I had a similar question awhile back and received in response the reference for the following paper, which I think you would find interesting:
Jeff Gill, Whose variance is it anyway? Interpreting empirical models with state-level data, State Politics and Policy Quarterly 1(3):319-338 (Fall 2001). Cheers, Susan -- Susan Durham Utah State University Ecology Center [EMAIL PROTECTED] <trw7atixdotnetcomdotcom (Tim Witort)> wrote in message news:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Radford Neal seemed to utter in > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]: > > > In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > > Tim Witort <trw7atixdotnetcomdotcom> wrote: > > > >>I'm developing a report in an analysis program. > >>This report examines employee salaries - comparing > >>the salaries of men to those of women in a particular > >>job title in a particular company. The goal is to > >>determine if the difference in their mean salaries > >>is statistically significant. > >> > >>I have been directed to the t-test to gather this > >>information. When I look at the t-test, however, > >>it appears to be geared toward *estimating* the > >>difference in the means of a population based on > >>a *sample* of the population. Since I am using > >>the entire population, can I still use the t-test > >>to determine if the difference in the means is > >>statistically significant? > > > > Yes, because the "population" you are presumably interested in is not > > the population of actual current employees, but rather the population > > of possible employees and their salaries that would hypothetically > > result from continued appliation of the company's current employment > > and promotion policies into the indefinite future. Only by making > > inferences about that hypothetical population can you conclude > > anything about the nature of these policies. > > > > Radford Neal > > Thank you Radford. That is the clearest description > of the issue I've come across. Looking at it this > way will allow me to perform this analysis with a > clearer conscience. > > Again, thanks, > > -- TRW > _______________________________________ > My e-mail: t r w 7 > @ i x . n e t c o m . c o m > _______________________________________ . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
