Читать книгу The Handy Psychology Answer Book - Lisa J. Cohen - Страница 234

When a finding is described as statistically significant, it means that there is a very low probability that the finding is due to chance. If the same analysis were performed at another time or with another sample, we can be very sure (although not absolutely sure) that we will get the same result. Most research sets the criterion for statistical significance, known as the alpha coefficient, at 5 percent. The results are therefore statistically significant if the p value is less than .05. The p value refers to the probability that the test results are due to chance.

Importantly, statistical significance does not determine the magnitude of a finding, only the reliability of a finding. In large samples, a group difference may be very small, but still highly significant; the finding may be reliable even if it is essentially trivial.