What does it mean for results to be statistically significant?

• A. The results are unlikely to have occurred by chance, indicating a real effect
• B. The results confirm the initial hypothesis without question
• C. The results are high enough to be published
• D. The results are reproduced consistently across different experiments

Answer: (A)

Statistical significance refers to the likelihood that the observed results in a study are not due to random chance. When results are deemed statistically significant, it indicates that there is strong evidence to support that a real effect exists, rather than the outcome being merely a coincidence.

This determination is typically made by calculating a p-value, which reflects the probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as those observed, assuming the null hypothesis is true. A commonly used threshold for significance is a p-value of less than 0.05, suggesting that there is less than a 5% probability that the results would occur randomly. Thus, when results are statistically significant, they provide researchers with confidence that the findings are reliable and warrant further investigation or potential application in practice.