Seriousness Of Type Research Articles

Creating Patient Context: Empathy and Attitudes Toward Diabetes Following Virtual Immersion.

Pandemic circumstances created challenges for doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students to understand social determinants of health (SDH) in clinical rotations. Instead of canceling clinical rotations, a virtual reality cinema (cine-VR) education series was implemented. The purpose of this project is to describe the effect of this simulated immersion on student empathy and attitudes toward diabetes. The DPT students (n=59) participated in 12 cine-VR education modules, completing surveys at three time points as part of coursework. The students completed baseline measures of the Diabetes Attitude Scale-Version 3 (DAS-3) and Jefferson Empathy Scale (JES), and then were immersed in 12 cine-VR modules. One week after module completion, students participated in a class discussion about the modules. The students repeated the JES and DAS-3 scales at postclass and six weeks later. Three subscales from the Presence Questionnaire (PQ) were used to measure the virtual experience. Student scores on three DAS-3 subscales significantly improved on posttest: Attitude toward patient autonomy, Mean: 0.75, SD: 0.45; t(58) = 12.742, P < .001; Psychosocial impact of diabetes, Mean: -0.21, SD: 0.41; t(58) = -3.854, P < .001; and Seriousness of type 2 diabetes, Mean: -039, SD: 0.44; t(58) = -6.780, P < .001, with lower scores six weeks later. Student scores increased on the JES and remained high (P < .001). High subscale scores on the PQ demonstrated immersion and involvement in the virtual experience. These modules can allow for a shared student experience that improves diabetes attitudes, increases empathy, and fosters meaningful classroom discussion. The cine-VR experience is flexible, and modules allow students to engage in aspects of a patient's life that were not available otherwise.

494-P: Introducing a Patient with Diabetes Experiencing the Social Determinants of Health to Students through Cinematic Virtual Reality

Background: Cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR) is an innovative educational technique allowing users to immerse themselves in three-dimensional sensory environments. Cine-VR gives access to life-like medical encounters without risk or harm to the patient and offers insight into the lived experience of patients. Storytelling is a powerful tool to help health professions students to immerse themselves in another’s experience. We utilized a diabetes cine-VR training to highlight social determinants of health and impact on patient engagement. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of web-based diabetes cine-VR training to improve diabetes attitudes and empathy among health professional students. Methods: Our institution utilized the cine-VR web-based training for several healthcare profession student programs. We conducted paired t-tests to assess changes in diabetes attitudes and empathy at baseline and after the training. All analyses used SPSS version 26.0 (SPSS Inc.) . Statistical significance was defined as P&amp;lt;0.05. Results: We had a total of 127 students participate including Doctor of Physical Therapy students (60) , Pharmacy students (10) , and Physician Assistant students (57) . Following viewing the 12 modules, we observed improvements in four of the diabetes attitude subscales: “Seriousness of type 2 diabetes” (P&amp;lt;0.001) ; “Value of tight glucose control” (P=0.01) ; “Psychosocial impact of diabetes” (P&amp;lt;0.001) ; and “Attitude toward patient autonomy” (P&amp;lt;0.001) . In addition, we observed significant improvements in empathy (P&amp;lt;0.001) . Conclusions: Diabetes is a complex disease that involves an individual’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. To holistically meet the needs of people with diabetes, we must train our health professions students to recognize and appreciate the social needs of their patients. Our findings support the use of cine-VR trainings to improve diabetes attitudes and empathy. Disclosure J.L.Wardian: None. Funding Medicaid Equity Simulation Project funded by the Ohio Department of Medicaid and administered by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center.

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Health Care Providers' Cultural Self-Efficacy and Diabetes Attitudes: Pilot Questionnaire Study.

