why do statistics persuade

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Why is it important to use statistics in writing?

It provides a basis on which you can build an argument, prove a statement, or support an idea. The key to using statistics is being able to extract meaning and patterns from data in a way that your audience can understand.

Why are we so afraid of Statistics?

As stated before, numbers are powerful. This is one of the reasons why statistics can be such persuasive pieces of evidence. However, this same power can also make numbers and statistics intimidating. That is, we too often accept them as gospel, without ever questioning their veracity or appropriateness.

Why are statistics so intimidating?

This is one of the reasons why statistics can be such persuasive pieces of evidence. However, this same power can also make numbers and statistics intimidating. That is, we too often accept them as gospel, without ever questioning their veracity or appropriateness.

Why is it so hard to use statistics?

The main reason behind the poor use of statistics is a lack of understanding about what statistics can and cannot do. Many people think that statistics can speak for themselves. But numbers are as ambiguous as words and need just as much explanation. In many ways, this problem is quite similar to that experienced with direct quotes.

Why do we study statistics?

What is the most important concept in statistics?

What is a p-value?

What is descriptive statistics?

What is the correlation between advertising spending and revenue?

What is the field of statistics?

Why is it important to understand assumptions?

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Why are statistics so persuasive?

Understanding Statistics The key to the persuasive use of statistics is extracting meaning and patterns from raw data in a way that is logical and demonstrable to an audience. There are many ways to interpret statistics and data sets, not all of them valid.

How do statistics persuade the reader?

Effect on reader Statistics refer to factual, numerical evidence within a Language Analysis piece and are generally convincing for two reasons. Firstly, they highlight the logical importance of the issue and provide evidence for the writer's contention. Statistics provide a type of evidence that is difficult to refute.

Why are statistics good in speeches?

Using numbers or statistics in a speech gives the message that you are conveying a persuasive element. The data that you provide makes the message quantifiable. The numbers can be used as a part of your argument or used to help support it.

How can statistics be persuasive and misleading?

The data can be misleading due to the sampling method used to obtain data. For instance, the size and the type of sample used in any statistics play a significant role — many polls and questionnaires target certain audiences that provide specific answers, resulting in small and biased sample sizes.

Why are statistics important in an essay?

Statistics allow you to evaluate claims based on quantitative evidence and help you differentiate between reasonable and dubious conclusions. That aspect is particularly vital these days because data are so plentiful along with interpretations presented by people with unknown motivations.

How are facts persuasive?

While stories arouse their feelings and prompt them to act, facts help to justify a purchase, gift, decision, change in behavior … whatever action is taken. When you present facts, you help the more emotional reader validate her decision. This one-two punch is a powerful persuasive writing technique.

How can we use statistics effectively?

Using Statistics EffectivelyConsider your message. Are statistics the best choice to help you convey your main points? ... Know your audience. Is your audience likely to be compelled by numbers? ... Be selective. ... Keep it relevant. ... Offer perspective. ... Use context creatively. ... Be accurate. ... Stay current.More items...

What is the main reason to use statistics in a speech quizlet?

The main purpose of using statistics in a speech is to make the speech more vivid. According to your textbook, if you quoted your sixteen-year-old niece on the impact of media violence on high-school students, you would be using ____________ testimony.

When should you use statistics in a speech quizlet?

Use Statistics to Quantify Your Ideas. 2. Use Statistics sparingly, insert statistics only when they are needed and make sure they are easy to grasp or you will put your audience to sleep.

How reliable are statistics?

Are Statistics Reliable? 73.6% of statistics are false. Really? No, of course, it's a made-up number (even though such a study would be interesting to know – but again, could have all the flaws it tries at the same time to point out).

Why is statistic important?

Statistics are important because they help people make informed decisions. Governments, organizations, and businesses all collect statistics to help them track progress, measure performance, analyze problems, and prioritize.

What are the advantages of knowing statistics?

