Statistics in Nutrition and Dietetics. Michael Nelson
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Название: Statistics in Nutrition and Dietetics

Автор: Michael Nelson

Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited

Жанр: Спорт, фитнес

Серия:

isbn: 9781118930625

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ the Statistician

      ‘What’s that!’ I cried. ‘He’s hideous!’

      ‘Well’, they explained, ‘the eyes are for peering into the dark recesses of the student’s incompetence, the teeth for tearing apart their feeble attempts at research design and statistical analysis and reporting, and the tongue for lashing them for being so stupid’.

      ‘That’s better’, I said.

      They interpreted the new drawing. ‘Statisticians may appear a bit monstrous, but really they’re quite cuddly. You just have to become familiar with their language, and then they will be very friendly and helpful. Don’t be put off if some of them look a bit flabby or scaly. This one can also recommend a great dentist and a very creative hair‐stylist’.

      Using Computers

      This text is unashamedly oriented toward experimental science and the idea that things can be measured objectively or in controlled circumstances. This is a different emphasis from books which are oriented toward qualitative science, where descriptions of how people feel or perceive themselves or others are of greater importance than quantitative measures such as nutrient intake or blood pressure. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, and it is not my intention to argue their relative merits here.

Illustration of a friendly statistician.

      The examples are taken mainly from studies in nutrition and dietetics. The aim is to provide material relevant to the reader’s working life, be they students, researchers, tutors, or practicing nutrition scientists or dietitians.

      Learning Objectives

      After studying this chapter you should be able to:

       Describe the process called the scientific method: the way scientists plan, design, and carry out research

       Define different types of logic, hypotheses, and research designs

       Know the principles of presenting data and reporting the results of scientific research

       What can I know?

       —Immanuel Kant, philosopher

      The need to know things is essential to our being in the world. Without learning we die. At the very least, we must learn how to find food and keep ourselves warm. Most people, of course, are interested in more than these basics, in developing lives which could be described as fulfilling. We endeavour to learn how to develop relationships, earn a livelihood, cope with illness, write poetry (most of it pretty terrible), and make sense of our existence. At the core of these endeavours is the belief that somewhere there is the ‘truth’ about how things ‘really’ are.

      Much of the seeking after truth is based on feelings and intuition. We may ‘believe’ that all politicians are corrupt (based on one lot of evidence), and at the same time believe that people are inherently good (based on a different lot of evidence). Underlying these beliefs is a tacit conviction that there is truth in what we believe, even though all of our observations are not consistent. There are useful expressions like: ‘It is the exception that proves the rule’ to help us cope with observations that do not fit neatly into our belief systems. But fundamentally, we want to be able to ‘prove’ that what we believe is correct (i.e. true), and we busy ourselves collecting examples that support our point of view.

      Karl Popper puts it this way:

       We can learn from our mistakes. СКАЧАТЬ