My all-time favorite professor...
My all-time favorite professor, David Lykken, from the University of Minnesota died recently. His obituary was in the New York Times (see, "David Lykken Dies, 78; Studied Behavior". He was an extraordinary scholar. Among other things, he debunked lie detection, and he started the path breaking Minnesota Twin Family Study.
In 1972, when I was a 25-year old graduate student, I was invited to attend one of Lykken seminars that he ran with Paul Meehl, a force of nature in his own right, that dealt with abuses of statistical null hypothesis testing. It was a real eye opener for a young person who had just spent several years learning to use the technology of statistical hypothesis testing. The seminar had six students and was offered in the Department of Psychiatry at one of the University of Minnesota hospitals. Minnesota, the home of "dust bowl empiricism" debunking dust bowl empiricism! What great revolutionary activity! I never forgot the sensibilities and intellectual approaches that Lykken and Meehl offered. What a treat.
Brewed my own coffee this morning. Italian expresso via Taiwan. Go figure, but it works.