BackgroundIn southeastern Appalachian Ohio, the prevalence of diabetes is 19.9%, nearly double that of the national average of 10.5%. Here, people with diabetes are more likely to have a delayed diagnosis, limited access to health care, and lower health literacy. Despite the high rates of diabetes in the region, the availability of endocrinologists and certified diabetes care and education specialists is limited. Therefore, innovative strategies to address the growing diabetes care demands are needed. One approach is to train the primary care workforce in new and emerging therapies for type 2 diabetes to meet the increasing demands and complexity of diabetes care.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a virtual reality training program designed to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes.MethodsHealth care providers and administrators were recruited from large health care systems, private practices, university-owned hospitals or clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, and AmeriCorps. Providers and administrators participated in a 3-hour virtual reality training program consisting of 360-degree videos produced in a professional, cinematic manner; this technique is called virtual reality cinema (cine-VR). Questionnaires measuring cultural self-efficacy, diabetes attitudes, and presence in cine-VR were administered to providers and administrators before and after the program.ResultsA total of 69 participants completed the study. The mean age of the sample was 42.2 years (SD 13.7), 86% (59/69) identified as female, 83% (57/69) identified as White, 86% (59/69) identified as providers, and 25% (17/69) identified as nurses. Following the training program, we observed positive improvements in all three of the cultural self-efficacy subscales: Cognitive (mean change –1.29; t65=–9.309; P<.001), Practical (mean change –1.85; t65=–9.319; P<.001), and Affective (mean change –0.75; t65=–7.067; P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the subscale, with a Cohen d of 1.16 indicating a very large effect. In addition, we observed positive improvements in all five of the diabetes attitude subscales: Need for special training (mean change –0.21; t67=–6.154; P<.001), Seriousness of type 2 diabetes (mean change –0.34; t67=–8.114; P<.001), Value of tight glucose control (mean change –0.13; t67=–3.029; P=.001), Psychosocial impact of diabetes (mean change –0.33; t67=–6.610; P<.001), and Attitude toward patient autonomy (mean change –0.17; t67=–3.889; P<.001). We observed the largest magnitude of change with the Psychosocial impact of diabetes subscale, with a Cohen d of 0.87 indicating a large effect. We observed only one significant correlation between presence in cine-VR (ie, Interface Quality) and a positive change score (ie, Affective self-efficacy) (r=.285; P=.03).ConclusionsOur findings support the notion that cine-VR education is an innovative approach to improve cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes among health care providers and administrators. The long-term impact of cine-VR education on cultural self-efficacy and diabetes attitudes needs to be determined.

Evaluation of Diabetes Attitudes in Patients with Tip 1 and Tip 2 Diabetes

Amaç: Bu çalışma diyabetli hastaların diyabet tutumlarını belirlemek için planlanan tanımlayıcı tipte bir araştırmadır.Yöntem: İstanbul’da bir devlet hastanesinin Endokrinoloji Anabilim Dalı Diyabet Polikliniğinde ayaktan tedavi gören en az ortaokul mezunu 120 diyabetli hasta ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada veri toplamak için Hasta Tanıtıcı Bilgi Formu ve Diyabet Tutum Ölçeği (DTÖ) kullanılmıştır. Yüz yüze görüşme yöntemi kullanıldı. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler (aritmetik ortalama± standart sapma, frekans ve yüzde değerleri), t testi, tek yönlü varyans analizi, Kruskall Wallis testi ve Mann Whitney U testi kullanılmıştır.Bulgular: Hastaların 60’ı Tip 1, 60’ı ise Tip 2 diyabetliydi. Hastaların %50’si kadın ve %50’si erkektir. DTÖ toplam puanı 3.85±0.33 olarak bulunmuştur ve bu sonuç hastaların düşük düzeyde pozitif tutum sergilediğini göstermiştir. Hastaların DTÖ alt boyut puanları değerlendirildiğinde ise en iyi pozitif tutumun “Özel Eğitim gereksinimi” alt boyutunda, en zayıf pozitif tutumun ise “Tip 2 Diyabetin Ciddiyeti” alt boyutunda bulunduğu dikkat çekmektedir. Erkek hastaların, Tip 1 diyabetlilerin, ailesinde diyabet hastası olan, medikal tedaviye uyumu iyi olan, diyete uyumu orta derecede olan, egzersiz yapan hastaların daha pozitif tutumlu olduğu bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Tip 1 ve Tip 2 diyabetli hastaların düşük düzeyde pozitif tutum sergilediği, hastaların diyabete karşı tutumlarının tedavi ve bakıma uyumu etkilediği ve bu nedenle negatif tutumları düzeltmek amacıyla düzenli eğitim programlarının düzenlenmesi gerektiği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Diabetes-Related Attitudes of Health Care Providers in Rural Health Centers in Aklan, Philippines using the Filipino Version of Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3).

