Introductory statistics
Mr S Farish
2 hours per week over 14 weeks
* First semester
Synopsis This subject aims to introduce students to basic statistical concepts and methods. At the completion of this subject, students should be able to perform simple statistical analyses of small data sets by hand; identify the appropriate technique for data analysis; obtain p-values from tables; distinguish between clinical and statistical significance; understand the concept of a Type I and Type II error and identify where these may have occurred; and calculate and explain the interpretation of simple confidence intervals. This subject covers descriptive statistics - graphs and tables; theoretical and empirical probability distributions - chi-square, student's-t, binomial, Poisson, standard normal; basic statistics - mean, median, mode, minimum, maximum, standard deviation, proportion; standard errors, confidence intervals and their construction; paired and unpaired t-tests; chi-square and Fisher's exact for contingency tables; non-parametric tests, correlation and bivariate regression. Teaching will be a combination of lectures, demonstrations and weekly exercises.
Assessment Mid-semester and final examinations
References
Daly, Bourke and McGilvray Interpretation and uses of medical statistics 4th edn, Blackwell, 1991
Rowntree D Statistics without tears Penguin, 1981
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