February, 2003
© 2000, 2001, 2003 Scott S. Emerson, M.D., Ph.D.
As a
general rule, it is rare that there is any advantage in assuming a
parametric model in real life
IF we
do not even know whether an intervention affects the mean (or median,
etc.) of a distribution
(characteristics
related to first moments),
THEN
why would we ever be willing to base our conclusions on assumptions
about how the intervention might affect the shape of the
distribution (characteristics that depend on 2nd, 3rd, …, ¥ moments)?