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On the asymmetry of biological frequency distributions
Author(s) -
Schork Nicholas J.,
Weder Alan B.,
Schork M. Anthony,
Rao D. C.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
genetic epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.301
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1098-2272
pISSN - 0741-0395
DOI - 10.1002/gepi.1370070605
Subject(s) - skewness , skew , trait , skew normal distribution , monte carlo method , frequency distribution , statistics , econometrics , asymmetry , distribution (mathematics) , mathematics , sample (material) , sample size determination , set (abstract data type) , normal distribution , population , statistical power , statistical physics , computer science , medicine , physics , telecommunications , mathematical analysis , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics , programming language , environmental health
The long‐standing problem of determining whether the skewness in a sample frequency distribution is the manifestation of the intermixing of disparate groups characterizable by a normal mixture distribution or the manifestation of non‐mixture, skew‐producing determinants is discussed. Biometrical tools for modeling and quantifying the significance of the skewness in a trait of interest that invite interpretations other than those formed in mixtures or “subgroups” are elaborated. Statistical methods for testing whether a normal mixture distribution better characterizes a set of data than the proposed (or any other) skewed, single‐population‐oriented models are offered. The power of these tests is examined through Monte Carlo experimentation. A brief application in hypertension research demonstrates some of the problems and methods discussed in the paper.