The use of a Bayesian approach in evaluating data from clinical trials with many treatment centers and from many studies is discussed. The main distinction between a metaanalysis and an analysis of a multicenter trial is that different studies may have very different designs, while the centers in a multicenter trial usually follow the same…

To examine methodological issues of managerial gender communication, a study conducted a meta-analysis of the primary research of managerial gender communication. The study addressed the following four issues: (1) the inconsistent findings in managerial gender communication research; (2) the potential influence of male and female stereotypes on…

Meta-analysis is a quantitative or statistical method for doing a literature review which replaces the traditional narrative method of reviewing literature. Statistics are taken from individual empirical studies and then statistical formulas are used to combine and test hypotheses. For feminist psychology, meta-analyses have usually been directed…

This bibliography identifies reports of research on the effects of variables other than knowledge of content on mathematics test performance. The listing was developed for a synthesis of its research, performed by meta-analysis at Adrian College, Michigan, in 1985. Variables chosen for study were determined by the criterion that each could be…

A new approach is presented for the meta-analysis of data from pre-test/post-test designs. With this approach, data from studies using different designs may be compared directly and studies without control groups need not be omitted. The approach is based on a "standardized mean-change" measure, computed for each sample within a study,…

Methods to aid the statistical researchers in making arguments as to what constitutes minimal effect size (MES) are outlined. By selecting MES and determining power for that effect, the researcher communicates to the reader what the researcher considers to be important and what the researcher's chances are for finding that effect or a larger one.…

The usefulness of meta-analysis in summarizing domains of primary research has led to widespread use of the techniques. Often, however, the researcher will have several options when cumulating empirical studies and readers will have questions regarding judgment calls made during a meta-analysis. In these cases, it is helpful to consult the primary…

To investigate the role and portrayal of women in newspapers and to determine trends emerging from this portrayal, a study examined 15 published quantitative research studies (content analyses) on the portrayal of women in newspapers, dating from 1973 until 1988. Studies were gathered primarily from "Communication Abstracts," the…

The paper reviews research on the cognitive structures of gifted students. Theories of R. Sternberg and his triarchic model of intelligence are described. Sternberg asserts that three processes appear to account for insight: selective encoding, selective combination, and selective comparison. H. Gardner's perspective citing six types of…

Meta-analyses of the hypotheses that relationships exist between play and problem solving, and between play and creativity, were conducted. The data set for the meta-analyses included studies designed to investigate the relationship between play and fluency or originality, or between play and problem-solving behavior. The meta-analyses of…

Several developments in the use of the new method of meta-analysis give cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased confidence in meta-analytic results. Second, meta-analysts are beginning to include raw data in their reports, which helps readers pinpoint the exact studies that lead to…

Results of a study of 47 smoking and 29 alcohol school-based programs indicate that smoking and alcohol interventions have modest effects on immediate behavioral outcomes. Smoking interventions have been more successful than alcohol interventions at altering students' long-term behavior. (JOW)

Three meta-analyses by C. J. Garrett (1984, 1985), P. Kaufman (1985), and W. S. Davidson and others (1984) of juvenile delinquency interventions are summarized. This systematic literature review indicates that interventions to reduce juvenile delinquency may have small, but meaningful, impacts. Promising avenues for future research are suggested.…

Meta-analysis of the literature (47 studies) comparing spatial task performance of blind and sighted subjects found that early onset (of blindness) groups generally showed poorer performance than either the late onset or the sighted groups. (Author/DB)

Meta-analysis is a set of procedures used to quantify, integrate, and analyze the findings of a large number of research studies. The article describes the new statistical techniques used and provides an example of their application to data regarding gender differences in throwing velocity of children and adolescents. (Author/MT)