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. 2007 Apr;97(4):592-3.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.105379. Epub 2007 Feb 28.

The importance of meaning

Roger D Vaughan  1
Affiliations

The importance of meaning

Roger D Vaughan. Am J Public Health. 2007 Apr.

Abstract

In the last incarnation of this column, we were reminded of the importance of accuracy, narrowly operationalized as understanding the difference between the population parameter (beta) and our estimate of that parameter through regression. Here, we will remind ourselves of the importance of meaning, operationalized as understanding the meaning of the magnitude of the difference in addition to its statistical significance.

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