Hanel, Paul HP and Maio, Gregory R and Manstead, Antony SR (2019) A new way to look at the data: Similarities between groups of people are large and important. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116 (4). pp. 541-562. DOI https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000154
Hanel, Paul HP and Maio, Gregory R and Manstead, Antony SR (2019) A new way to look at the data: Similarities between groups of people are large and important. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116 (4). pp. 541-562. DOI https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000154
Hanel, Paul HP and Maio, Gregory R and Manstead, Antony SR (2019) A new way to look at the data: Similarities between groups of people are large and important. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116 (4). pp. 541-562. DOI https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000154
Abstract
Most published research focuses on describing differences, while neglecting similarities that are arguably at least as interesting and important. In Study 1, we modified and extended prior procedures for describing similarities and demonstrate the importance of this exercise by examining similarities between groups on 22 social variables (e.g., moral attitudes, human values, and trust) within 6 commonly used social categories: gender, age, education, income, nation of residence, and religious denomination (N = 86,272). On average, the amount of similarity between 2 groups (e.g., high vs. low educated or different countries) was greater than 90%. Even large effect sizes revealed more similarities than differences between groups. Studies 2–5 demonstrated the importance of presenting information about similarity in research reports. Compared with the typical presentation of differences (e.g., barplots with confidence intervals), similarity information led to more accurate lay perceptions and to more positive attitudes toward an outgroup. Barplots with a restricted y-axis led to a gross underestimation of similarities (i.e., a gross overestimation of the differences), and information about similarities was rated as more comprehensible. Overall, the presentation of similarity information achieves more balanced scientific communication and may help address the file drawer problem.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | similarities, differences, gender, cross-cultural, education |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Psychology, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2019 16:15 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2024 18:50 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/25959 |
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Filename: Hanel2019_A new way to look at the data Similarities between groups of people are large and important.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0