The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research

This article is meant to reconstruct–from the standpoint of sociology and history of science–the development of the concept and the operative instruments of statistical correlation. The starting point is the discussion of some key mathematical aspects of the Error Theory, including a detailed analys...

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Autor principal: Piovani, Juan Ignacio
Formato: Articulo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2008
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Acceso en línea:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/135928
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id I19-R120-10915-135928
record_format dspace
institution Universidad Nacional de La Plata
institution_str I-19
repository_str R-120
collection SEDICI (UNLP)
language Inglés
topic Sociología
Matemática
Probable Error
Error Theory
Spurious Correlation
Historical Construction
Mathematical Contribution
spellingShingle Sociología
Matemática
Probable Error
Error Theory
Spurious Correlation
Historical Construction
Mathematical Contribution
Piovani, Juan Ignacio
The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
topic_facet Sociología
Matemática
Probable Error
Error Theory
Spurious Correlation
Historical Construction
Mathematical Contribution
description This article is meant to reconstruct–from the standpoint of sociology and history of science–the development of the concept and the operative instruments of statistical correlation. The starting point is the discussion of some key mathematical aspects of the Error Theory, including a detailed analysis of the various positions regarding its contributions, if any, to the theory of correlation. Then proceeds to examine how the concept (and its relative instruments) emerged in its modern sense, by the late Nineteenth century, thanks to the work of Francis Galton. Finally, it considers the numerous contributions that rendered possible the formalisation and generalisation of both Galton’s concept and methodological tools, in particular those of Karl Pearson, but also those of Walter Weldon, Francis Ysidro Edgeworth, George Udny Yule and Charles Spearman. “Co-relation or correlation of structure” is a phrase much used in biology, and not least in that branch of it which refers to heredity, and the idea is even more frequently present than the phrase; but I am not aware of any previous attempt to define it clearly, to trace its mode of action in detail, or to show how to measure its degree. Francis Galton (1888, 135).
format Articulo
Articulo
author Piovani, Juan Ignacio
author_facet Piovani, Juan Ignacio
author_sort Piovani, Juan Ignacio
title The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
title_short The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
title_full The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
title_fullStr The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
title_full_unstemmed The historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
title_sort historical construction of correlation as a conceptual and operative instrument for empirical research
publishDate 2008
url http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/135928
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