The perceptions and usage of statistical power in applied psychology and management research

Abstract

We first assess the current level of statistical power across articles in seven leading journals that represent a broad sample of applied psychology and management research. We next survey the authors of these articles to examine their perceptions and usage of statistical power analysis. Finally, we examine the perceptions and usage of power analysis in a survey of authors of regression-based research appearing in leading journals. Findings from the assessment of power and surveys of researchers indicate that power analyses are not typically conducted, researchers perceive little need for statistical power, and power in published research is low. We conclude by discussing implications of low power for the field and recommending avenues for improving researchers' awareness and usage of statistical power.