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Mismatch between scientific theories and statistical models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2022

Andrew Gelman*
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, Columbia University, New York, NY10027, USA. gelman@stat.columbia.edu; http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/

Abstract

Yarkoni recommends that psychology researchers should take care to align their statistical models to the verbal theories they are studying and testing. This principle applies not just to qualitative theories in psychology but also to more quantitative sciences: there, too, mismatch between open-ended theories and specific statistical models have led to confusion.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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