Dr. Alexis Grosofsky uses a game from The Price is Right to illustrate confidence intervals (CIs). The game can demonstrate the idea behind how a CI works. Students often find conceptual materials more difficult than computational – a concrete example helps make the concept of a confidence interval more understandable (and memorable).
The video clips (links provided) showing the range game (illustrating confidence intervals) take fewer than 10 minutes to show. Instructors having less time available could choose to show only one clip (each is less than 3 minutes). Once students have a concrete example to help them understand the concept of CIs, instructors can pose discussion questions to the class (suggestions included) to get them thinking about things that will influence the size of the confidence interval. Posing questions could take 15-20 minutes. More time could be devoted to the discussion if desired.
Grosofsky, A. (2007, May). Using game shows to illustrate statistical concepts. Poster presented at USCOTS, Columbus, Ohio.
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