ObjectiveTo determine the beliefs and attitudes towards diabetes of rural health care providers in Aklan, Philippines using the Diabetes Attitude Scale 3 (DAS-3) and to determine factors associated with it.MethodologyThis is a cross-sectional analytic survey. A total of 339 health care providers were given self-administered DAS-3 questionnaires. Additional data gathered included their age, highest educational attainment, position, municipality class, diabetes as a co-morbidity, attendance to diabetes classes, and family history of diabetes.ResultsRural health care providers showed an overall mean positive attitude score of 3.5 using the DAS-3 questionnaire. In decreasing order, mean scores of participants according to subscale is as follows: “Need for Special Training in Education” (4.13) >“Autonomy of diabetes for patients” (3.70) >“Psychosocial Impact of Diabetes” (3.60) >“Value of Tight Glucose Control” (3.14) and “Seriousness of Type 2 Diabetes” (3.09). Physicians have the highest mean scores consistently in all subscales compared to other health care providers. Among the different factors considered, educational attainment (p=0.005) and work position (p=<0.001) were found out to affect attitude score of health care providers.ConclusionThis study has shown that the majority of the rural health care providers believe in the need for special training of healthcare providers, psychosocial impact of diabetes and patient autonomy in diabetes self-care. However, the majority still do not strongly believe in the seriousness of diabetes and the benefits of tight sugar control. Educational attainment and work position are the consistent factors that impact diabetes-related attitude; therefore, the need to strengthen continuous medical education among health care providers.

Can we ever really tackle diabetes in ethnic minorities?

Can we ever really tackle diabetes in ethnic minorities?

The Relationship Between Diabetes Attitudes and Treatment Among Free Clinic Patients and Volunteers

Free clinics provide free primary care to the under or uninsured and have been playing an important role in serving the socio-economically disadvantaged. Free clinic patients represent a group of people who experience significant barriers to receiving diabetes prevention and intervention. This study examined diabetes attitudes among free clinic patients and volunteers. English or Spanish speaking patients and volunteers (N=384), aged 18years or older completed a self-administered survey. Diabetic patients and volunteers shared similar levels of diabetes attitudes compared to non-diabetic patients. Among patients, ethnicity, education level, diabetes education, and family history affected diabetes attitudes. Among volunteers, diabetes education was an important factor associated with positive diabetes attitudes. Whether the volunteer is a healthcare professional or student was related only to one aspect of diabetes attitudes, seriousness of type 2 diabetes. The results, indicating free clinic diabetic patients and volunteers shared similar levels of diabetes attitudes, were positive for maintaining and developing diabetes education programs at a free clinic. Unfortunately, the average length of volunteering at this free clinic was short and student volunteers likely leave the clinic upon graduation. Future research should examine issues of volunteer retention in free clinics. Diabetes education for patients may need to be diversified according to ethnicity, family history of diabetes, and educational level. Finally, non-healthcare professional volunteers could potentially be involved in diabetes education at a free clinic.

The diabetes-related attitudes of health care professionals and persons with diabetes in Argentina

To test diabetes-related attitudes of health care team members (HCTMs) and people with diabetes in a developing country, in this case, Argentina. The third version of the Diabetes Attitudes Scale (DAS-3) was randomly administered, in person, to 252 HCTMs (nurses, nutritionists, physicians, podiatrists, and social workers) and 279 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus in several provinces of Argentina in 2004. Data from 531 completed questionnaires were included in the study. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, covariance, chi-square, and t-tests. Although few, the differences in attitudes of HCTMs and people with diabetes were significant. The two groups expressed only slight agreement on DAS-3 statements such as "seriousness of type 2 diabetes," "value of tight control," and "psychosocial impact of diabetes;" and disagreed completely on "patient autonomy." No significant differences were recorded between people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes regarding "seriousness of the disease," but from both groups, those individuals who had previously attended a diabetes education course assigned this statement a higher score (P<0.01). The unfavorable trend among the participants, similar to that recorded in developed countries, would contribute to the poor treatment outcomes observed in people with type 2 diabetes. Changing these attitudes by means of education could contribute to improving the quality of care and of life for people with diabetes and to decreasing the cost of the disease.

Biases in research evaluation: Inflated assessment, oversight, or error-type weighting?

