tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post5624905188097964658..comments2024-03-26T19:10:00.791-04:00Comments on West Coast Stat Views (on Observational Epidemiology and more): The Hedgehog who thought he was a fox -- a cautionary taleJosephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10760453165301871031noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-45407917637832870882014-04-10T22:21:31.934-04:002014-04-10T22:21:31.934-04:00Andrew,
I originally had a passage about statist...Andrew, <br /><br />I originally had a passage about statisticians being foxes in this post but it opened up bigger issues than I was ready to address. Part of the reason for this fox-tendency is the focus on methods but I think that's secondary. For me, the bigger difference is in a problem-centric culture very similar to that of engineers.<br /><br />People from outside that culture tends to equate statistics with the tools statisticians use. The results is often that non-statisticians in strange fields tend to shortchange the thinking-about-the-problem stage. <br /><br />I know others will have other standards but I'd list the ability to get your bearing quickly and think through problems in unfamiliar contexts as the main requirements for an effective fox.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14705408455380402571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-16225819018775032742014-04-10T11:41:20.967-04:002014-04-10T11:41:20.967-04:00I think statisticians are almost all foxes. I don...<a href="http://andrewgelman.com/2005/10/11/statisticians_a/" rel="nofollow">I think</a> statisticians are almost all foxes. I don't think subject-matter expertise makes one a hedgehog. I'm an expert in U.S. public opinion and elections but I think I'm still foxlike when I work in that area.Andrew Gelmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02715992780769751789noreply@blogger.com