Thomas J PVerberne, clinical neuropsychologist (ret.),
March 22, 2016
More than half a century ago, M. J. Moroney pointed out that ". . .
the Poisson distribution may only be applied in cases where the
expectation, z, is constant from trial to trial. Thus, it does not apply
to the number of suicides per year in a given community, because the
temptation to commit suicide varies with the stress of the times, . . ."
(Facts from figures, 1956, pp 100-101.
More than half a century ago, M. J. Moroney pointed out that ". . . the Poisson distribution may only be applied in cases where the expectation, z, is constant from trial to trial. Thus, it does not apply to the number of suicides per year in a given community, because the temptation to commit suicide varies with the stress of the times, . . ." (Facts from figures, 1956, pp 100-101.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared