Moving with the times: keeping up with trends in statistical analysis and research design

Moving with the times: keeping up with trends in statistical analysis and research design

In this chapter, the authors review some current controversies in statistics and measurement and
suggest what they might mean for research in sport psychology. The first section of the
chapter deals with the debate on the use of null hypothesis testing, a debate that has gathered
considerable momentum over the past five years. Because most research in the field still
relies on conventional tests of significance - after all, that is the approach still advocated in
most textbooks - it is important that arguments for and against significance
testing be reviewed, and it be considered whether there is a need to change the way things are done. The authors' own summation
of the debate is that it comes down to a question of reliability: the faith one has in one's
experimental outcomes. They suggest a number of ways in which researchers in sport
psychology can improve the confidence they have in the results of single studies.

Deposited with permission of publisher.
The correct APA citation for this paper is:

Tenenbaum, G. & Fogarty, G. (1999). Moving with the times: keeping up with trends in statistical analysis and research design. In R. Lidor and M. Bar-Eli (Eds.), Sport psychology: linking theories and practice (pp. 59-79). Morgantown, USA: Fitness Information Technology. ISBN 188569315X.