Tooth Fairy Sample

["William G. Nabor" <wgnabor@uci.edu>]

Radsafers,
   There have been so many postings on the Tooth Fairy project that
I may have missed it, but has anyone commented on the fact that the
teeth were from solicited donations?  That makes the sample self-
selected.  I was taught that a study that relies on a sample that
has selected itself is useful only to demonstrate to a funding
agency that there are grounds for the funding of a scientific
study.  Drawing conclusions from a self-selected sample is junk
science.  Period.  Never mind all the other flaws.  Has statistics
changed over the years, or is this still true?
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William G. Nabor
University of California, Irvine
EH&S Office
Irvine, CA,  92697-2725
WGNABOR@UCI.EDU
mailto:wgnabor@uci.edu
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