The Cult of Statistical Significance – Simplified

Converge Consulting Group clients have heard us talk about the misuse of statistical significance testing, specifically, using statistical significance as a test for practical importance or material significance. This is the reason why so much employee, customer and operational research gets the answers so wrong, so often, amounting to little more, and often less, than junk science.

The Cult of Statistical Significance by Stephen T. Ziliak and Deirdrie N. McCloskey details precisely How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice and Lives and the history that led us to to the unfortunate circumstances we are in today. It’s a fascinating story (spoiler alert, the hero turns out to be William Sealy Gosset, former head brewmaster for Guiness who used statistical methods to esnure Guiness tastes like, well,  Guiness). Nevertheless, at 300 pages, some of our clients found the the book a little daunting.

Luckily we happened across a smaller version in the form of  a summary Highlight lecture Stephen Ziliak gave at the ASA/JSM in August 2009 in Washington DC. Stephen was kind enough to allow us to post it for you here. Read The Cult of Statistical Significance Highlight Lecture. Enjoy with a Guiness.

Then order the book for your research staff and begin the journey of using real science for the real world.