Does Does Measurement Measure Up? Measure Up?

Reviews the book, Does Measurement Measure Up? How Numbers Reveal and Conceal the Truth by John M. Henshaw (see record 2006-09222-000). This is an engaging book, the central thesis for which is that measurement has permeated all aspects of our lives. His goal is to demonstrate the degree to which measurement shapes the world in which we live and to discuss whether this is a good or bad thing. His answer to this last question is a decided “yes and no.” In balance, though, he clearly believes that measurement has enhanced just about every domain of human experience in which it has been used, although in some cases there have been significant costs as well. This is a book written for the general public in mind, complete with the requisite quote by Yogi Berra. Henshaw does a good job of steering clear of those technical details, which makes the book accessible. At the same time, in the end McGrath was left wanting more substance. The chapters tend toward essays or meditations on a particular measurement topic rather than analyses of the nitty-gritty details. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)