Reviewers of research are more lenient when evaluating studies on important topics [Wilson, T. D., Depaulo, B. M., Mook, D. G., & Klaaren, K. J. (1993). Scientists’ evaluations of research: the biasing effects of the importance of the topic. Psychological Science, 4(5), 323–325]. Three experiments ( N = 145, 36, and 91 psychologists) investigated different explanations of leniency, including inflation of assessments (applying a heuristic associating importance with quality), oversight (failing to detect flaws), and error-weighting (prioritizing Type II error avoidance). In Experiment 1, psychologists evaluated the publishability and rigor of studies in a 2 (topic importance) × 2 (accuracy motivation) × 2 (research domain) design. Experiment 2 featured an exact replication of Wilson et al. and suggested that report length moderated the effects of importance on perceived rigor, but not on publishability. In Experiment 3, a manipulation of error-weighting replaced the manipulation of domain (Experiment 1). Results favored error-weighting, rather than inflation or oversight. Perceived seriousness of Type II error (in Experiments 1 and 3) and the error-weighting manipulation (in Experiment 3) predicted study evaluations.

Standardized Patients and Multidisciplinary Classroom Instruction for Physical Therapist Students to Improve Interviewing Skills and Attitudes About Diabetes

Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to enable physical therapist educators to evaluate the impact of multidisciplinary classroom instruction and a standardized patient interaction on physical therapist students' attitudes towards diabetes, and their confidence and skills in performing a physical examination and communicating with simulated patients. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. All aspects of the module were conducted cooperatively by faculty from physical therapist, nursing, physician assistant, and pharmacy education programs. Instruction covered patient interviewing, physical examination skills, diabetes risk factors, management, and complications, as well as a standardized patient interaction. Study subjects were 29 first-semester Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) students. Pre- and post-module surveys were completed by all subjects. Both surveys included the Diabetes Attitude Scale, 3rd version (DAS-3), and a set of self-perception statements. The postmodule survey included 8 evaluative statements about the education module. Outcomes. Four of the five DAS-3 subscales (need for specialized diabetes training, seriousness of type 2 diabetes, value of tight glucose control, psychosocial impact of diabetes, and patient autonomy) and statements about 5 of the 7 learning objectives showed a statistically significant change from baseline. Student satisfaction with this educational module was very good. Generally, students scored themselves lower than did the patients in regard to their interactions. Discussion and Conclusions. Multidisciplinary diabetes-focused instruction and a standardized patient interaction improved the attitudes about diabetes in these students. This type of education module was well received by students and helped build student confidence, knowledge, and skills related to diabetes, patient interviewing, and physical exam.

Assessing the knowledge, attitudes and understanding of type 2 diabetes amongst ethnic groups in Glasgow, Scotland

AbstractType 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem amongst ethnic groups in developed countries. For example, people from the Indian subcontinent living in the UK have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes and a poorer prognosis than that of the host population, but there is a paucity of information about knowledge and attitudes concerning control, complications and the impact of diabetes among ethnic minority groups.We conducted a cross‐sectional study in people with diagnosed type 2 diabetes in ethnic minority groups in Glasgow and a comparison group from the host population. We modified a questionnaire developed by the Diabetes Research and Training Center in Michigan, USA, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. It was administered by the researcher (with translators when needed) to 145 type 2 diabetes patients, including British (n=27), Indian (n=33) and Pakistani (n=85) people living in Glasgow, UK.The mean age was 58.3 (SD=11.9), 51% were male. The mean duration of diabetes was 8.5 (SD=7.4) years. The mean knowledge scores (minimum 3, maximum 25) were 17.7 (95% CI 15.6, 19.6), 14.3 (95% CI 12.4, 16.2), and 13.8 (95% CI 12.8, 14.8) in the British, Indian and Pakistani groups respectively. There were significant differences between the British and each ethnic group (p=0.002). The mean attitude scores about seriousness of type 2 diabetes were similar at 9.8 (95% CI 8.9, 10.6), 8.2 (95% CI 8.0, 9.3), and 9.1 (95% CI 8.8, 9.5) respectively. The mean attitude scores about control and complications were 15.4 (95% CI 14.5, 16.2), 13.2 (95% CI 12.2, 14.1), and 13.9 (95% CI 13.5, 14.2) respectively, with significant differences between the British and each ethnic group (p=0.001).The results indicate that the knowledge of ethnic groups about diabetes is poor. Therefore an appropriate educational intervention is necessary for this group. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Police integrity in the Netherlands and the United States: Awareness and alertness

Police integrity is an important subject for both police theory and practice. This paper presents the results of survey research on the perceptions of police officers in the Netherlands and the USA on two specific aspects of integrity. First, their views on the seriousness of types of integrity violations and, second, the willingness to report deviant behavior (and to break the so-called 'wall of silence'), are examined. The Dutch police appeared in their response to be stricter in norms and values ('awareness') and more willing to report colleagues for violations ('alertness') than their American counterparts. These perceptions of seriousness have, however, changed in the Netherlands and an attempt is made to explain those changing perceptions and also the changes in the willingness to report (based on 47 in-depth interviews with police officers). This paper has led to a provisional model that will be tested in future research.

