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The Theory And Methods Of The Field Of Psychological Statistics Essay

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“McNemar’s expertness in statistical theory and methods, and his contributions to the field of psychological statistics, cover an era of expanding knowledge during which he took every opportunity to remain abreast of developments, to examine them critically, and to propose constructive improvements” (Hilgard, Hastorf, & Sears). Quinn McNemar is a well-known 20th Century statistician who researched probability as related to his true passion, psychology. By delving into the personal life of Quinn McNemar, analyzing his life as a well-respected psychologist, and exploring the fundamental contributions McNemar made in the field of statistics, one can come to understand why his expertness is valued by many in the mathematics world today. To begin, however, one must understand what made McNemar the man he was with the goals he held for himself.
McNemar was born on February 20, 1900-1901, where he was raised in a small West Virginia and attended school until the age of eighteen. The school he attended up until this point in his life was a mere elementary school, as it was his only option at the time. But in 1927, McNemar decided to move his livelihood to the opposite coast of the United States to begin studying at Stanford University. “He had more training in mathematics than in psychology, so that statistics became a natural emphasis, although it was essentially a new field for him” (Hilgard, Hastorf, & Sears). His wife, Olga, an established Ph.D. in the field of psychology,

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