Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Behavior Analyst logoLink to The Behavior Analyst
. 1998 Spring;21(1):125–137. doi: 10.1007/BF03392787

A critique of the usefulness of inferential statistics in applied behavior analysis

B L Hopkins, Brian L Cole, Tina L Mason
PMCID: PMC2731398  PMID: 22478304

Abstract

Researchers continue to recommend that applied behavior analysts use inferential statistics in making decisions about effects of independent variables on dependent variables. In many other approaches to behavioral science, inferential statistics are the primary means for deciding the importance of effects. Several possible uses of inferential statistics are considered. Rather than being an objective means for making decisions about effects, as is often claimed, inferential statistics are shown to be subjective. It is argued that the use of inferential statistics adds nothing to the complex and admittedly subjective nonstatistical methods that are often employed in applied behavior analysis. Attacks on inferential statistics that are being made, perhaps with increasing frequency, by those who are not behavior analysts, are discussed. These attackers are calling for banning the use of inferential statistics in research publications and commonly recommend that behavioral scientists should switch to using statistics aimed at interval estimation or the method of confidence intervals. Interval estimation is shown to be contrary to the fundamental assumption of behavior analysis that only individuals behave. It is recommended that authors who wish to publish the results of inferential statistics be asked to justify them as a means for helping us to identify any ways in which they may be useful.

Keywords: research methods, data analysis, inferential statistics

Full text

PDF
125

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baer D. M. "Perhaps it would be better not to know everything.". J Appl Behav Anal. 1977 Spring;10(1):167–172. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1977.10-167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bakan D. The test of significance in psychological research. Psychol Bull. 1966 Dec;66(6):423–437. doi: 10.1037/h0020412. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fleiss J. L. Significance tests have a role in epidemiologic research: reactions to A. M. Walker. Am J Public Health. 1986 May;76(5):559–560. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.5.559. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Four comments received on statistical testing and confidence intervals. Am J Public Health. 1987 Feb;77(2):237–238. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.2.237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Four comments received on statistical testing and confidence intervals. Am J Public Health. 1987 Feb;77(2):237–238. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.2.237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gentile J. R., Roden A. H., Klein R. D. An analysis-of-variance model for the intrasubject replication design. J Appl Behav Anal. 1972 Summer;5(2):193–198. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1972.5-193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hartmann D. P. Forcing square pegs into round holes: some comments on "an analysis-of-variance model for the intrasubject replication design". J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Winter;7(4):635–638. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hartmann D. P., Gottman J. M., Jones R. R., Gardner W., Kazdin A. E., Vaught R. S. Interrupted time-series analysis and its application to behavioral data. J Appl Behav Anal. 1980 Winter;13(4):543–559. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1980.13-543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jones R. R., Vaught R. S., Weinrott M. Time-series analysis in operant research. J Appl Behav Anal. 1977 Spring;10(1):151–166. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1977.10-151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Keselman H. J., Leventhal L. Concerning the statistical procedures enumerated by Gentile et al.: another perspective. J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Winter;7(4):643–645. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-643. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kratochwill T., Alden K., Demuth D., Dawson D., Panicucci C., Arntson P., McMurray N., Hempstead J., Levin J. A further consideration in the application of an analysis-of-variance model for the intrasubject replication design. J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Winter;7(4):629–633. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-629. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Michael J. Statistical inference for individual organism research: mixed blessing or curse? J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Winter;7(4):647–653. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-647. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pfadt A., Cohen I. L., Sudhalter V., Romanczyk R. G., Wheeler D. J. Applying statistical process control to clinical data: an illustration. J Appl Behav Anal. 1992 Fall;25(3):551–560. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1992.25-551. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Pfadt A., Wheeler D. J. Using statistical process control to make data-based clinical decisions. J Appl Behav Anal. 1995 Fall;28(3):349–370. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-349. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Poole C. Beyond the confidence interval. Am J Public Health. 1987 Feb;77(2):195–199. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.2.195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. ROZEBOOM W. W. The fallacy of the null-hypothesis significance test. Psychol Bull. 1960 Sep;57:416–428. doi: 10.1037/h0042040. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Thompson W. D. Statistical criteria in the interpretation of epidemiologic data. Am J Public Health. 1987 Feb;77(2):191–194. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.2.191. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Thoresen C. E., Elashoff J. D. "An analysis-of-variance model for intrasubject replicaiton design": some additional comments. J Appl Behav Anal. 1974 Winter;7(4):639–641. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1974.7-639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Walker A. M. Reporting the results of epidemiologic studies. Am J Public Health. 1986 May;76(5):556–558. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.5.556. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Williams D. G. Population density and mental illness. J Soc Psychol. 1994 Aug;134(4):545–546. doi: 10.1080/00224545.1994.9712205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Wolff A. B., Sass K. J., Keidan J. Case report of an intracarotid amobarbital procedure performed for a deaf patient. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 1994 Feb;16(1):15–20. doi: 10.1080/01688639408402614. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Behavior Analyst are provided here courtesy of Association for Behavior Analysis International

RESOURCES