Joseph Berkson
Encyclopedia
Joseph Berkson was trained as a physicist (M.A., 1922, Columbia), physician (M.D., 1927, Johns Hopkins), and statistician (Dr.Sc., 1928, Johns Hopkins). In 1950, as Head (1934-1964) of the Division of Biometry and Medical Statistics of the Mayo Clinic
, Rochester, Minnesota
, Berkson wrote a key paper entitled Are there two regressions?. In this paper Berkson proposed an error model for regression analysis
that contradicted the classical error model until that point assumed to generally apply and this has since been termed the Berkson error model
. Whereas the classical error model is statistically independent of the true variable, Berkson's model is statistically independent of the observed variable. Carroll et al. (1995) refer to the two types of error models as follows:
Berkson is also widely recognised as the key proponent in the use of the logistic in preference to the normal distribution in probabilistic techniques.
Berkson is also credited with the introduction of the logit
model in 1944, and with coining this term. The term was borrowed by analogy from the very similar probit
model developed by Chester Ittner Bliss
in 1934.
Berkson was a prominent opponent of the idea that cigarette smoking causes cancer. In the 1957 Liggett & Myers annual report, he was quoted as saying "the evidence, taken as a whole, does not establish, on any reasonable scientific basis, that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer." Following the issuance of the famous report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States
, he was quoted in Life Magazine as saying it was "very doubtful that smoking causes cancer of the lung."
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
, Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Berkson wrote a key paper entitled Are there two regressions?. In this paper Berkson proposed an error model for regression analysis
Regression analysis
In statistics, regression analysis includes many techniques for modeling and analyzing several variables, when the focus is on the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables...
that contradicted the classical error model until that point assumed to generally apply and this has since been termed the Berkson error model
Berkson error model
The Berkson error model is a description of random error in measurement. Unlike classical error, Berkson error causes little or no bias in the measurement. It was proposed by Joseph Berkson in a paper entitled Are there two regressions?, published in 1950.An example of Berkson error arises in...
. Whereas the classical error model is statistically independent of the true variable, Berkson's model is statistically independent of the observed variable. Carroll et al. (1995) refer to the two types of error models as follows:
- error models including the Classical Measurement Error models and Error Calibration Models, where the conditional distribution of W given (Z, X) is modeled — use of such a model is appropriate when attempting to determine X directly, but this is prevented by various errors in measurement.
- regression calibration models (also known as controlled-variable or Berkson error models), where the conditional distribution of X given (Z, W) is modeled.
Berkson is also widely recognised as the key proponent in the use of the logistic in preference to the normal distribution in probabilistic techniques.
Berkson is also credited with the introduction of the logit
Logit
The logit function is the inverse of the sigmoidal "logistic" function used in mathematics, especially in statistics.Log-odds and logit are synonyms.-Definition:The logit of a number p between 0 and 1 is given by the formula:...
model in 1944, and with coining this term. The term was borrowed by analogy from the very similar probit
Probit
In probability theory and statistics, the probit function is the inverse cumulative distribution function , or quantile function associated with the standard normal distribution...
model developed by Chester Ittner Bliss
Chester Ittner Bliss
Chester Ittner Bliss was primarily a biologist, who is best known for his contributions to statistics. He was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1899 and died in 1979.-Academic qualifications:*Bachelor of Arts in Entomology from Ohio State University, 1921...
in 1934.
Berkson was a prominent opponent of the idea that cigarette smoking causes cancer. In the 1957 Liggett & Myers annual report, he was quoted as saying "the evidence, taken as a whole, does not establish, on any reasonable scientific basis, that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer." Following the issuance of the famous report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States
Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States
Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States was a landmark report published on January 11, 1964 by the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health, chaired by then-Surgeon General of the United States Luther Terry regarding the...
, he was quoted in Life Magazine as saying it was "very doubtful that smoking causes cancer of the lung."