1Cademy - Arbitrary Nature of the 0.05 Significance Threshold

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Criticisms of Null Hypothesis Testing

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Arbitrary Nature of the 0.05 Significance Threshold

The conventional practice of rejecting the null hypothesis when $p < 0.05$ is criticized for creating a mathematically arbitrary dividing line. This rigid threshold can lead to nearly identical findings—such as one study with $p = 0.04$ and another with $p = 0.06$ —being treated as fundamentally different, with only the former deemed worthy of publication.