This paper is from Session 8J: Evidence-based statistical practice

which comes under Topic 8: Research in statistics education

Other papers under session 8J ... 8J1: Integrating the normative (statistics), the descriptive (psychology),... 8J3: The role of external representations in understanding probabilistic... 8J4: Understanding, teaching, and using p values

(Monday 12th, 14:00-16:00)

The influence of presentation on the interpretation of inferential results

Presenter

• Rink Hoekstra (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Co-authors

• Henk Kiers (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
• Addie Johnson (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Confidence intervals (CIs) have frequently been presented as an alternative for null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST). Earlier, it was shown that the frequency of misinterpretations for results presented by means of CIs are lower than those for data presented by means of NHST outcomes. Little is known, however, about whether the subjective estimates that arguably play an implicit role in most interpretations of results differ for results presented by means of CIs or NHST outcomes. In the present study, participants were asked to interpret outcomes of fictitious studies. For significant outcomes, participants tend to be more certain about the existence of a population effect and about replicability of their results when the results are presented by means of NHST than by means of CIs. Such a difference could not be found for clearly non-significant findings. Apparently, a significant finding presented by means of a p-value is more convincing than the same effect presented by means of a CI.

Other papers under session 8J ... 8J1: Integrating the normative (statistics), the descriptive (psychology),... 8J3: The role of external representations in understanding probabilistic... 8J4: Understanding, teaching, and using p values