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For nearly 100 years, the null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) framework has been used to determine which findings are meaningful (Fisher 1925; Neyman and Pearson 1933). Under this framework, findings deemed meaningful are called “statistically significant.”  But the meaning of statistical significance is often...

Bayesian methods are emerging as the primary alternative to the conventional frequentist approach to statistical inference. This brief provides an overview of the Bayesian perspective and highlights potential advantages of Bayesian inference over frequentist inference. In light of the increasing value and viability of Bayesian methods to contemporary...

Probability (p) values are widely used in social science research and evaluation to guide decisions on program and policy changes. However, they have some inherent limitations, sometimes leading to misuse, misinterpretation, or misinformed decisions. Bayesian methods...

There is a growing understanding that there are some inherent limitations in using p-values to guide decisions about programs and policies. Bayesian methods are emerging as the primary alternative to p-values and offer a number of advantages...