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Making The Error Bar Overlap Myth A Reality: Comparative Confidence Intervals, Frank S. Corotto
Making The Error Bar Overlap Myth A Reality: Comparative Confidence Intervals, Frank S. Corotto
Georgia Journal of Science
Many interpret error bars to mean that if they do not overlap the difference is statistically “significant”. This overlap rule is really an overlap myth; the rule does not hold true for any conventional type of error bar. There are rules of thumb for estimating P values, but it would be better to show error bars for which the overlap rule holds true. Here I explain how to calculate comparative confidence intervals which, when plotted as error bars, let us judge significance based on overlap or separation. Others have published on these intervals (the mathematical basis goes back to John …