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Hypothesis testing is a fundamental statistical tool that begins with the assumption that the null hypothesis H0 is true. During this process, two types of errors can occur: Type I and Type II. A Type I error refers to the incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis, while a Type II error involves the failure to reject a false null hypothesis.
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When ab ≠ c - c': published errors in the reports of single-mediator models.

John V Petrocelli¹, Joshua J Clarkson, Melanie B Whitmire

¹Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, USA. petrocjv@wfu.edu

Behavior Research Methods

|October 12, 2012

Summary

Many psychology studies misreport mediation analyses, with over 24% of single-mediator models failing equivalence tests. This inaccuracy in statistical conclusions impacts causal inference and future research.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Behavioral Research

Background:

Accurate mediation analysis reporting is crucial for causal inference and evaluating research.
Previous work indicates around 15% of psychology articles contain statistical errors.
Inaccuracies in mediation reports raise concerns about the reliability of published findings.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify the inaccuracy in mediation analysis reports in high-impact psychology journals.
To examine the prevalence of misreported regression coefficients in single-mediator models.

Main Methods:

Analysis of articles published in 2011 in three top-tier personality and social psychology journals.
Coding of 156 single-mediator models for accuracy using equivalence tests (ab = c - c').

Main Results:

Over 24% of the coded single-mediator models failed an equivalence test.
This suggests frequent misreporting of regression coefficients in mediation analyses.
Identified common sources of errors in statistical reporting.

Conclusions:

A significant proportion of published mediation analyses contain statistical inaccuracies.
Recommendations are provided to enhance accuracy in reporting single-mediator models.
Discusses implications of these findings for research methodology and interpretation.