Staley, Kent (2014) Pragmatic Warrant for Frequentist Statistical Practice: The Case of High Energy Physics. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Amidst long-standing debates within the field, High Energy Physics (HEP) has adopted a statistical methodology that employs primarily standard frequentist techniques such as significance testing and confidence interval estimation, but incorporates Bayesian methods for limited purposes. The recent discovery of the Higgs boson has drawn increased attention to the statistical methods employed within HEP, leading to reprisals of numerous well-worn arguments amongst frequentists and Bayesians. Here I argue that the warrant for the practice in HEP of relying primarily on frequentist methods can best be understood within the tradition of philosophical pragmatism. In particular, I argue that understanding the statistical methodology of HEP through the perspective of pragmatism clarifies the role of and rationale for significance testing in the search for new phenomena such as the Higgs boson.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Higgs boson; statistics; significance testing; p-values; frequentism; Bayesianism; Jeffreys-Lindley paradox; pragmatism | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics |
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| Depositing User: | Kent Staley | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 31 Dec 2014 22:28 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 31 Dec 2014 22:28 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 11236 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics |
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| Date: | 30 December 2014 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11236 |
Available Versions of this Item
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The Statistical Philosophy of High Energy Physics: Pragmatism. (deposited 20 Jun 2014 07:05)
- Pragmatic Warrant for Frequentist Statistical Practice: The Case of High Energy Physics. (deposited 31 Dec 2014 22:28) [Currently Displayed]
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