HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carmer, S. G. Articles by Walker, W. M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Carmer, S. G. Articles by Walker, W. M. Agricola Articles by Carmer, S. G. Articles by Walker, W. M.

Baby Bear's Dilemma: A Statistical Tale¹

An allegorical and satirical, but also, we hope an accurate and humorous expository look at the problem researchers face in choosing a pairwise multiple comparisons procedure for detecting differences among treatment means. The primary objective is to present, from several points of view, some of the arguments and resulting confusion surrounding the use of the least significant difference vis-a-vis Tukey's w procedure or honest significant difference, Duncan's Multiple Range Test, and the Waller-Duncan Bayesian k-ratio t test. Particular emphasis is placed on demonstrating that the concept of comparisonwise error rate is considerably more logical, sound, and useful in pairwise multiple comparisons than the concept of experimentwise error rate. As a consequence, despite what researchers may have read in the statistical Literature or what they may have heard from statistical experts, the least significant difference is appropriate whenever a pairwise multiple comparisons procedure is in order.

Key Words: Duncan's multiple rnage test • Least significant difference • Multiple comparisons • Statistical analysis • Tukey's w procedure • Waller-Duncan Bayesian k ratio t test

² Professor of biometry and professor of biometry and soil fertility, Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.

Received for publication April 22, 1981.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. D. Casler and D. J. Undersander Selection for Establishment Capacity in Reed Canarygrass Crop Sci., April 25, 2006; 46(3): 1277 - 1285. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. T. Edwards and L. C. Purcell Soybean Yield and Biomass Responses to Increasing Plant Population Among Diverse Maturity Groups: I. Agronomic Characteristics Crop Sci., August 1, 2005; 45(5): 1770 - 1777. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. H. Holmes Ten categories of statistical errors: a guide for research in endocrinology and metabolism Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, April 1, 2004; 286(4): E495 - E501. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Peel and D. C. Rasmusson Improvement Strategy for Mature Plant Breeding Programs Crop Sci., September 1, 2000; 40(5): 1241 - 1246. [Abstract] [Full Text]