ERIC Number: EJ1004717
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jan
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1944-7515
EISSN: N/A
Establishing Equivalence: Methodological Progress in Group-Matching Design and Analysis
Kover, Sara T.; Atwood, Amy K.
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, v118 n1 p3-15 Jan 2013
This methodological review draws attention to the challenges faced by intellectual and developmental disabilities researchers in the appropriate design and analysis of group comparison studies. We provide a brief overview of matching methodologies in the field, emphasizing group-matching designs used in behavioral research on cognition and language in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and Williams syndrome. The limitations of relying on p values to establish group equivalence are discussed in the context of other existing methods: equivalence tests, propensity scores, and regression-based analyses. Our primary recommendation for advancing research on intellectual and developmental disabilities is the use of descriptive indices of adequate group matching: effect sizes (i.e., standardized mean differences) and variance ratios.
Descriptors: Research Methodology, Research Design, Behavioral Science Research, Comparative Analysis, Mental Retardation, Developmental Disabilities, Genetic Disorders, Down Syndrome, Congenital Impairments, Regression (Statistics), Probability, Effect Size
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. P.O. Box 1897, Lawrence, KS 66044-1897. Tel: 785-843-1235; Fax: 785-843-1274; e-mail: AJMR@allenpress.com; Web site: http://aaidd.allenpress.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A