Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion. Bacon

There is no such thing as measurement absolute; there is only measurement relative. Jeanette Winterson.

The Case of the Missing Person Parameters

Eliminating nuisance parameters and #SpecificObjectivity

It was a cold and snowy night when, while trying to make a living as a famous statistical consultant, Rasch was summoned to the isolated laboratory of a renowned reading specialist to analyze data related to the effect of extra instruction for poor readers. There may be better ways to make a statistician feel a valued and respected member of the team than to ask for an analysis of data collected years earlier but Rasch took it on (Rasch, 1977, p. 63.)

If we could measure, in the strictest sense, reading proficiency, measurements could be made before the intervention, after the intervention, and perhaps several points along the way. Then the analysis is no different, in principle, than if we were investigating the optimal blend of feed for finishing hogs or concentration of platinum for re-forming petroleum.

Continue reading . . .IIIf. Reading Aloud

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