Perceived risk for Type 2 diabetes in participants in a stepwise population-screening programme.

To determine the risk perception of Type 2 diabetes in participants in a stepwise population-screening programme. This study was carried out within the framework of a stepwise Type 2 diabetes population screening in the general (age 50-75 years) Dutch population. Main outcome measures were perceived risk of having diabetes and perceived seriousness of diabetes, based on a self-report questionnaire, completed before being informed about the diagnosis (Type 2 diabetes yes/no) of the screening procedure. Among 7736 participants, the risk perception of 217 screening-detected participants was compared with 4435 with a low-risk profile for undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Of 7736 participants, 43.5% could not give an estimate of their risk of having diabetes, 31.2% estimated their risk to be 0% and 25.3% estimated their risk to be 10% or higher. Compared with 4435 participants with an objectively low risk profile, 217 screening-detected participants were more likely to answer 'I do not know' (52.4% vs. 40.1%, P < 0.001), perceived their risk less often to be 0% (19.3% vs. 34.7%, P < 0.001), and slightly more often perceived their risk to be 10% or higher (28.3% vs. 25.2%, P < 0.001). Overall, more than half of the total population, including both participants with a low risk profile and the screening-detected participants, perceived diabetes as a (very) serious disease. Higher age, obesity and taking anti-hypertensive drugs did not translate into a higher perceived risk. Among screening-detected participants the seriousness of Type 2 diabetes was generally acknowledged, whilst the perceived risk of having Type 2 diabetes was low, despite the presence of risk factors.

'Slightly more serious than a cold': Do patients, nurses and GPs take type 2 diabetes seriously?

What people know and how people feel about type 2 diabetes will affect demand for early identification of the disease at an asymptomatic stage. This paper reports on the selected findings from a broader study of the attitudes and perceptions of GPs, nurses and patients about screening for type 2 diabetes. Purposive sampling was used to identify several practices across north-east England, and data were collected via semi-structured interviews with GPs, nurses and patients from these practices. Interview transcripts were analysed by drawing on the principles of grounded theory, with the aid of NUD*IST software. This paper focuses upon the perceived seriousness of this condition, and the implications such perceptions may have in practice. Results indicate a marked variation in perceptions of seriousness between health practitioners and patients. This diversity can be explored via three overlapping frameworks identified during the study: medical, political and personal. A medical framework suggests that individuals' perceptions are guided by a medical model. This links the seriousness of type 2 diabetes with concepts of prevention and cure, a need for individual lifestyle change, bias towards younger patients and anticipated use of medication. In short, diabetes is perceived to be more serious as it becomes more medicalized. A political framework views seriousness in terms of national incentives and priorities, a recognized need for a centralized push for early detection and financial inducements. Diabetes detection is not generally thought to be attractive politically compared with systematic cancer screening. A personal framework suggests that perceptions of seriousness are determined by individual attitudes, knowledge and experiences of diabetes. The findings offer important insights into how perceptions of the seriousness of type 2 diabetes may influence detection and management of this disease in primary care.

Attitudes of Internal Medicine Physicians Toward Type 2 Diabetes

This study was designed to identify differences among internists in their attitudes about diabetes and how those attitudes influence practice behavior. A cross-sectional study of 55 internists in an academic medical center was done using the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3), a valid and reliable measure of attitudes toward diabetes. Most respondents were white (89%), male (65%), and < or = 40 years old (85%). On the need for special training, internists were significantly different from the standardized norm for the DAS-3. Similar differences were observed on the seriousness of type 2 diabetes, the value attached to "tight control," and patient autonomy. Differences by age, sex, and level of training were not significant. Regardless of age, sex, or level of training, internal medicine physicians have negative attitudes toward type 2 diabetes that require future educational interventions.

