Gunnar_Zarncke comments on 2014 Less Wrong Census/Survey - Less Wrong

88 Post author: Yvain 26 October 2014 06:05PM

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Comment author: Gunnar_Zarncke 23 October 2014 09:21:16PM *  47 points [-]

Took it.

EDIT: I was surprised to find the BEM test in it. I took it some time ago and it resulted in 65-70% F and 50-60% M (as far as I can see largely because of my strong and caring relationship to my children).

I didn't determine my digit-ratio during the test but did right now. I arrive at totally different values (between 0.91 and 1.05) depending and hand and exact points and the copier print reading gives still different values. My best guess is that it is somewhere around 0.96.

Comment author: Elund 26 October 2014 09:46:19PM 5 points [-]

I think you're supposed to measure from the middle of the bottom crease to the middle of the tip. Also, since the bottom crease itself can be about a millimeter or two wide, I measured from the middle of that crease by its width in addition to its length. When I do that I get consistent results even on repeated measurements.

Comment author: Gunnar_Zarncke 26 October 2014 10:07:21PM 0 points [-]

Sure. If I pick the same spot I get the same results. Esp. with a photocopy. But at least the significant difference between left and right hand remains. Even when photocopying it makes a difference how strong you press your hand against the plate and how much contrast the scan has (for me it was too dark to make out the creases clearly).

Comment author: Elund 26 October 2014 10:45:49PM 1 point [-]

Maybe the corresponding fingers on your other hand really are different in length. Mine are. Whenever I press my fingers against each other such as to line up their bottom creases (keeping the orientation of the fingers as straight as possible), the middle and upper creases and fingertips don't line up. My right fingers are slightly shorter.

Good point about the photocopier. Hopefully these issues won't add too much noise to the results and obscure any significant results.

Comment author: Vaniver 27 October 2014 01:39:21AM 5 points [-]

But at least the significant difference between left and right hand remains.

It is common for them to be different; that's why the survey asks for each hand separately. Inter-rater reliability (given the same scan) for this measurement is in the r=.9 range, if I remember correctly, so don't feel that bad about it being variable; the underlying quantity is actually difficult to measure (but meaningful nonetheless).

Comment author: Gunnar_Zarncke 27 October 2014 08:08:26AM 1 point [-]

the underlying quantity is actually difficult to measure (but meaningful nonetheless).

I don't doubt that the measure is meaningful. The influence is surely real. The question is rather whether anything meaningful can be derived on the individual level.