--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Inherit in all ME studies is the idea that the larger the sample, > > the more likely the effect will show. Fairfield (not to mention MUM > > itself) is small enough that the ME effect might easily be > confounded > > by variables that don't effect a larger area. For instance, if even > > one MUM student is a pyschopathic nut, the murder-rate on campus > > might shoot up drastically... > > > > Likewise with some meditator with a legitimate medical marijuana > > need: that single person would change the marijuana use rate in the > > double digits on campus, and the arrest rate in the Fairfield > > community by nearly as much. > > > > You should know this already, Peter. > > From "The Big Chill" -- > > Jeff Goldblum (Michael): Don't knock rationalizations. > I don't know anyone who could get through the day without > two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important > than sex. > > Tom Berenger (Sam Weber): Ah, come on. Nothing's more > important than sex. > > Jeff Goldblum (Michael): Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without > a rationalization? >
Not a rationalization. I never said that there might not be ME studies on Fairfield, only that some minor occurance that wouldn't effect a study on a larger population might well swamp whatever tiny effect the ME is supposed to have when you look at a small population like Fairfield. The point is: small studies seldom support the NULL hypothesis from a practical perspective because most small studies WILL support the Null hypothesis whether or not there is a real effect to be studied. It's called a "Type II Error": odds are, with a small study, you won't notice an effect for many things that really do have an effect. It's good practice for students, however. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
