Does This Research Really Tell Me Anything? : Understanding Statistical Significance / David J. Hardy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hardy, David J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Statistics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2025.

Summary:

Statistical significance is the most common and perhaps most misunderstood concept for researchers and students alike. It is a central, and crucial, element to -hypothesis testing, the statistical approach for inference used by most researchers in the social sciences, and the topic of introductory statistics courses for students. In this How-to Guide, the mathematical meaning of statistical significance is reviewed first, to provide a foundation for subsequent discussions on what statistical significance does and does not tell you. One clear conclusion is that while statistical significance is often the desired outcome and a beginning to your analytic results, it does not provide information on the magnitude of your finding, practical or scientific significance, interestingness, or value. A few recommendations are provided to go beyond statistical significance to address these latter issues. For instance, paying close attention to descriptive statistics and the calculation of an effect-size measure can provide information on the magnitude of group differences, associations, and the like. The probabilities involved with statistical significance are also clarified and where it is urged to be explicit about both your alpha level and the test p value obtained. The ultimate point in this guide is to help you think clearly about your results, to develop statistical wisdom, with statistical significance as an important element to this, so that you can confidently and effectively use this important component of null-hypothesis testing.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-03-622268-3

9781036222680

OCLC:

1523170708