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From Bayes to the Just Noticeable Difference to Effect Sizes: A Note to Understanding the Clinical and Statistical Significance of Oenologic Research Findings*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2012

Domenic V. Cicchetti
Domenic V. Cicchetti
Affiliation:
Yale Home Office, 94 Linsley Lake Road, North Branford, CT 06471; email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The objectives of this paper are (1) to broaden the concept and importance of differentiating statistical significance from clinical or practical significance that was introduced in a recent oenologie application that appeared in this Journal (Cicchetti, 2007); (2) to highlight the major contribution of Economics to the clinical-statistical significance differentiation; (3) to provide oenologie researchers with the tools to accomplish this objective; and (4) to provide examples of oenologie applications using these biostatistical tools. Results indicate that the terms clinical significance, effect sizes, the just noticeable difference between stimuli, and the economic term marginal utility are conceptually related and when applied to the results of oenologie research, offer a richness of interpretation that levels of statistical significance alone cannot provide. (JEL Classification: C0, C1)

Type
Shorter Papers
Information
Journal of Wine Economics , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , Winter 2008 , pp. 185 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © American Association of Wine Economists 2008

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