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Using The Onion to teach t-tests

In the past, I've used fake data based on real research to create stats class examples. Baby names, NICUs, and paired t-test. Pain, surgical recovery, and ANOVA.

Today, I've decided to use fake data and fake research to create a real example for teaching one-sample t-test. It uses this research report from The Onion:

https://www.theonion.com/toddler-scientists-finally-determine-number-of-peas-tha-1820347088


In this press release, the baby scientists claim that the belief that a baby could only smash four peas into their ear canal were false. Based upon new research recommendations, that number has been revised to six. Which sure sounds like a one-sample t-test to me. Four is the mu assumed true based upon previous baby ear research. And the sample data had a mean of 6, and this was statistically significant.

Here is some dummy data that I created that replicates these findings, when mu/test value is set to 4. :

5.00
6.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
6.00
6.00
5.00
7.00
6.00
7.00

Why, yes, I do think I'm pretty clever.
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  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2017 at 9:44 AM

    Two sample t-test version. Dr. Nico believes that his tried and true method of using his finger to stuff peas in his ear is the best method. His graduate student, Artie, believes that using a q-tip would increase the number of peas. They recruit a group of twenty friends to test the effectiveness of these two methods.

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