Twin Data that Made a Big Difference, and that Deserve to be Better-Known and Used in Teaching

Because of their efficiency and ability to keep many other factors constant, twin studies have a special appeal for investigators. Just as with any teaching dataset, a “matched-sets” dataset used to illustrate a statistical model should be compelling, still relevant, and valid. Indeed, such a “model...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Harlan Campbell, James A. Hanley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2017-09-01
Series:Journal of Statistics Education
Subjects:
HIV
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2017.1381055
Description
Summary:Because of their efficiency and ability to keep many other factors constant, twin studies have a special appeal for investigators. Just as with any teaching dataset, a “matched-sets” dataset used to illustrate a statistical model should be compelling, still relevant, and valid. Indeed, such a “model dataset” should meet the same tests for worthiness that news organization editors impose on their journalists: are the data new? Are they true? Do they matter? This article introduces and shares a twin dataset that meets, to a large extent, these criteria. In fact, while more than two decades old, the data are still widely cited today in ongoing related research. This dataset was the basis of a clever study that confirmed an inspired hunch, changed the way pregnancies in HIV-positive mothers are managed, and led to reductions in the rates of maternal-to-child transmission of HIV.
ISSN:1069-1898