About this resource

    Type of resources
    Primary Source, Reading, Paper
    Education level(s)
    College / Upper Division (Undergraduates)
    Primary user(s)
    Student
    Subject area(s)
    Math & Statistics
    Language(s)
    English
    Cluster
    Conceptual and Statistical Knowledge
    Last updated
    29 October 2026
    Primary SourceReadingPaper

    Erroneous analyses of interactions in neuroscience: a problem of significance.

    By S. Nieuwenhuis, B. U. Forstmann, E. J. Wagenmakers

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    Level College / Upper Division (Undergraduates) · For Student · Language English

    Abstract

    In theory, a comparison of two experimental effects requires a statistical test on their difference. In practice, this comparison is often based on an incorrect procedure involving two separate tests in which researchers conclude that effects differ when one effect is significant (P < 0.05) but the other is not (P > 0.05). We reviewed 513 behavioral, systems and cognitive neuroscience articles in five top-ranking journals (Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron and The Journal of Neuroscience) and found that 78 used the correct procedure and 79 used the incorrect procedure. An additional analysis suggests that incorrect analyses of interactions are even more common in cellular and molecular neuroscience. We discuss scenarios in which the erroneous procedure is particularly beguiling.