Torture the Data (and It'll Confess) FRAMED Poster

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Funny because it’s true.

This cartoon is based on a famous quote warning against the temptation of over-manipulating a dataset: “Torture the data long enough and it will confess.”

Statisticians, data scientists, machine learning experts... data geeks of all stripes will get the joke.

Comic artist, Alton Johnson, creates the scene for us: 

• Gloomy dungeon lit only by a torch
• Dungeon master just doing his job
• Sadistic data scientist keeping warm with her caffè latte
• Weak regression analysis on the rack, right on the edge of confessing. Let's hope the data holds out. 

Also available unframed.

#IYKYK

If you don’t know, here's an explainer from Learn Statistics Easily:

The maxim, “If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything,” is a poignant caution in data science, echoing the critical need for ethical scrutiny in data analysis. This sentiment, attributed to various thought leaders over time, encapsulates the peril of data manipulation — where relentless and skewed data interrogation can lead to spurious and misleading conclusions. In statistical analysis, this adage serves as a stark reminder of the fine line between rigorous inquiry and the undue coercion of data, underscoring the paramount importance of adhering to ethical standards to preserve the integrity and truthfulness of analytical outcomes. 

The earliest known usage of this exact phrase is 1971, by British mathematician Irving John Good. People loved his pithy remark. You can find Good’s transcript in the June 1972 edition of The American Statistician.

However, Ronald Coase seems to get credit for it most frequently. Coase was a British Nobel Prize-winning economist who introduced the notion of transaction costs. Not very sexy stuff, but important.

Garson O’Toole of Quote Investigator also cites this 1933 passage (among many others) found in The Elementary School Journal:

The evidence submitted by the committee from its own questionnaire warrants no such conclusion. To torture the data given in Table I into evidence supporting a twelve-hour minimum of professional training is indeed a statistical feat, but one which the committee accomplishes to its own satisfaction.

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A framed, enhanced poster whose museum-quality matte paper will give your design a polished and sophisticated look. What's more, it's already framed and ready to adorn any home or office. Each poster is printed with multicolor, water-based inkjet printing technique that gives you the best possible outcome.

• Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick frame from renewable forests
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Lightweight
• Acrylite front protector
• Hanging hardware included
• Blank product components in the US sourced from Japan and the US
• Blank product components in the EU sourced from Japan and Latvia

How to attach hooks on 24″ × 36″ horizontal frames:
Place each of the mounting hooks 1 inch (2.5 cm) from frame corners when hanging horizontally.

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