BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE 2)3)

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The confidence degree sustained by a statistical inquiry which shows a sufficient divergence from purely random effects.

The matter is to determine what is a "sufficient divergence". On the borderline, some significant effect may seem to emerge, but may also remain somewhat (or largely) hypothetical.

On the other hand, statistical significance must be interpreted, i.e. given a meaning. At roulette, a 18/20 appearence of red would be statistically significant. But what does it mean? Has somebody "nursed" the wheel? which way? Why?, etc… These are systems problems.

From a systemic viewpoint, as stated by W.D. GROSSMANN and K.E.F WATT: "… several phenomena of great recent importance are strongly dependent on the behavior of a very small proportion of all individuals, at the tails of frequency distribution curves. AIDS became a pandemic in part because of the atypical behavior of a tiny proportion of all individuals, not the average population-wide behavior" (1992, p.20). The authors give various other examples of the shortcomings in the use of statistical average values (and of grossly misleading financial accounting (see "Patrimonial accounting").

This problem reflects an insufficient understanding due to excessively narrow frames of reference used to give significance to mere data and information.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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