To summarize, the five reasons to study statistics are to be able to effectively conduct research, to be able to read and evaluate journal articles, to further develop critical thinking and analytic skills, to act a an informed consumer, and to know when you need to hire outside statistical help.

How the statistical evidence is emotionally persuasive?

By analyzing a large number of studies, a group of scientists believe they've identified the reasons why people may be persuaded by emotional or personal stories over statistics . In Short: When an issue doesn't directly affect you or doesn't seem serious, you are more likely to be persuaded by statistics.

What are the 5 persuasive techniques?

Five persuasive techniquesEstablish trust and develop credibility. Persuasive writing involves connecting with your audience in an authentic way. ... Understand the reader's purpose and align your own. ... Pay attention to language. ... Consider tone. ... Use rhetoric and repetition.

What is the purpose of using facts?

Fact – Facts are useful to inform or make an argument. Examples: The United States was established in 1776.

How do you use opinions to support facts?

The best way is to use facts to support your view. For example, parents say texting makes teens unable to have a face-to-face conversation. You may disagree, but that's just your opinion—unless you have facts to back it up.

10 Everyday Reasons Why Statistics Are Important

10 Everyday Reasons Why Statistics Are Important. Article Summary: You've heard that today we live in the Information Age where we understand a great deal about the world around us. Much of this information was determined mathematically by using statistics. When used correctly, statistics tell us any trends in what happened in the past and can be useful in predicting what may happen in the future.

Importance of Statistics in our daily life.

Statistics are the sets of mathematical equations that we used to analyze the things. It keeps us informed about, what is happening in the world around us.

Why Statistics Is Important - LinkedIn

Why Statistics is so important in our life? Many of us are knowingly or unknowingly using statistics but are unknown about the fact. Such as “I sleep for about 8 hours a day”, “I usually ...

The Importance of Statistics | Essay and speech

Application of Statistics in Various Fields: Weather Forecast – The likelihood of rain, snowfall, etc. are predicted with the help of weather models. These models are built on the basis of statistics which help to compare the past and current weather conditions and hence to predict the future weather.

Why are frequency studies so effective?

Frequencies are effective because they: Demonstrate the importance of data. People weigh frequencies as more important than percentages when making decisions (Lipkus, Samsa and Rimer, 2001). Help people make better choices. In one study, faculty members and students at the Harvard Medical School made much better decisions when they received ...

How many decimal points of precision do communicators need?

Generalize a little. In order to be as “correct” as possible, communicators often include too much information — six decimal points of precision, for instance, or data about confidence intervals. But that actually makes important details harder to suss out.

How can you help readers get the numbers?

If your readers are like most, they have, on average, below-basic numerical literacy, according to a massive international literacy study.

Is mortality greater than survival?

Mortality vs. survival rates. The effect of dying seems to be greater when it is framed as a mortality rate of 10% than when it is framed as a survival rate of 90%. And both patients and doctors found surgery less attractive than radiation therapy when risk information was presented in terms of mortality rather than survival, despite surgery having better long-term prospects (McNeil, Pauker and Sox, 1986).

Is framing information as a loss more effective than as a gain?

Loss vs. gain. In six out of seven studies, framing information as a loss was more effective than as a gain in communicating prevention, detection and treatment (Edwards, Elwyn, Covey, Matthews and Pill, 2001).

Who judged a patient's risk of being violent as much greater when it was communicated as a frequency?

Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists judged a patient’s risk of being violent as much greater when it was communicated as a frequency instead of a probability (Slivic, Monahan and MacGregor, 2000). 2.

Is framing a message as a gain or loss more effective?

Consider the message within the frame. Framing your message as a loss is more effective when promoting screening. Framing it as a gain is more effective when promoting prevention (Rothman, Martino, Bedell, Detweiler and Salovey, 1999).

Why are statistics so powerful?

