Threats to statistical conclusion validity include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)
a. Fishing
b. Low statistical power
c. Maturation
d. Violated assumptions of statistical tests
e. History threat
ANS: A, B, D
Statistical conclusion validity is concerned with whether the conclusions about relationships or differences drawn from statistical analysis are an accurate reflection of the real world. Low statistical power increases the probability of concluding that there is no significant difference between samples when actually there is a difference (type II error, failing to reject a false null) (see Chapter 8 for discussion of the null hypothesis). Most statistical tests have assumptions about the data collected, which include the following: (1) the data are at least at the interval level, (2) the sample was randomly obtained, and (3) the distribution of scores was normal. If these assumptions are violated, the statistical analysis may provide inaccurate results. The risk of type I error increases when the researcher conducts multiple statistical analyses of relationships or differences; this procedure is referred to as fishing.
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