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The removal estimator: A ‘probable numbers’ statistic that requires no matching
Author(s) -
Winder N. P.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.1390020103
Subject(s) - statistic , estimator , matching (statistics) , statistics , population , estimation , computer science , mathematics , econometrics , medicine , engineering , environmental health , systems engineering
The probable number of individuals (PNI) estimators all require that we be able to match left‐right paired bones reliably. The problems of matching are outlined and ways of addressing them are reviewed. It is shown that archaeozoological studies in which reliable matching is difficult raise analytical problems similar to those faced by population biologists unable to use classical release‐recapture methods. The removal estimator has been used to estimate the size of whale populations from incomplete census data. It can be generalized into archaeozoology to produce either a simple PNI statistic of the matching type, or a statistic that does not require reliable matching.