The reason it is so powerful and persuasive is because people trust numbers, and they’re often a lot easier to digest than paragraphs of text saying the same thing. If you’re running a fact-based, thought-provoking marketing campaign, the right statistics can take the persuasive level of your message to the next level.

What is the Statistics Appeal?

The Statistics Appeal is an advertising strategy used by marketers to further persuade individuals to do something, whether it's to purchase a product or service, donate to a worthy cause, or buy into an idea.

Why is it important to use statistics?

The key to using statistics is being able to extract meaning and patterns from data in a way that your audience can understand.

Where do these statistics come from?

Statistics can come from a number of sources, here are some common ones:

How do you choose the right statistic?

After you’ve decided to use statistics in your presentation, you need to find the right one for the message you’re delivering. It’s easy to get lost in the huge number of statistics out there, not all of them accurate. With so much data, how do you decide which statistic to use?

How to bring a statistic to life?

Bring your statistic to life by telling the story of one of the numbers. For example, if your statistic is about the number of billionaires in the world, you might begin by telling the story of Mark Cuban, and then reveal that he is only one of over 2,000 such billionaires. Don’t rely on your audience understand how the statistic is relevant.

How do statistics help in a presentation?

However, statistics can add a range of benefits to your presentation: Add realism to your presentation – numbers and data are a good way to ground your presentation and being reality to your presentation. For example, stating that ‘wearing a seatbelt could save your life in a crash at 60mph’, is not as impactful as ‘you have a 20% chance ...

Why do people use statistics in public speaking?

Using statistics in public speaking is a powerful way to add a quantifiable and persuasive aspect to your message. It provides a basis on which you can build an argument, prove a statement, or support an idea. The key to using statistics is being able to extract meaning and patterns from data in a way that your audience can understand.

Why do you have to stop before a statistic?

Pause immediately before the statistic – this helps create suspense.

Why is statistics so poor?

The main reason behind the poor use of statistics is a lack of understanding about what statistics can and cannot do . Many people think that statistics can speak for themselves.

What is the purpose of the statistics handout?

The purpose of this handout is to help you use statistics to make your argument as effectively as possible.

Why should percentages be presented in context?

Consequently, percentages should be presented in context so that readers can draw their own conclusions as you emphasize facts important to your argument. Remember, if your statistics really do support your point, then you should have no fear of revealing the larger context that frames them.

How to misrepresent evidence?

Sometimes, you may misrepresent your evidence by accident and misunderstanding. Other times, however, misrepresentation may be slightly less innocent. This can be seen most readily in visual aids. Do not shape and “massage” the representation so that it “best supports” your argument. This can be achieved by presenting charts/graphs in numerous different ways. Either the range can be shortened (to cut out data points which do not fit, e.g., starting a time series too late or ending it too soon), or the scale can be manipulated so that small changes look big and vice versa. Furthermore, do not fiddle with the proportions, either vertically or horizontally. The fact that USA Today seems to get away with these techniques does not make them OK for an academic argument.

Why are people warned to stay off the road?

If you think about ice storms, which make life so difficult in the winter, you will certainly remember the newscasters warning people to stay off the roads because they are so treacherous. To verify this point, they tell you that the Highway Patrol has already reported 25 accidents during the day. Their intention is to scare you into staying home with this number. While this number sounds high, some studies have found that the number of accidents actually goes down on days with severe weather. Why is that? One possible explanation is that with fewer people on the road, even with the dangerous conditions, the number of accidents will be less than on an “average” day. The critical lesson here is that even when the general interpretation is “accurate,” the data may not actually be evidence for the particular interpretation. This means you have no way to verify if the interpretation is in fact correct.

Is statistics a panacea?

But statistics are not a panacea. As simple and straightforward as these little numbers promise to be, statistics, if not used carefully, can create more problems than they solve. Many writers lack a firm grasp of the statistics they are using.

Should you interpret statistics?

