Main content

Home

Menu

Loading wiki pages...

View
Wiki Version:
Bayesian *t* tests have become increasingly popular alternatives to null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) in psychological research. In contrast to NHST, they allow for the quantification of evidence in favor of the null hypothesis and for optional stopping. A major drawback of Bayesian *t* tests, however, is that error probabilities of statistical decisions remain uncontrolled. Previous approaches in the literature to remedy this problem require time-consuming simulations to calibrate decision thresholds. In this article, we propose a sequential probability ratio test that combines Bayesian *t* tests with simple decision criteria developed by Abraham Wald in 1947. We discuss this sequential procedure, which we call *Waldian t test*, in the context of three recently proposed specifications of Bayesian *t* tests. Waldian *t* tests preserve the key idea of Bayesian *t* tests by assuming a prior distribution for the effect size under the alternative hypothesis. At the same time, they control expected frequentist error probabilities, with the nominal Type I and Type II error probabilities serving as upper bounds to the actual expected error rates under the specified statistical models. Thus, Waldian *t* tests are fully justified from both a frequentist and a Bayesian point of view. We highlight the relationship between frequentist and Bayesian error probabilities and critically discuss the implications of conventional stopping criteria for sequential Bayesian *t* tests. Finally, we provide a user-friendly web application that implements the proposed procedure for interested researchers.
OSF does not support the use of Internet Explorer. For optimal performance, please switch to another browser.
Accept
This website relies on cookies to help provide a better user experience. By clicking Accept or continuing to use the site, you agree. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and information on cookie use.
Accept
×

Start managing your projects on the OSF today.

Free and easy to use, the Open Science Framework supports the entire research lifecycle: planning, execution, reporting, archiving, and discovery.