Customer Reviews

What is a p-value anyway? 34 Stories to Help You Actually Understand Statistics

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I'm a Ph.D. statistician at Baylor University in the Department of Statistical Science. I teach statistics courses at many different levels, and read several statistics books a year. I'm always on the lookout for a good book that my students can relate to, but rarely - if ever - have I found a book I can recommend to my colleagues, our department's Ph.D. students, M.S. students, undergraduate majors, and those students who are majoring in some other subject area (not statistics) who are required to take a statistics course. That was, until now ...

The little monograph by Andrew Vickers is absolutely a fun book to read - and how many times can it be said that a book about P-values is fun? My husband is often subjected to my very serious face and quietness as I read a statistics book. He often jokes that I look like I'm angry or in pain. But with this book, heard me laugh out loud, and do so often. Andrew Vicker's "What is a p-Value Anyway?" contains 34 short stories that wittily illustrate the correct way to think about and apply statistics in terms everyone can relate to and understand.

Vickers manages to put statistical concepts into a fun, understandable light that is entertaining and informative, no matter what your level of understanding and education in statistics. I highly recommend this book.

A couple of years ago, because on an error (?) in the IT system of the Italian IRS (Tax Agency), the incomes of all Italians were downloadable from the Agency site. The "error" was discovered and cleared after a few hours, but in the meantime a lot of people had already downloaded the files.
So did a friend of mine, living in Milan. Early in the morning he called me. His voice sounded, at the same time, angry and depressed. "How can I be so underpaid? I downloaded the incomes of people living in Milan and computed and re-computed the average all the night. I discovered that my salary is very, very low! The mean income of people in Milan is much higher!!" "Well, that's the Berlusconi's effect", I replied, "don't worry, take the median instead of the mean, and you'll recover your self-esteem... and stop your wife's complains".
But I wasn't persuasive enough...at the phone, without paper and pencil, I couldn't explain him the impact of outliers and the meaning of skewness, and he started looking for another job.
Had this happened now, I would simply send him a copy of "What is a p-value anyway", and a couple of pages at the beginning would explain him the concepts, using Bill Gates instead of Berlusconi. The concepts and ideas of statistics are indeed the focus of this book, from basic ones like median and mean, to more advanced ones like hypothesis testing, regression, logistic regression, survival analysis etc. These concepts are explained, without formulas, by means of funny stories, that you can tell to your friends at a party, or use with your students to raise their attention. Moreover, stories stay attached to our neurons, and we, or our student, don't forget them and their embedded concepts.
I strongly suggest this book to everybody: if you don't master statistics, you will eventually understand all you need as a citizen, a voter, a consumer or a patient, and you probably won't be fooled anymore by the bad statistics usually found on newspaper or TV. If you master statistics, and routinely use computational tools, this book will force you think "back to basics" and will remind you that pressing the keys without a clear understanding of your data and your goals, will let you make dangerous errors. Errors, that can affect the health or wealth of the people behind the numbers, "even if you can't see their tears".
P.S. I think this book deserve a translation into many languages. If a publisher is interested in a translation into Italian, please contact me at [...].

As a teacher in a school of public health and formerly in a medical school, I've been a fan of Dr. Vickers' work for years, beginning with his columns published in Medscape--many of which I'm revisiting in the book. By way of revealing conflict of interest, I sent Dr. Vickers a fan email a few years ago asking "when will you write a book?" because I felt it would be a great supplemental read for my students.
"What is a p-value anyway" won't substitute for an introductory statistics textbook, but it makes a terrific companion piece. Some folks actually come to an understanding of statistics through equations. I once co-presented with a real biostatistician. All the other biostatisticians in the room followed her pointer through the equations like kittens watching a ball. Most of us, though, and definitely most students, need folksier explanations. Dr. Vickers excels at these. He uses simple, catchy examples to teach concepts ranging from the difference between the median and the mean ("So Bill Gates walks into a diner....") through the statistical consequences of multiple testing on the same data set ("Boy meets girls, girl rejects boy, boy starts multiple testing"). I particularly like the title of the last chapter, which echoes my own approach to analysis in health services research: "Statistics is about people, even if you can't see the tears."

Don't be put-off by the title. With humor, concrete, understandable examples, and clear text these stories help me to understand the "meaning" behind all those equations and terms. The author is experienced, but no so far above his readers that he cannot explain concepts. I'm in graduate school and find his book to be a worthy addition to my reading. It is well worth the time to read this book in conjunction with the text book. I feel as if I am gaining an understanding of what the numbers mean that would only come from many years of experience. This book is a bit pricey but worth it. Finally, the groan-worthy jokes just add to the readability of the text.

