Statistical Behaviors: Personal and Computer-Aided Observations. (June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hanley, James A.
• Is Part Of: SLAS discovery. Volume 23:Number 5(2018)
• Page Start: 440
• Page End: 447
• Publication Date: 2018-06
• Subjects: statistics -- selectivity -- oncology -- neurology; Drugs -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Drugs -- Testing -- Periodicals; Biomolecules -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Biomolecules -- Analysis; Drugs -- Analysis; Drugs -- Testing; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Molecular Biology -- methods; Periodicals; Periodicals; 615.1
• DOI: 10.1177/2472555218763608
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2472-5552

Abstract

My early years as a statistician were with the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group and the Radiation Oncology Therapy Group; three of these years were spent at the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute. Later, I collaborated widely with investigators in many clinical research areas. I reflect on the "statistical interrogations of nature" I saw (and helped some of these) investigators plan and carry out. I look back on their (and my own) statistical behaviors when interpreting the information these interrogations produced and—using a few vignettes and some computer-generated observations—draw some lessons from them. These mainly have to do with making too much of one's data.