Glossary / Lexicon

Convincing differences when every pair of adjacent conditions must be divided; every condition must be stable.

This might be referring to the concept of "clinically significant differences" in the psychology context, rather than "convincing differences." Clinical significance refers to whether an observed difference between two groups or two treatments is meaningful and important in a practical or clinical sense.

For example, in a study comparing two treatments for depression, one treatment may result in slightly higher scores on a depression rating scale, but this difference may not be clinically significant if the scores are still within the range of mild to moderate depression. On the other hand, a smaller difference in scores may be clinically significant if it results in a large improvement in the patient's overall functioning and quality of life.

Examples of factors that can influence clinical significance include the severity of the disorder being treated, the size of the sample population, and the magnitude of the observed effect. Researchers and clinicians may use statistical tests and clinical judgment to determine whether a difference is clinically significant and to guide treatment decisions and recommendations.

It's important to note that the concept of clinical significance is different from statistical significance, which refers to the likelihood that an observed difference is due to chance rather than a true effect. While statistical significance is an important consideration in research, it does not necessarily indicate clinical relevance or practical importance.