What a read! and yes, I am talking about this statistics textbook. I have read several throughout many stages of statistical training, and this is the first time that I have laughed out loud in amusement while learning statistics at the same time. People around me were asking-what's so funny? My answer was simply-my statistics textbook.
This book is a must read for statistics student or teachers at any level and speaks directly to the "I just don't' get it" thought that so many of have experienced. After reading this book-you will get it. In a casual and easy to read manner, Vickers reviews statistical concepts and ideas that have puzzled students for years and explains them in a way that is easy to grasp.
He imparts a humanistic quality to the numbers, constantly reminding readers that numbers equal diseased patients, and that mortality means that someone's family member will succumb to disease.
I highly recommend this textbook .

This is a must-read for beginners and a pleasure for more advanced statisticians. What is a p-value anyway? 34 Stories to Help You Actually Understand Statistics covers all the central ideas of modern statistics - describing data, data distributions, hypothesis testing, probability, regression and decision making, common errors in statistics, and much more - all in digestible, simple English.

Here is the treat: the book has a great sense of humor. Every chapter starts with a witty cartoon to introduce the subject. For example, the first page of chapter 28 entitled "Boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, boy starts multiple testing" shows a nerd trying to convince a cute girl to go out with him using different attempts. This is used as an introduction to multiple testing, sample size, subgroup analysis, etc...

It should be everybody's first statistics reading. This book is engaging and fun, but thorough and clear. The author has an uncanny knack for translating real world problems into statistical formats and back. I highly recommended it. I made it a must read for my students!

(The following review was posted on behalf of a colleague)
"While attending university to get a degree in biology and gain proficiency in numerous scientific methods, I came to respect statistics in spite of those long and boring formulas. Nonetheless, my exam results in statistics were such that I had to conclude that I did not understand the type of most data at the outset. After graduating, I kept coming across published research papers where part of the analysis was inherently wrong. Of course, I had to find out how to avoid such mistakes and errors in my own research. Today, since I work for a scientific advisory body, understanding statistical decision making derived from research reports is an important part of my job.

This book is the one I had been waiting for. Not only does the author focus on what matters in statistics, his appealing way of relating statistical methods in an engaging way using funny stories and anecdotes helped me to fine tune and retain key ideas. As a bonus, this book taught me useful life tips and exposed me to refreshing ideas from fields such as psychotherapy, philosophy, and others. Roland Hübner, DPhil, Superior Health Council, Belgium "

I am robotic urologist at the european Institute of Oncology, Milan. Statistics for me is somewhat more frightening that a big bleeder.. t test, wilcoxon test, pregnancy tests, logistic regression analyisis, illogical acronimous . . always in trouble.

I tried to fix all my doubts reading, or better trying to read books, promising clear explanations etc. all of them were pretty good...for taking a nap...

Well, the only doubt there is still consistent in my mind is if I was reading Vickers' book more for fun or more for the perfect clarity of examples and explanations...I think that the question will remain unsolved, but for sure I had a lot of fun and I learnt more from these 34 stories than from the last 34 books I read!

is there any other Vicker's book?

Bernardo

This is a unique, brilliant and hilarious little book that will transform statistics from torture to entertainment. I mean, let's face it - statistics is fascinating. (OK, I'll come clean - I am a statistician myself.) But almost anyone who is faced with having to take a statistics class dreads it - and with good reason. Statistics courses can be obscure and utterly opaque, particularly in the absence of good examples and clear explanations. Enter "What is a p-value anyway?" and the key statistical concepts are revealed in cute and humorous ways. I mean, who would think of explaining what a p-value is via a vignette about proving that your son could not possibly have brushed his teeth if his toothbrush is still dry? Or explaining multiple comparisons via the story of a boy fishing for compliments from his girlfriend? Or explaining conditional probability via OJ Simpson? The truth is that statistics is hugely relevant in our lives. This is made abundantly clear by the examples in each chapter, which are illustrated by adorable cartoons that made me laugh out loud more than once. The important message of this powerful book is that statistics is much more about thinking clearly than about complex formulas or mathematical concepts. I'd recommend "What is a p-value anyway?" for anyone who wants to understand statistics better - from beginners to graduate students to professors and teachers. It is an utterly delightful and ultimately enlightening confection.

Each chapter is just a few pages long and covers one statistical principle. Concepts are presented as vignettes, in plain language, without a ridiculous amount of statistical mumbo-jumbo. Questions for discussion (with answers in the back) are included, as well as take-home points at the end of each chapter. If you prefer spending a few minutes reviewing statistical principles, as opposed to hours, this book is for you. This book is perfect for journal club.