The Bell Curve: Corrected for Skew
Author(s) -
Haggai Kupermintz
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
education policy analysis archives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1068-2341
DOI - 10.14507/epaa.v4n20.1996
Subject(s) - econometrics , skew , statistics , logistic regression , interpretation (philosophy) , sampling (signal processing) , regression , regression analysis , sample (material) , observational study , mathematics , psychology , computer science , programming language , telecommunications , chemistry , filter (signal processing) , chromatography , computer vision
This commentary documents serious pitfalls in the statistical analyses and the interpretation of empirical evidence presented in The Bell Curve. Most importantly, the role of education is re-evaluated and it is shown how, by neglecting it, The Bell Curve grossly overstates the case for IQ as a dominant determinant of social success. The commentary calls attention to important features of logistic regression coefficients, discusses sampling and measurement uncertainties of estimates based on observational sample data, and points to substantial limitations in interpreting regression coefficients of correlated variables.
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