Study design and assessment of test results

Statistical power analysis and study design of ecoctoxicological semifield and field experiments

Content

The course introduces the theoretical basics of hypothesis-based testing procedures. Methods for a-priori planning of sound experimental designs and calculation of indicators of reliability of study results are presented. Theoretical parts enable understanding and interpretation of statistical analyses.

A special emphasis is put on practical exercises with open source software tools. This gives the opportunity to discuss the specific problems of the participants. Therefore, the use of own data is very welcome.

The specific content can be tailored to your needs.

Possible topics are:

Introduction
Fundamentals of probability theory, hypothesis testing, and power analysis

A-priori study design
Estimation of initial values from prior experience and the calculation of required sample sizes

Interpretation and conclusions from power analyses
Effect sizes, test direction, compromise design, α-error inflation

Reliability of study results
A-posteriori calculation of minimum detectable differences

Current guideline development
Review of historical studies and outlook on possible new earthworm field studies in the OECD

Effects of different study designs - trade-off analysis
Alternative approaches to classical test methods