Avoid Cohen's 'Small', 'Medium', and 'Large' for Power Analysis

One of the most difficult and important decisions in power analysis involves specifying an effect size. Researchers frequently employ definitions of small, medium, and large that were proposed by Jacob Cohen. These definitions are problematic for two reasons. First, they are arbitrary, based on non-scientific criteria. Second, they are inconsistent, changing dramatically and illogically as a function of the statistical test a researcher plans to use (e.g., t-test versus regression). These problems may be unknown to many researchers, but they have a huge impact on power analyses. Estimates of the required n may be inappropriately doubled or cut in half. For power analyses to have any meaning, these definitions of effect size should be avoided.