A procedure for inferring the validity of a selection test as a predictor of some criterion when the available data are limited due to prior selection is described. (Author/JKS)

Discusses the literature that has become associated with Lotka's Law of Scientific Productivity (a general theoretical estimate of author productivity in the sciences) and attempts to identify the important factors of Lotka's original methodology that should be considered when attempting to test applicability of Lotka's Law. Forty-seven references…

Eight asymptotically robust tests of population correlation coefficient equality are proposed and are studied along with two parametric tests. Monte Carlo simulation is used to compare the small sample performance of these ten procedures. The sampled distributions consist of the normal distribution, two mixed normal distributions and four…

Loyola Law School's plan to normalize grading in sections of a given course involves separate calculations for students with and without statistical background. Examples of class and section distributions are provided, alternative normalization methods are discussed, and the reasons they were not used are noted. (MSE)

Known results for testing and estimation problems for patterned means and covariance matrices with explicit linear maximum likelihood estimates are applied to the block compound symmetry problem. An example involving educational testing is provided. (Author/JKS)

Explains two basic exploratory techniques for displaying and summarizing data--the stem and leaf diagram and the box and whiskers plot--and applies them to a data set consisting of federal allotments and state and local matching funds. One table, three figures, and seven sources are included. (Author/RBF)

Investigated the relationship between subtest scatter on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and higher intellectual potential as indicated by subsequent reexamination and grouping of children. Results indicated that scatter on the initial examinations is a poor indicator of the presence of higher intellectual potential. (Author/RC)

Proposes a mathematical model using the probability formalism to explain why a geometrical law is observed in distributions related to library circulation data. Highlights include techniques based on convolution theory; Lotka's law; and Bradford's law. (Author/LRW)

Explains Type/Token-Taken informetrics as a new part of informetrics that studies the use of items rather than the items themselves. Highlights include the frequency distribution of Type/Token-Taken informetrics; the Lotka frequency law; linguistics; a comparison of Type/Token with Type/Token-Taken informetrics; and proofs of theorems. (Author/LRW)

Compared approaches to determining the precision of gain scores: (1) the asymptotic normal distribution of the maximum likelihood estimator of the person parameter; and (2) the exact conditional distribution of the gain score. Use of three data sets illustrates that these methods yield more relevant and more detailed information than traditional…

This paper makes the point that descriptive and inferential measures of nonnormality and graphic displays of the frequency distribution of important variables should be routine in research reporting. This point is particularly true for research involving measures with nonarbitrary metrics where the distribution shape is unaffected by measurement…

This study, using data for 200 psychiatric/chemical dependency patients, attempted to justify subscales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Distributions of all possible split-half correlations for certain research scales of the MMPI revealed negative skewness resulting in spuriously lowered reliability estimates. The scales…

Establishes a type-token identity relating type-token ratio and bilogarithmic type-token ratio; uses the Simon-Yule model of Zipf's law to drive the type-token ratio and provide a statistical model of text generation; and refines the model to allow for decreasing entry rates of new words. (26 references) (Author/CLB)

A generalization of the usual random-effects model based on trimmed means is proposed. The resulting test of no differences among J randomly sampled groups has advantages in terms of Type I errors and can yield gains in power when distributions have heavy tails and outliers. (SLD)

Discusses the shape of the obsolescence function based on the age data for cited journals. An analysis of the aging function is discussed; and statistical fits and mathematical explanations are illustrated, including the model of Avramescu, the Negative Binomial Distribution, the Weibull distribution, the lognormal distribution, and the utility…