Biomaterial Database

Human performance and physiology: a statistical power analysis of ELF electromagnetic field research. 1996

C J Whittington, and J V Podd

Department of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Research examining the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human performance and physiology has produced inconsistent results; this might be attributable to low statistical power. Statistical power refers to the probability of obtaining a statistically significant result, given the fact that a real effect exists. The results of a survey of published investigations of the effects of EMFs on human performance and physiology show that statistical power levels are very low, ranging from a mean of .08 for small effect sizes to .46 for large effect sizes. Implications of these findings for the interpretation of results are discussed along with suggestions for increasing statistical power.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010827	Physiology	The biological science concerned with the life-supporting properties, functions, and processes of living organisms or their parts.
D012107	Research Design	A plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that an hypothesis can be tested properly.	Experimental Design,Data Adjustment,Data Reporting,Design, Experimental,Designs, Experimental,Error Sources,Experimental Designs,Matched Groups,Methodology, Research,Problem Formulation,Research Methodology,Research Proposal,Research Strategy,Research Technics,Research Techniques,Scoring Methods,Adjustment, Data,Adjustments, Data,Data Adjustments,Design, Research,Designs, Research,Error Source,Formulation, Problem,Formulations, Problem,Group, Matched,Groups, Matched,Matched Group,Method, Scoring,Methods, Scoring,Problem Formulations,Proposal, Research,Proposals, Research,Reporting, Data,Research Designs,Research Proposals,Research Strategies,Research Technic,Research Technique,Scoring Method,Source, Error,Sources, Error,Strategies, Research,Strategy, Research,Technic, Research,Technics, Research,Technique, Research,Techniques, Research
D003627	Data Interpretation, Statistical	Application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed or assumed facts from a particular study.	Data Analysis, Statistical,Data Interpretations, Statistical,Interpretation, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analysis,Statistical Data Interpretation,Analyses, Statistical Data,Analysis, Statistical Data,Data Analyses, Statistical,Interpretations, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analyses,Statistical Data Interpretations
D004574	Electromagnetic Fields	Fields representing the joint interplay of electric and magnetic forces.	Electromagnetic Field,Field, Electromagnetic,Fields, Electromagnetic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001519	Behavior	The observable response of a man or animal to a situation.	Acceptance Process,Acceptance Processes,Behaviors,Process, Acceptance,Processes, Acceptance