Using STATISTICA Power Analysis in planning and analyzing
your research, you can always be confident that you are using your
resources most efficiently. Nothing is more disappointing than
realizing that your research findings lack precision because your
sample size was too small. On the other hand, using a sample size
that is too large could be a significant waste of time and
resources. STATISTICA Power Analysis will help you find the
ideal sample size and enrich your research with a variety of tools
for estimating confidence intervals and conducting comprehensive
power analysis.
Still not convinced? Read on for a detailed technical
description of STATISTICA Power Analysis...
STATISTICA Power Analysis is a
comprehensive, general purpose tool for helping you plan your
research studies so that the sample size is appropriate for the
objectives of the study. It also provides a wide variety of tools
for analyzing all aspects of statistical power and sample size
calculation.
STATISTICA Power Analysis is compatible with Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Me.
Why is STATISTICA Power Analysis the most modern and
powerful program of its kind?
- Because no other power analysis application program matches
the full range of capabilities available in STATISTICA Power
Analysis.
- Because STATISTICA Power Analysis is by far the fastest
and easiest to use.
- Because STATISTICA Power Analysis is the only program
of its type available on the market that goes beyond standard
tests of "zero effect," and implements modern methods
using interval estimation technology. The program can compute
exact confidence intervals on effect sizes and use these to
construct exact confidence intervals on sample size and power.
- Because STATISTICA Power Analysis offers computational
routines of unparalleled accuracy and power. The computational
routines are extremely precise, and maintain their accuracy
across a much broader range of parameters than those in other
power analysis applications.
Note the screen shots above, which show how STATISTICA
Power Analysis can handle demanding noncentral distribution
calculations. One power analysis program refuses to perform the
calculations for the noncentral F example, returning a
"Limit Check Failure" error message. Another program
returns, without comment, completely erroneous results for the
noncentral t example.
- Because at the touch of a button, the program produces
presentation-quality, automatically-scaled graphs of power vs.
sample size, power vs. effect size, and power vs. alpha. Menus
for altering the range of these graphs are immediately
available, so that the user can "hone in" on regions
of interest, and produce several graphs in rapid succession. The
program produces protocol statements, describing the
calculations in a form that can be transferred directly to your
final report, research paper, grant proposal, etc.
Sample Size Calculation. STATISTICA Power Analysis
calculates sample size as a function of Type I error rate and effect
size in all the tests listed below. STATISTICA
Power Analysis calculates power as a function of sample size,
effect size, and Type I error rate for the:
- 1-sample t-test
- 2-sample independent sample t-test
- 2-sample dependent sample t-test
- Planned contrasts
- 1-way ANOVA (fixed and random effects)
- 2-way ANOVA
- Chi-square test on a single variance
- F-test on 2 variances
- Z-test (or chi-square test) on a single proportion
- Z-test on 2 independent proportions
- Mcnemar's test on 2 dependent proportions
- F-test of significance in multiple regression
- t-test for significance of a single correlation
- Z-test for comparing 2 independent correlations
- Log-rank test in survival analysis
- Test of equal exponential survival, with accrual period
- Test of equal exponential survival, with accrual period and
dropouts
- Chi-square test of significance in structural equation
modeling
- Tests of "close fit" in structural equation modeling
confirmatory factor analysis
...and much more!
Confidence Interval Estimation. Modern statistical practice
has placed renewed emphasis on confidence interval estimation, both
in planning studies and evaluating their meaning. STATISTICA
Power Analysis is unique among programs of its type in that it
calculates confidence intervals for a number of important
statistical quantities such as standardized effect size (in t-tests
and ANOVA), the correlation coefficient, the squared multiple
correlation, the sample proportion, and the difference between
proportions (either independent or dependent samples). These
capabilities, in turn, may be used to construct confidence intervals
on quantities such as power and sample size, allowing the user to
utilize the data from one study to construct an exact confidence
interval on the sample size required for another study.
Statistical Distribution Calculators. Besides the wide range
of distributions available in all modules of STATISTICA, the STATISTICA
Power Analysis program provides special capabilities that are
particularly useful in performing power calculations. These
routines, which include the noncentral t, noncentral F, noncentral
chi-square, binomial, exact distribution of the correlation
coefficient, and the exact distribution of the squared multiple
correlation coefficient, are characterized by their ability to solve
for an unknown parameter, and for their ability to handle
"non-null" cases.
For example, not only can the distribution routine for the Pearson
correlation calculate p as a function of r and N
for rho=0, it can also perform the calculation for other
values of rho. Moreover, it can solve for the exact value of rho
that places an observed r at a particular percentage point,
for any given N.
Example
Application. Suppose you are planning a 1-Way ANOVA to study the
effect of a drug. Prior to planning the study, you find that there
has been a similar study previously. This particular study had 4
groups, with N = 50 subjects per group, and obtained an F-statistic
of 15.4. From this information, as a first step you can (a) gauge
the population effect size with an exact confidence interval, (b)
use this information to set a lower bound to appropriate sample size
in your study.
Simply enter the data into a convenient dialog, and results are
immediately available. See the results at left.
In this case, we discover that a 90% exact confidence interval on
the root-mean-square standardized effect (RmsSE) ranges from about
.398 to .686. With effects this strong, it is not surprising that
the 90% post hoc confidence interval for power ranges from .989 to
almost 1. We can use this information to construct a confidence
interval on the actual N needed to achieve a power goal (in
this case, .90). This confidence interval ranges from 12 to 31. So,
based on the information in the study, we are 90% confident that a
sample size no greater than 31 would have been adequate to produce a
power of .90.
![[First Graph]](image/power1.gif)
On the other hand, Turning to our own study, suppose we examine the
relationship between power and effect size for a sample size of 31.
The first graph (at left) shows quite clearly that as long as the
effect size for our drug is in the range of the confidence interval
for the previous study, our power will be quite high. should the
actual effect size for our drug be on the order of .25, power will
be inadequate. If, on the other hand, we use a sample size
comparable to the previous study (i.e., 50 per group) we discover
that power will remain quite reasonable, even for effects on the
order of .28 (see graph at right). With STATISTICA Power Analysis,
this entire analysis would take you only a minute or two.
STATISTICA Power Analysis is an add-on package that
requires a base product such as STATISTICA
Base or STATISTICA Quality Control
Charts
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