Pre-Conference Workshop 4: Introducing meta-analytic methods for infant studies
Where: Loews Hotel Philadelphia

Sho Tsuji, University of Pennsylvania
Christina Bergmann, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

Meta-analysis is a powerful yet underused tool in infant studies. It allows researchers to leverage entire bodies of literature to get a broad and at the same time quantitative overview of a particular phenomenon, thereby promoting theory development and supporting study planning. Further, the role of moderating factors can be examined. What is of particular interest for infant researchers is the possibility to use meta-analysis to detect the emergence of an ability as infants mature. In light of recent concerns about replications in experimental science, it is also important to stress how meta-analyses can help distinguish false positives and negatives in single studies from the absence or presence of an ability in a population (overall or at a certain age). For study planning, meta-analysis can inform sample size decisions by means of prospective power analysis, or method choice by effect size comparison. In this tutorial, we address both future meta-analysts and (potential) users of extant meta-analyses. We will introduce meta-analysis as a tool with which to inform all aspects of the research cycle, from experiment planning over method and stimulus choice to result interpretation. We will also present an online platform we have developed for conducting and exploring meta-analyses in the field of cognitive development: MetaLab.

Participants of the workshop will have gained insights into the use, conduction, interpretation, and visualization of meta-analyses. They will also be leave with an improved understanding of effect sizes, their relation with power and significance, and the use of these concepts for interpreting results. Finally, participants will be able to use meta-analytic datasets to plan their own studies.