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. 2024 Jul 16;5(1):699-707.
doi: 10.1089/neur.2024.0028. eCollection 2024.

Bayesian Methods: A Means of Improving Statistical Power in Preclinical Neurotrauma?

Peyton M Mueller  1 , Abel Torres-Espín  2 , Cole Vonder Haar  1
Affiliations

Bayesian Methods: A Means of Improving Statistical Power in Preclinical Neurotrauma?

Peyton M Mueller et al. Neurotrauma Rep. .

Abstract

The field of neurotrauma is grappling with the effects of the recently identified replication crisis. As such, care must be taken to identify and perform the most appropriate statistical analyses. This will prevent misuse of research resources and ensure that conclusions are reasonable and within the scope of the data. We anticipate that Bayesian statistical methods will see increasing use in the coming years. Bayesian methods integrate prior beliefs (or prior data) into a statistical model to merge historical information and current experimental data. These methods may improve the ability to detect differences between experimental groups (i.e., statistical power) when used appropriately. However, researchers need to be aware of the strengths and limitations of such approaches if they are to implement or evaluate these analyses. Ultimately, an approach using Bayesian methodologies may have substantial benefits to statistical power, but caution needs to be taken when identifying and defining prior beliefs.

Keywords: data analysis; hypothesis testing; statistics.

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