A researcher’s need to justify a sample size for a study often provides motivation for contacting a statistician. The process of carrying out a sample size investigation is usually more involved than expected by the researcher (who might think of it as a simple mathematical calculation). This video depicts one of the most challenging parts of the study planning process -- discussing the difference between statistical significance and practical importance.

Keywords: Sample size; statistical significance; practically meaningful effect; clinically significant; effect size

Video (4.18 minutes)

Script

Discussion questions

Credits

To cite the videos, scripts, and discussion questions, please use the following citation:

• Sharp, J. L., Griffith, E., and Higgs, M. D. (2021). “Setting the stage: statistical collaboration videos for training the next generation of applied statisticians,” Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education, 29(2): 165-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/26939169.2021.1934202

To cite this video, please use the text:

• • • Sharp, J.L., Griffith, E., and Higgs, M. (2020). Statistically significant vs practically meaningful [Video file]. https://youtu.be/pj3zTdpj5VE.