Conceptual and Statistical Knowledge

Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling

The main methods, techniques and issues for carrying out multilevel modeling and analysis are covered in this book. The book is an applied introduction to the topic, providing a clear conceptual understanding of the issues involved in multilevel …

Navigating the Science System: Research Integrity and Academic Survival Strategies

Research Integrity (RI) is high on the agenda of both institutions and science policy. The European Union as well as national ministries of science have launched ambitious initiatives to combat misconduct and breaches of research integrity. Often, …

Null hypothesis significance testing: a review of an old and continuing controversy

Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is arguably the most widely used approach to hypothesis evaluation among behavioral and social scientists. It is also very controversial. A major concern expressed by critics is that such testing is …

Null Hypothesis Significance Testing. On the Survival of a Flawed Method

Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is the researcher's workhorse for making inductive inferences. This method has often been challenged, has occasionally been defended, and has persistently been used through most of the history of scientific …

On the challenges of drawing conclusions from p-values just below 0.05

In recent years, researchers have attempted to provide an indication of the prevalence of inflated Type 1 error rates by analyzing the distribution of p-values in the published literature. De Winter & Dodou (2015) analyzed the distribution (and its …

On the origins of the .05 level of statistical significance

Examination of the literature in statistics and probability that predates Fisher's Statistical Methods for Research Workers indicates that although Fisher is responsible for the first formal statement of the .05 criterion for statistical …

On the plurality of (methodological) worlds: estimating the analytic flexibility of fMRI experiments

How likely are published findings in the functional neuroimaging literature to be false? According to a recent mathematical model, the potential for false positives increases with the flexibility of analysis methods. Functional MRI (fMRI) experiments …

On the Surprising Longevity of Flogged Horses: Why There Is a Case for the Significance Test

Criticisms of null-hypothesis significance tests (NHSTs) are reviewed. Used as formal, two-valued decision procedures, they often generate misleading conclusions. However, critics who argue that NHSTs are totally meaningless because the null …

On the Use and Misuses of Preregistration: A Reply to Klonsky (2024)

In his commentary, Klonsky (2024) outlines several arguments for why preregistration mandates (PRMs) will have a negative impact on the field. Klonsky’s overarching concern is that when preregistration ceases to be a tool for research and becomes an …

One cheer for null hypothesis significance testing

Null hypothesis testing as a tool in research is defended. Six examples are offered of situations in which, if all the researcher could do was "reject H₀ at α = .05" the scientific contribution would still be substantial. The examples are drawn from …