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The crucial role of linearity when comparing effects across studies

Nature Reviews Psychology volume 2, pages 516–517 (2023)Cite this article

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Comparing effect sizes between studies is critical for evaluating empirical evidence and gaining a broader understanding of underlying phenomena. However, many effects in psychology are nonlinear, which causes problems for interpreting such comparisons and meta-analyses.

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Fig. 1: Linear and nonlinear relationships.

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  1. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    Herbert Bless & Michaela Wänke

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  1. Herbert Bless
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  2. Michaela Wänke
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Correspondence to Herbert Bless.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Bless, H., Wänke, M. The crucial role of linearity when comparing effects across studies. Nat Rev Psychol 2, 516–517 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-023-00220-w

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