Shows why the two-step approach proposed by D. Robinson and J. Levine (1997) is inappropriate for the evaluation of empirical results and reiterates the preferred approach of increased sample size and the computation of confidence intervals. (SLD)

Supports a two-step approach to the estimation and discussion of effect sizes, making a distinction between single-study decision-oriented research and multiple-study synthesis. Introduces and illustrates the concept of "conclusion coherence." (Author/SLD)

Adherence to the arbitrary 0.05 level of significance as a benchmark for decisions about publishing research largely accounts for the popularity of one-tailed hypothesis tests. Effect size estimates, accompanied by confidence intervals or exact two-tailed probabilities, are generally more compatible with the growing meta-analytic view of social…