FACTOR is pleased to announce our next talk in the 2024-2025 academic year by Ellen Roberts (LAEL, Lancaster University):
TITLE
Jingle jangle fallacies: observations and learnings from a replication of Biber (1988)
ABSTRACT
Multidimensional analysis (MDA) is a well-established method for the study of textual linguistic variation. It is a method that is often used for register analyses and has been suggested as a means of explaining authorship differences (Grieve 2023). However, the process of conducting an MDA is not straightforward and some replications of the method have failed to reproduce results from other studies (Lee 2000). Recent publications have provided ‘how-to’ guidance on conducting the MDA method across a range of software to try to clarify the methodological process (Egbert and Staples 2019). But how successful has this clarification been?
This talk outlines some of the learnings and pitfalls from an attempted replication of the MDA statistical method of choice, Factor Analysis, as part of my PhD research. This research draws on the psychological notion of jingle and jangle fallacies to explore possible misconceptions in the implementation of factor analysis, following Grieder and Steiner (2022).
More broadly, this presentation aims to demonstrate via this case study, the importance of methodological transparency and sensitivity across different statistical software used across the social sciences and in forensics research more widely.
TIME & PLACE
W15, 1500-1550, Thu 13th Feb 2025, Welcome Centre LT1 (A34). (Please note that this talk will not be streamed or recorded.)
Find information on how to get to campus here, and how to navigate campus buildings here.