MEPX
Chapter 9 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Samples and populations
  2. 2The central limit theorem
  3. 3Confidence intervals
  4. 4Hypothesis testing
  5. 5Multiple comparisons
  6. 6A/B testing
  7. 7Causal inference
  8. 8Regression
  9. 9A Bayesian view
  10. 10Reporting results

Chapter 9 of 10

A Bayesian view

A different question.

The difference

Frequentist methods ask how likely the data is given a hypothesis. Bayesian methods ask how likely the hypothesis is given the data, using a prior belief updated by evidence.

  • Priors must be stated, which makes assumptions explicit rather than hidden.
  • For decisions with asymmetric costs, the Bayesian framing is often more natural.

In practice

Both approaches usually agree with plenty of data. Bayesian methods are most useful with small samples, sequential decisions or genuine prior information.