DOI: 10.1017/s0094837300007016. Estimating Stasis: Can a Null Hypothesis be too Null?

Estimating Stasis: Can a Null Hypothesis be too Null?

10.1017/s0094837300007016

Crossref journal-article

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Paleobiology (56)

Abstract

In a recent contribution, Rightmire (1981) claims that “No significant trends can be observed” in several characters measured in skulls of Homo erectus. While I sympathize with the frustrating problem of small sample size in hominid finds, one must ask the question: could you ever see a trend, given the quality of your information? If sample size is low, if trends are of relatively small magnitude, and if sample variance is high, one can always safely show that nothing (i.e., stasis) has happened. This form of inference falls into a classic statistical trap: attempting to prove statistical homogeneity. You cannot do it without a concomitant estimate of least significant difference, that is, estimating the magnitude of variation within which you cannot distinguish among estimates of a parameter.

Bibliography

Levinton, J. S. (1982). Estimating Stasis: Can a Null Hypothesis be too Null? Paleobiology, 8(3), 307â307.

Authors 1

Jeffrey S. Levinton (first)

References 0 Referenced 9

None

Dates

Type	When
Created	9 years, 1 month ago (July 26, 2016, 9:50 p.m.)
Deposited	6 years, 3 months ago (May 24, 2019, 1:55 p.m.)
Indexed	3 years, 4 months ago (April 4, 2022, 10:22 p.m.)
Issued	43 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1982)
Published	43 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1982)
Published Online	9 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 8, 2016)
Published Print	43 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1982)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Levinton_1982, title={Estimating Stasis: Can a Null Hypothesis be too Null?}, volume={8}, ISSN={1938-5331}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0094837300007016}, DOI={10.1017/s0094837300007016}, number={3}, journal={Paleobiology}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Levinton, Jeffrey S.}, year={1982}, pages={307–307} }

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  "abstract": "<jats:p>In a recent contribution, Rightmire (1981) claims that \u201cNo significant trends can be observed\u201d in several characters measured in skulls of Homo erectus. While I sympathize with the frustrating problem of small sample size in hominid finds, one must ask the question: could you ever see a trend, given the quality of your information? If sample size is low, if trends are of relatively small magnitude, and if sample variance is high, one can always safely show that nothing (i.e., stasis) has happened. This form of inference falls into a classic statistical trap: attempting to prove statistical homogeneity. You cannot do it without a concomitant estimate of least significant difference, that is, estimating the magnitude of variation within which you cannot distinguish among estimates of a parameter.</jats:p>",
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