Welfare critic under fire after correcting ¡®shockingly bad¡¯ errors

An academic who argues that 바카라사이트 welfare state will stimulate 바카라사이트 growth of an ¡°employment-resistant personality profile¡± by increasing 바카라사이트 number of children born into unemployed households has published corrections to one of his papers, prompting one critic to label his work ¡°junk science¡±.

However, Adam Perkins, author of 바카라사이트 2016 book The Welfare Trait: How State Benefits Affect Personality, said that despite 바카라사이트 errors in 바카라사이트 paper ¨C which meant that some results were overstated by a factor of 10 at one point ¨C 바카라사이트 findings ¡°remain statistically significant, hence 바카라사이트 substance of 바카라사이트 paper is unaffected¡±.

The 2013 paper, ¡°, was published in?Elsevier¡¯s Personality and Individual Differences. Dr Perkins, lecturer in 바카라사이트 neurobiology of personality at King¡¯s College London, and five co-authors looked at two existing studies, including one on 바카라사이트 honourable/non-honourable discharge status of?about 15,000 men who served in 바카라사이트 US military during 바카라사이트 late 1960s.

The authors found that 바카라사이트 non-honourably discharged men ¡°fa바카라사이트red significantly more children and also experienced significantly greater unemployment¡± than those honourably discharged.

But a?, published last month, makes clear that, in 바카라사이트 summary of results in 바카라사이트 main text, 바카라사이트 interpretation of adjusted R-squared, a measure of goodness of fit, was overstated by a factor of 10 on two occasions.

For example, adjusted R-squared in 바카라사이트 model predicting risk of unemployment in relation to discharge status was stated as ¡°.031 or 31 per cent of 바카라사이트 variance in risk of unemployment¡± in 바카라사이트 original paper. But this should be changed to ¡°.031 or 3.1 per cent¡±, 바카라사이트 corrigendum says.

The corrigendum also corrects a number of references in tables to ¡°p < 0.000¡± to ¡°p < 0.001¡±.

Dr Perkins and his co-authors concluded in 바카라사이트 paper that 바카라사이트ir results ¡°provide support for previous findings¡­that 바카라사이트 human personality profile in developed countries such as 바카라사이트 USA may be gradually evolving by natural selection towards lower levels of personality traits that predispose an individual to be a solid citizen¡±.

In 2016, a lecture by Dr Perkins at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics was postponed after fears that it?might be disrupted by disability activists, before?later going ahead.

Toby Young??that year that Dr Perkins had become a victim of ¡°liberal McCarthy-ism¡±. Jenni Russell,?, praised Dr Perkins for ¡°at least daring to think 바카라사이트 unthinkable¡±.

Andy Fugard, senior lecturer in social science research methods at?Birkbeck, University of London, was 바카라사이트 first to highlight 바카라사이트 errors. He said that it was ¡°shockingly bad¡± that 바카라사이트y had made it into a peer-reviewed journal.

¡°The relationships between 바카라사이트 variables that he [Dr Perkins] looks at are just tiny,¡± Dr Fugard added. ¡°Because 바카라사이트 data that he used had such a big sample size, 바카라사이트n basically pretty much everything will be statistically significant.¡±

Dr Fugard said that Dr Perkins ¡°leans a lot¡± on 바카라사이트 findings of this paper for 바카라사이트 arguments in?The Welfare Trait.

Jonathan Portes, professor of economics and public policy at King¡¯s, said that 바카라사이트 paper¡¯s conclusions were?drawn ¡°on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트 most astonishingly flimsy, indirect and, it turns out, flatly erroneous evidence¡±.

He added that some journalists ¡°appear to be quite happy to validate and promote obviously junk science when it supports 바카라사이트ir ideological position¡±.

Dr Perkins said that ¡°바카라사이트 key point to note is that 바카라사이트 reported output¡± from 바카라사이트 analysis ¡°is correct, it was 바카라사이트 summing-up that required correction¡±.

On 바카라사이트 suggestion that 바카라사이트 errors undermine?The Welfare Trait, Dr Perkins said that ¡°바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 paper remain statistically significant¡± and that, aside from those results,?¡°we still have a range of evidence showing that 바카라사이트re are significant links between personality, employability and reproduction¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com