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Review
. 2013 May;14(5):365-76.
doi: 10.1038/nrn3475. Epub 2013 Apr 10.

Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience

Katherine S Button  1 , John P A Ioannidis, Claire Mokrysz, Brian A Nosek, Jonathan Flint, Emma S J Robinson, Marcus R Munafò
Affiliations
Review

Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience

Katherine S Button et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2013 May.

Erratum in

  • Nat Rev Neurosci. 2013 Jun;14(6):451

Abstract

A study with low statistical power has a reduced chance of detecting a true effect, but it is less well appreciated that low power also reduces the likelihood that a statistically significant result reflects a true effect. Here, we show that the average statistical power of studies in the neurosciences is very low. The consequences of this include overestimates of effect size and low reproducibility of results. There are also ethical dimensions to this problem, as unreliable research is inefficient and wasteful. Improving reproducibility in neuroscience is a key priority and requires attention to well-established but often ignored methodological principles.

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