
Group B?
The average American sleeps 8 hours a night
The average American sleeps 8.2 hours a night
The average American sleeps 8.2339 hours a night
“Currently there are 4 million Americans
with Alzheimer’s Disease. By the year
2020 it could be 20 million.”
This new calling plan can save you 30%
over AT&T’s rates!
Obfuscation Studies
Obfuscation: deliberately increasing the
complexity of a piece of writing without
changing the content
Have you ever changed the words in an academic
essay to make the essay sound more valid or
intelligent by using complicated language? 75%
When you write an essay, do you turn to the
thesaurus to choose words that are more complex
to give the impression that the content is more
valid or intelligent? 66%
Step 1:Take a normal string of text
Step 2: Replace every noun, verb, and
adjective with the longest thesaurus entry.
•No replacement if original word is longest
•If multiple words are of equal length
choose highest alphabetically
•Change ‘a’  ‘an’ etc. to keep grammar
“The primary academic goal I have set for myself
is to use my potential to the fullest. Your college
represents an institution abundant with academic
resources. During my undergraduate years I intend
to use those resources to obtain knowledge about
my career field, and I hope to fully explore my
career field.”
“The principal educational aspiration I have
established for myself is to utilize my capabilities
to the fullest. Your institution characterizes an
institution plentiful with educational resources.
Throughout my undergraduate existence I
anticipate to exercise those resources to acquire
information about my occupational discipline, and
I hope to completely investigate my occupational
discipline .”