Lab Seven
Analyzing and understanding your data can be tricky, but is essential in coming to and providing conclusions for your results.
Learning Objectives
For this lab assignment, you will be working with your team members to:
- Practice analysis with the pilot data gathered from last week
- Interpret and report results
Overview
When we make conclusions about the results we have found, we can do so through descriptive and inferential results. Descriptive statistics summarize your dataset, while inferential statistics allow for you to assess whether your data is generalizable to the broader population.
Remember: Understanding what statistical significance and an effect size (Cohen’s d) mean are important in interpreting your results and discussing your findings with others.
Examples
- If the analysis of your results show that you have reached statistical significance (a p-value of less than .05), this indicates that the statistic obtained is unlikely if the null hypothesis is true.
- General rule of thumb for effect sizes:
- Small effect size: d=0.2
- Medium effect size: d=0.5
- Large effect size: d=0.8
Worksheets
Choose the worksheet that best represents the design of your study:
Lab 7_Practice Analysis 2 Levels
References
Cassidy, S.A., Dimova, R., & Giguere, B., Spence, J.R., & Stanley, D.J. (2019). Failing grade: 89% of Introduction-to-Psychology textbooks that define or explain statistical significance do so incorrectly. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 2(3), 233-239. doi: 10.1177/2515245919858072.
Walker, I. (2008). Null hypothesis testing and effect sizes. Statistics for Psychology: Making sense of our world through analysis. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html.
Summary of the characteristics of your dataset
Allows for you to assess whether your data is generalizable to the broader population
Results have reached "statistical significance" if its corresponding p-value is less than .05.
a measure of the magnitude of the experimental effect