Year: 2007
Type: other
Abstract: This book is different from many other books on statistics in that many detailed calculations and formulas have been excluded from the body of the text if they are not helpful in understanding the basic concepts involved.We have not stressed the details of calculating a regression line, for example, because the necessary calculations give little insight into the meaning of the estimates calculated.We have, however, included details of those calculations that will give the reader a better feel for the underlying concepts.Thus we have carefully explained how to calculate a sample standard deviation and a sample correlation coefficient, because these are cases in which going through the actual calculations will give the reader a better feel for what the estimates measure.This book is also different from many introductory books in that it includes some topics that are usually covered only in mathematically more sophisticated texts.We have included, for example, the difference between estimates and estimators, maximum likelihood estimation, the likelihood ratio criterion, bootstrapping and random effect models in the analysis of variance.We have described both hypothesis testing, a procedure for making a decision between two hypotheses, as is usually done, and significance testing, a means of quantifying disbelief in the null hypothesis by determining a p-value.We have also included material on Bayesian and other methods that are being used more and more in genetics and epidemiology.This book did not attempt to go into details of the many new statistical methods that have been developed for genetic epidemiology studies.However, now that you have read this book, you should have a basic understanding of the principles underlying the statistical methods used, and you should be in a good position to learn about many more that you may come across.Statistical methods are becoming more and more sophisticated every day.It would be impossible to cover in a book this size all the various statistical tests used in genetics and epidemiology.If a report you are reading refers to a particular statistical method you do not know about, consult a more advanced book or seek the help of a statistician who can explain the essentials of the method in simple terms. Basic Biostatistics for Geneticists and Epidemiologists: A Practical Approach R.
Source: Wiley eBooks
Authors: Robert C. Elston, William D. Johnson
Language: English
Subfield: Statistics and Probability
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4242559329