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Comment
. 2022 Jul 23;191(8):1496-1497.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwac091.

Invited Commentary: Is Bias Towards the Null From Nondifferential Misclassification Wishful Thinking?

Ghassan B Hamra
Comment

Invited Commentary: Is Bias Towards the Null From Nondifferential Misclassification Wishful Thinking?

Ghassan B Hamra. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

In their article, Yland et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2022;191(8):1485-1495) bring renewed attention to the oft-cited heuristic "nondifferential misclassification biases results towards the null." They make a compelling case, as others have before, that this heuristic is misguided. Herein, I briefly discuss the history of this heuristic, discuss why I believe it became and stayed popular, and note the very limited circumstances for which it may be appropriate.

Keywords: epidemiologic methods; misclassification; nondifferential misclassification; wish bias.

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