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Measurement size, precision, and reliability in craniofacial anthropometry: Bigger is better

Bibliographic Data

ID8316845
AuthorsPaul L Jamison (Indiana University Bloomington), Richard E Ward (0000-0001-9885-2276, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis)
Year1993
Volume90
Issue4
Pages495-500
Publication date1993-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.1330900409
PMID8476006
OpenAlexW1981991679
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited8

In this paper we examine the results of an intraobserver measurement error study involving 49 craniofacial variables that ranged in size from less than 1 cm to approximately 20 cm. Repeat measurements were taken on 10 male and 10 female adult subjects (19–59 years old). Our focus is on the relationship between measurement size and measurement error across the 49 variables. We found that the size of the variable showed no relationship with the magnitude of the error as measured by the technical error of measurement. When the error was expressed as a coefficient of relative variation (Malina et al.: Vital and Health Statistics, Series 11, No. 23. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1973), this quantity was negatively associated with the size of the measurement. Conversely, reliability (Fleiss: The Design and Analysis of Experiments . New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1986) was positively correlated with measurement size. We did not find effects of scale (Marks et al.: Am. J. Epidemiol. 130: 578–587, 1989) within the individual measurements. Thus, for the range of size of the craniofacial measurements in this study, measurement size must be added to the list of factors such as ease of locating landmarks, measurement technique, and systematic bias in the application of the technique that can affect precision and reliability in anthropometry. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc

Anthropometry · Craniofacial · Observational error · Physics · Range (aeronautics) · Reliability (semiconductor) · Statistics · Engineering · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Mathematics · Medicine · Psychology

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