Evidence Check: Audit a Statistical Claim

Find or invent a simple claim such as “students who sleep more score higher.” Use a fictional or public example; do not use private student records.

Your evidence

Write a short claim audit:

• What is the population?
• What is the sample?
• Which variables are categorical, discrete, or continuous?
• What summary statistic would help describe the data?
• What source of bias could distort the result?
• Does the evidence show association, causation, or neither?
• What additional evidence would make the claim stronger?

Try the mechanism

Open the Sampling & Bias Simulator. Keep the population fixed, then switch sampling methods and change sample size. Record one case where the arithmetic is correct but the estimate is still misleading.

Check your reasoning

Do not let a number do more work than it earned. A precise percentage can still come from a weak sample.

Done when

Your audit makes the sampling boundary and the strength of the claim explicit.