If the author gives you her statistics, it is always wise to interpret them yourself. That is, while it is useful to read and understand the author’s interpretation, it is merely that—an interpretation. It is not the final word on the matter. Furthermore, sometimes authors (including you, so be careful) can use perfectly good statistics and come up with perfectly bad interpretations. Here are two common mistakes to watch out for:

How do people react to statistics?

People react to statistics in peculiar ways. At times, statistics seem to cut through all of the uncertainty and cause people to genuinely reevaluate their opinions. More often than not, however, statistics do not seem to make a difference. When statistics support our opinions, we tout them as “objective” and “unbiased.” When statistics conflict with our opinions, we dismiss them as “suspect” and “contrived.” Fortunately, persuasion research and theory provides explanations for many of these peculiar reactions. This chapter proceeds in three parts. First, this chapter describes some of the strengths of statistical evidence in persuasion. Second, this chapter examines the ways in which weaknesses of statistical evidence undermine persuasive goals. Third, this chapter concludes with several recommendations for the presentation of statistical evidence in persuasion.

What is statistical evidence?

statistical evidence provides the audience with a trusted source of confirmation.

Why are effect sizes important?

Confidence intervals (CIs) and effect sizes are essential to encourage meta-analytic thinking and to accumulate research findings. CIs provide a range of plausible values for population parameters with a degree of confidence that the parameter is in that particular interval. CIs also give information about how precise the estimates are. Comparison of CIs across various samples cumulates evidence for more accurate estimates of population parameters than an estimate from a single sample. Effect sizes, on the other hand, provide information about the magnitude, or the substantive significance. That is, effect sizes provide information about sizes of differences between groups or strengths of relationships. The current paper's purpose is to inform researchers about the importance of reporting and interpreting CIs and effect sizes using examples from studies published in the Career and Technical Education Research journal. In addition, calculations and interpretations of CIs around means and effect sizes for some commonly used statistical analyses are explained.

Does statistical evidence persuade?

Statistical evidence also persuades through majority influence. When making

Has preprint peer reviewed?

Preprints and early-stage research may not have been peer reviewed yet.

Do statistics tend to produce resistance?

audience’s curiosity, statistics tend to produce resistance. In these situations,

Do statisticians need specialized training?

possible. Although statisticians do receive specialized training in order to make

Why do we study statistics?

Another reason to study statistics is to be aware of all the different types of bias that can occur in real-world studies. By having a basic understanding of these types of biases, you can avoid committing them when performing research or be aware of them when reading through other research papers or studies.

What is the most important concept in statistics?

One important concept that you’ll learn about in statistics is the concept of confounding variables. These are variables that are unaccounted for and can confound the results of an experiment and lead to unreliable findings.

What is a p-value?

The textbook definition of a p-value is: A p-value is the probability of observing a sample statistic that is at least as extreme as your sample statistic, given that the null hypothesis is true. For example, suppose a factory claims that they produce tires that have a mean weight of 200 pounds.

What is descriptive statistics?

Descriptive statistics are used to describe a chunk of raw data. There are three main types of descriptive statistics: Each of these can help us gain a better understanding of existing data. For example, suppose we have a set of raw data that shows the test scores of 10,000 students in a certain city.

What is the correlation between advertising spending and revenue?

For example, if the correlation between advertisement spending and revenue is 0.87, then you can understand that there is a strong positive relationship between the two variables. As you spend more money on advertising, you can expect a predictable increase in revenue.

What is the field of statistics?

The field of statistics is concerned with collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data. As technology becomes more present in our daily lives, more data is being generated and collected now than ever before in human history. Statistics is the field that can help us understand how to use this data to do the following things:

Why is it important to understand assumptions?

Many statistical tests make assumptions about the underlying data under study. When reading the results of a study or even performing your own study , it’s important to understand what assumptions need to be made in order for the results to be reliable.

Choose Frequencies, Not Probabilities.

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Frame as A Loss (or gain).

Generalize A little.

But Don’T Pile on The Data.