Statistical significance and its meaning

Abstract

The most frequently method of data analysis in psychology is null hypothesis significance testing (NHST); this work identifies the misunderstandings and consequent biases due to the unwitting use of this hybrid approach, derived by the fusion of the p-value approach (PVA) of Fisher (1925) and the fixed alpha approach (FAA) of Neyman and Pearson (1933). The aim of this work is to contribute to the critical debate about the use of this test, how researchers interpret test results, and the logic of the NHST approach. In the same vein of recent recommendations of the APA Task Force, we examine different methods of data analysis, that are used with NHST including confidence intervals, effect size measures, power analysis, and resampling