In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Dave <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Hi, can anyone give me a definition of what parametric statistical >testing is when compared to non-parametric?
If a model is given with a finite number of parameters for the underlying distributions and structure, or at worst a finite number of parameters to be estimated, it is called "parametric". Else, it is misnamed "non-parametric"; it should be "infinite parametric" as a proper description of what is to be inferred involves an infinite number of parameters. -- This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558 . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
