Statistical Inference: The Big Picture
Other Statistics
2011-06-23 v2 Methodology
Abstract
Statistics has moved beyond the frequentist-Bayesian controversies of the past. Where does this leave our ability to interpret results? I suggest that a philosophy compatible with statistical practice, labeled here statistical pragmatism, serves as a foundation for inference. Statistical pragmatism is inclusive and emphasizes the assumptions that connect statistical models with observed data. I argue that introductory courses often mischaracterize the process of statistical inference and I propose an alternative "big picture" depiction.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1106.2895,
title = {Statistical Inference: The Big Picture},
author = {Robert E. Kass},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1106.2895},
year = {2011}
}
Comments
Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-STS337 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org)