Statistical Rethinking – Book Solutions and Notes

Notes and solutions for “Statistical Rethinking”, 2nd edition, by Richard McElreath, 2020, CRC Press.

Chapter 8: Conditional Manatees

This chapter is a brief introduction to the concept of conditional inference, focusing on the specific concept of linear interaction in models.

Chapter 7: Ulysses’ Compass

Predictive accuracy is the main focus of this chapter. The titular metaphor “Ulysses’ compass” refers to the mythological hero Ulysses navigating the path between the two…

Chapter 6: The Haunted DAG and the Causal Terror

This chapter discusses three common pitfalls that can lead our statistical models to misbehave and make our causal interpretations difficult or incorrect. The three major…

2023 Homework, week 4

This homework covers the material from Lectures 7 and 8, and the content from book Chapters 7, 8, and 9. The questions are reproduced almost identically from Richard…

2023 Homework, week 3

This homework covers the material from Lectures 5 and 6, and the content from book Chapters 5 and 6. The questions are reproduced almost identically from Richard McElreath’s…

2023 Homework, week 2

This homework covers the material from Lectures 3 and 4, and the content from book Chapter 4. The questions are reproduced almost identically from Richard McElreath’s…

2023 Homework, week 1

This homework covers the material from Lectures 1 and 2, and the content from book Chapters 1, 2, and 3. The questions are reproduced almost identically from Richard…

Chapter 4: Geocentric Models

This chapter discusses basic Bayesian model fitting with grid and quadratic approximations. The title, “geocentric models,” refers to models that make good predictions, but…

Chapter 3: Sampling the Imaginary

This chapter discusses the basics of sampling – instead of directly approximate the density of the posterior distribution, we can draw samples from it. This seems silly for…

Chapter 2: Small Worlds and Large Worlds

In this chapter, the basics of Bayesian probability models and updating are described using a motivating example where the percent coverage of water on Earth is estimated by…

Chapter 5: The Many Variables and the Spurious Waffles

This chapter discusses the “causal salad” issue that is really prevelant in epidemiology (and other sciences) right now. When you “adjust” for variables in models, what are…

Chapter 1: The Golem of Prague

This chapter covers McElreath’s perspectives on statistical modeling and causal inference, and gives a description of how the book will address issues with current…