Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!eos!aurora!labrea!decwrl!pyramid!prls!philabs!ttidca!hollombe
From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: sci.psychology
Subject: Re: Intelligence and IQ tests
Message-ID: <2161@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 24 Mar 88 01:03:59 GMT
References: <7742@apple.Apple.Com>
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath)
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 47

In article <7742@apple.Apple.Com> grady@apple.UUCP (Grady Ward) writes:
>From "The Structure and Measurement of Intelligence" by Hans J. 
>Eysenck, Ph.D., D. Sc. and David W. Fulker, Ph.D.  (University of 
>London, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London 
>SE5 8AF) Springer-Verlag 1979, pp. 227-228 (Epilogue):
>
>It is possible, and may be useful, to pull together the major conclusions to 
>which the research summarized and surveyed in this book may lead us.  
>These conclusions are of course not final verities, never to be challenged; 
>they are simply points of view, concepts and generalizations which are 
>supported by the existing evidence, but which might be disproved by 
>experiments in the future.  Taking into account this uncertain status (which 
>of course is shared to a greater or lesser degree by all scientific findings), 
>we may list our major conclusions as follows:

     [etc., see root article]

>If anyone has facts to dispute the above claims, please cite them.  Thank you.
>
>--Grady Ward

Eysenck was, at one time, famous for presenting what became known as
"Eysenck's Challenge" to the psychological community.  In it he purported
to show, with statistical evidence, that psychotherapy with neurotics was
useless and no more curative than no therapy at all.

Eysenck's challenge was taken up and soundly refuted.  Much of the
refutation rested on pointing out that Eysenck had fudged his statistics.
He had arranged the sampling and categories of his data to make the
results fit his expectations. A more even handed evaluation of the same
data produced quite different results. (Source:  Korchin, S.  J., _Modern
Clinical Psychology_, New York:  Basic Books, Inc., 1976, pages 428 -
432).

Given the above, any statistical claims by Eysenck must be considered
suspect without independent expert examination of the methodology used to
obtain and verify them.  After I've read his book, if I ever get around to
it, I'll let you know what I think of his conclusions.


"You can lie with statistics, but not to a statistician."
						  -- B. Tabachnik, Ph.D.

-- 
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM)   Illegitimati Nil
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