Response
It is not surprising that Lindley prefers his text to those currently in
wide use in introductory statistics teaching. Nor is it surprising that
Lindley prefers a Bayesian approach and thinks all others are flawed.
However, although Bayesian methods surely have their value, Student’s 1911 Census
it is incontrovertible that they are not now the basis for introduc-
tory statistics teaching. Our paper was hardly the place to address
of Population Form
whether Bayesian methods should play a more central role in intro-
ductory teaching. David Moore has already dealt admirably well
with that question.
Lindley misunderstands our point at a fundamental level. He
wishes to see the logic of probability at the center of statistics and
O
n December 3, 2007, the National Archives of
Ireland (www.nationalarchives.ie) made the 1911
Census of Population of Ireland household and
argues that literature lacks that logical structure. By contrast, we
ancillary records for the City and County of Dublin avail-
argue that an understanding of scientific thinking should form the
able online. This census took place on April 2, 1911, when
philosophical core of statistics—at least at the introductory level,
William Sealy Gosset was residing at Woodlands in the
where probability theory is inaccessible to many students.
townland of Woodpark, Stillorgan District Electoral
The process of statistical reasoning is a consistent logical struc-
Division, County Dublin. You can see a copy of his signa-
ture and a sound foundation for teaching the discipline. We did not
ture and view a list of persons who resided in his household
say that one should teach such thinking as literature. What we did
by clicking on the “Dublin 1911 census online” at the left
say was that, analogous to literature, an understanding of statistics
of the web site. Then, click on the link that will allow you
as a way to model the world requires knowledge about the world.
to “Search Census Records”; under surname, type in Gosset,
We argue that this requirement makes an introductory statistics
and under forename, type in William Sealy.
course fundamentally different from a mathematics course—and
that this is a good thing.
Paul F. Velleman, Cornell University
Richard D. DeVeaux, Williams College
Reference
Moore, D. (1997) “Bayes for Beginners? Some Reasons to Hesitate.”
The American Statistician, 51:254–261 and 272–274.
Editor’s Note: A webinar that goes along with DeVeaux and
Velleman’s article on pages 54–58 of the September 2008 issue of
Amstat News is available at
www.amstat.org/education/k12webinars/
index.cfm?fuseaction=main. n
Census of Ireland, 1911
STATISTICIAN’S VIEW
This will open the search results page. Clicking on the
Statistician’s View is a place for members to express viewpoints
surname Gosset opens the page that lists the residents of
about ASA issues and important topics in statistics. If you have
Woodpark, Stillorgan. The census form can be displayed
an opinion you would like to present or if you want to respond
by clicking on “Household Return (Form A), Page 1” in
to something you have read in this or other issues of Amstat
the “View Census” images section of this page.
News, please send you letter to:
While Woodlands, the house the Gosset household
Managing Editor—Amstat News resided in, has been demolished, the census information
American Statistical Association relating to it can be accessed by clicking on “House and
732 North Washington Street Building Return (Form B1), Page 1” and on “Out-Offices
Alexandria, VA 22314-1943 and Farm-Steadings Return (Form B2), Page 1.”
or These forms were not completed by the head of
amstat@amstat.org family, but rather by the census enumerator, Constable
Patrick Walsh, F66, Dublin Metropolitan Police,
Please indicate you would like your letter to appear Kingstown Division.
in Statistician’s View. Amstat News reserves the right to
use, refuse, and edit any submissions. We will not accept
anonymous material.
18 AMSTAT NEWS DECEMBER 2008
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82