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Problems with dimensionless measurement models of synchrony in biological systems
Author(s) -
Schank Jeffrey C.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2345(1997)41:2<65::aid-ajp1>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - dimensionless quantity , process (computing) , computer science , statistical physics , econometrics , mathematics , physics , mechanics , operating system
Synchrony is surprisingly complex even in the simplest cases. One strategy for simplifying complex phenomena is to define a dimensionless measurement model with the aim of (1) finding order, (2) comparing complex phenomena, and (3) making decisions about statistical significance. However, a model is only as good as its assumptions. In this paper, several types of dimensionless measurement models of synchrony among biological states are evaluated using the preceding criteria. These dimensionless measurement models are found to be inadequate even in the simplest cases of N individuals cycling through k non‐overlapping states. Moreover, independent of their adequacy as measures of synchrony, there is the additional problem of the applicability of biological‐state measurement models to rhythmic biological processes. Biological states are often just quantized observations of the phases of rhythmic biological processes. With the help of a concrete example, it is shown that quantizing the phases of a process into discrete states can lead to serious errors. These conclusions do not imply that the study of synchrony in biological systems is intractable. There are statistical approaches for detecting synchrony in groups and researchers are making progress towards understanding the general mechanisms of rhythmic phenomena in biological systems. Am. J. Primatol. 41:65–85, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.