Suppose that a medical study found a statistically significant relationship between wearing gold jewelry and developing skin cancer.Suppose the study was based on a sample of 100,000 people and had a p-value of .049.How would you react to these results?
A)You feel these results are very convincing since the sample size was so large.
B)You are impressed by the sample size but the p-value is too close to .05 to feel very convinced; the result is marginal.
C)You are skeptical because the high sample size would lead to a small p-value even with a miniscule relationship, and thus gives misleading results.
D)None of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

C is correct because a large sample size can indeed make even very small and potentially insignificant relationships appear statistically significant, as indicated by a p-value just below the common threshold of .05. This can lead to misleading conclusions about the strength or importance of the relationship.

Suppose That a Medical Study Found a Statistically Significant Relationship