What are Some Common Misinterpretations of Confidence Intervals?
- Narrower is Better: While narrower intervals are more precise, they are not necessarily "better." The context and clinical significance are crucial. - Overlapping CIs Indicate No Difference: Overlapping confidence intervals do not always indicate a lack of significant difference. Specific statistical tests should be conducted to make such conclusions. - CI Contains All Possible Values: A confidence interval is not a prediction interval; it does not encompass all future outcomes but rather the range for the true parameter based on current data.
