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Related Concept Videos

False Memories01:18

False Memories

False memories represent a cognitive distortion in which individuals recall events that did not happen, or remember them in an altered form. This phenomenon highlights the brain's constructive nature in processing and recalling memories, emphasizing that memory is not a perfect representation of past events but rather a dynamic reconstruction influenced by various factors.
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
Bias01:22

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Bias refers to any tendency that prevents a question from being considered unprejudiced. In research, bias occurs when one outcome or answer is selected or encouraged over others in sampling or testing. Bias can occur during any research phase, including study design, data collection, analysis, and publication.
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Errors In Hypothesis Tests

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Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
The Scientific Method02:40

The Scientific Method

Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
Confirmation Biases01:31

Confirmation Biases

The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
08:36

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Published on: April 19, 2024

Why negative meta-analyses may be false?

Tomas Hajek1, Miloslav Kopecek, Martin Alda

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Prague Psychiatric Center, Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, 3(rd) Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

European Neuropsychopharmacology : the Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|February 14, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Meta-analyses can be misleading, sometimes showing false negatives for true positive findings. This occurs when individual studies conflict, masking significant results and potentially hindering research progress.

Keywords:
False negativeMeta-analysesStatistical heterogeneity

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
08:36

The Adjuvant Efficacy of Angong Niuhuang Pill in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Published on: April 19, 2024

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Genetics
  • Psychopharmacology

Background:

  • Meta-analyses are considered the highest level of evidence.
  • Statistically non-significant meta-analysis results are often presumed true negatives, even if individual studies show significant signals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To illustrate why meta-analyses may frequently produce false negatives from true positive findings.
  • To highlight the limitations of over-reliance on meta-analyses in specific research contexts.

Main Methods:

  • Examining examples from neuroimaging, genetics, and psychopharmacology.
  • Analyzing scenarios where conflicting study results lead to non-significant meta-analysis outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Meta-analyses can yield false negatives when individual studies report opposing effect sizes, resulting in a non-significant overall effect.
  • Such meta-analyses, especially with statistical heterogeneity, may inaccurately represent the true effect and possess lower heuristic value than individual studies.

Conclusions:

  • Over-reliance on non-significant meta-analyses can prematurely dismiss potentially fruitful research avenues.
  • Researchers should critically evaluate meta-analyses, particularly those with statistical heterogeneity and conflicting study results.