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Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision

Scientists typically make repeated measurements of a quantity to ensure the quality of their findings and to evaluate both the precision and the accuracy of their results. Measurements are said to be precise if they yield very similar results when repeated in the same manner. A measurement is considered accurate if it yields a result that is very close to the true or the accepted value. Precise values agree with each other; accurate values agree with a true value.

Random and Systematic Errors

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Scientists always try their best to record measurements with the utmost accuracy and precision. However, sometimes errors do occur. These errors can be random or systematic. Random errors are observed due to the inconsistency or fluctuation in the measurement process, or variations in the quantity itself that is being measured. Such errors fluctuate from being greater than or less than the true value in repeated measurements. Consider a scientist measuring the length of an earthworm using a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

An Assessment Method and Toolkit to Evaluate Keyboard Design on Smartphones

An Assessment Method and Toolkit to Evaluate Keyboard Design on Smartphones

Published on: October 5, 2020

Does variability in human performance outweigh imprecision in response devices such as computer keyboards?

Markus F Damian¹

¹Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol, England. m.damian@bristol.ac.uk

Behavior Research Methods

|February 18, 2010

Summary

Measurement errors from computer response devices are unlikely to impact research outcomes. Human performance variability is substantial, making device precision less critical for statistical significance in chronometric studies.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Human-Computer Interaction
Psychometrics

Background:

Computer keyboards and response devices in chronometric research can introduce measurement inaccuracies.
Infrequent polling rates of these devices are a known source of imprecision.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the significance of response device imprecision in chronometric research.
To compare device-induced error with inherent human performance variability.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of measurement inaccuracies from response devices.
Assessment of inherent variability in human performance data.

Main Results:

Response device imprecision is minimal compared to human performance variability.
The added error from device limitations is unlikely to negatively affect statistical outcomes.

Conclusions:

Millisecond resolution in response devices is not a general requirement for accurate chronometric research.
Researchers can be less concerned about minor inaccuracies in response devices due to human variability.