Ranald Macdonald and statistical inference

Br J Math Stat Psychol. 2009 May;62(Pt 2):195-9. doi: 10.1348/000711009X426154.

Abstract

Ranald Roderick Macdonald (1945-2007) was an important contributor to mathematical psychology in the UK, as a referee and action editor for British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology and as a participant and organizer at the British Psychological Society's Mathematics, statistics and computing section meetings. This appreciation argues that his most important contribution was to the foundations of significance testing, where his concern about what information was relevant in interpreting the results of significance tests led him to be a persuasive advocate for the 'Weak Fisherian' form of hypothesis testing.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Psychology / history
  • Statistics as Topic / history
  • United Kingdom

Personal name as subject

  • Ranald Macdonald