Beyond p values – Dispatches from the ASA symposium on statistical inference

The next couple of posts will be about my experience at the ASA conference on statistical inference: A World Beyond p < .05.

The first session featured Steve Goodman and John Ioannidis (who Skyped in from Australia).  One highlight was Goodman’s explanation of why p values continue to be so prevalent.  He argued that p values are like a currency–we can trade them in for useful things (grants, papers, promotions).  Their value lies primarily in our common belief in them, more than from their specific mathematical underpinnings.  Good analysis.