Why Psychologists Should Ignore Recommendations to Use α .001

Key Points

• Raising the p threshold to < .001 could complicate existing standards, and as recommended, may not necessarily improve research quality.
• Statisticians have been advocating for lowering the p threshold, citing risks of false discoveries that could lead to flawed conclusions.
• The discussion includes notable contributions from established researchers, including David Colquhoun and Valen Johnson's arguments on statistical practices.
• This emphasis on p value adjustments signals a broader debate in psychology on methodologies and their robustness.