Physician assistant students and diabetes: evaluation of attitudes and beliefs.

Physician assistants are assuming a greater role in patient care in the US health system. The objective of this study was to examine attitudes and beliefs about diabetes among physician assistant trainees. A survey of 3 currently enrolled classes of physician assistant students was conducted using the Diabetes Attitude Survey (DAS, version 3). An additional question was presented to gather information about the level of hyperglycemia at which students would intensify diabetes therapy. On average, students scored high on all subscales, indicating general agreement with the attitudes examined by the DAS. For 3 subscales (seriousness of type 2 diabetes, value of tight glucose control, and patient autonomy), significant differences were seen across year of training. When asked about the level of glucose control at which they would advance therapy, a wide range of responses occurred, with some being out of target. Physician assistant students had favorable attitudes regarding type 2 diabetes. However, deficits appear to exist in understanding when to advance therapy. More studies on physician assistant students' knowledge of diabetes standards of care are required.

Using Loss Functions for DIF Detection: An Empirical Bayes Approach

We investigated a DIF flagging method based on loss functions. The approach builds on earlier research that involved the development of an empirical Bayes (EB) enhancement to Mantel-Haenszel (MH) DIF analysis. The posterior distribution of DIF parameters was estimated and used to obtain the posterior expected loss for the proposed approach and for competing classification rules. Under reasonable assumptions about the relative seriousness of Type I and Type II errors, the loss-function-based DIF detection rule was found to perform better than the commonly used "A, " "B, " and "C" DIF classification system, especially in small samples.

The third version of the Diabetes Attitude Scale.

The objective of this study was to develop a third version of the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3) that is congruent with current scientific knowledge about diabetes, has improved subscale internal reliability scores, and is shorter than the earlier versions of this instrument. The second DAS was revised and rewritten by a panel of diabetes experts, including patients, associated with the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center. The revised version of the instrument was sent to physicians, nurses, dietitians, and patients with diabetes. Completed and usable questionnaires were obtained from 384 patients with diabetes, 321 physicians, 540 nurses, and 569 dietitians. The total number of surveys used for these analyses was 1,814. The study resulted in a revised DAS with 33 items and five discrete subscales. The subscales were attitudes toward the following: 1) need for special training to provide diabetes care, 2) seriousness of type 2 diabetes, 3) value of tight glucose control, 4) pyschosocial impact of diabetes, and 5) attitude toward patient autonomy. Overall, the subscale reliabilities of the DAS-3 were superior to the earlier versions of the scale. The DAS-3 is a valid and reliable general measure of diabetes-related attitudes and is most suitable for comparisons across different groups of health care professionals and/or patients. The DAS-3 is also suitable for the evaluation of patient and/or professional education programs if those programs focus on the specific topic areas measured by the five DAS-3 subscales.

OPEN A NEW WINDOW IN RATIONAL RESEARCH PLANNING: ADJUST ALPHA TO MAXIMIZE STATISTICAL POWER

Alternative strategies for optimizing statistical power in applied psychological research are considered. Increasing sample size and combining predictors in order to yield a useful effect size are well‐known tactics for increasing power. A third approach, increasing alpha, is rarely used because of zealous adherence to convention. There are two related aspects in setting the alpha level. First, the relative seriousness of Type I and Type II errors must be considered. This assessment must then be qualified and redetermined after taking into account the prior probability that an effect exists. Procedures that make these processes objective are demonstrated. When sample size and effect size are both fixed, increasing alpha may be the only feasible strategy for maximizing power. It is concluded that a priori power analysis should be a major consideration in any test of an hypothesis, and that alpha level adjustment should be viewed as a useful strategy for increasing power.

Optimal Significance Levels for Application of the Least Significant Difference in Crop Performance Trials1

Studies in the context of crop performance trials were undertaken to determine the effects of the frequencies of three types of statistical errors, the relative scriousness of these errors, and the frequency distribution of true differences between means in the application of the least significant difference (L.S.D.) for pairwise multiple comparisons. The results indicate that the optimal choice of significance level, α, for the L.S.D. depends on the seriousness of type I and type III errors relative to type II errors. Arguments are presented supporting the use of significance levels in the range α = 0.20 to 0.40 for the L.S.D. when making pairwise multiple comparisons between observed means from crop performance trials.