Hi I do think there are places where qualifiers to significant (or statistically significant) are appropriate. An effect that has p = .002 is quite different in my mind than p = .048, and "highly significant" vs "significant" would appear to capture that. Indeed isn't that the logic behind APA's recommendation to report specific p values? And to say that an effect is "marginally significant" or "approached significance" for p = .055 strikes me as appropriate especially when you know the test has weak power (e.g., tests of interactions that do not conform to X pattern) and you plan follow-up analyses (e.g., planned contrasts for main effects, simple effects or partitioning interaction). I'm not sure that we give a very realistic impression about the nature of statistics striving to adhere strictly to the mathematical preciseness of the tests under ideal conditions.
Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor & Chair of Psychology j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca Room 4L41A 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax Dept of Psychology, U of Winnipeg 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R4 CANADA >>> Marc Carter <marc.car...@bakeru.edu> 22-Apr-13 1:03 PM >>> Hi, All -- A poll: Am I being too picky about the use of the phrase, "highly significant" (or something similar) when it's used to describe a very low-probability result? It sort of drives me crazy; all I can hear is my graduate math stats teacher threatening to kill us if we ever said something like that. I still read it in papers and it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. But perhaps I should just chill out? What do you think? m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Behavioral and Health Sciences College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by Baker University ("BU") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=25137 or send a blank email to leave-25137-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=25151 or send a blank email to leave-25151-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
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