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A low sample size does not mean that the result of a study are not valid. No researcher would get funding for a large study right off the bat when looking for s
by Maxion 4y ago
A low sample size does not mean that the result of a study are not valid. No researcher would get funding for a large study right off the bat when looking for something novel. You always start with a prospective study of a small sample size, and then move on.
Furthermore scientific consensus on topics does not come from individual studies, but from the collective collection of studies on a topic.
- refurb 4y agoA low sample size impacts the reliability of the results.
- carlmr 4y agoWhile Maxion is right, I'm with you that we shouldn't even be discussing anything here in a big forum before the 24 person study gets a 240 people study financed, and the 240 people study gets a 2400 people study financed. While it's clear that the researchers can't immediately test everything at scale. The likelihood of this result being significant are low.
- refurb 4y agoNot only that, but any theory that simplifying it down to "high levels of this neurotransmitter cause X" should be suspect. I mean, there was a massive thread not even 3 weeks ago about "low serotonin causes depression" being completely rejected at this point. It's an interesting data point, but "glutamate build-up" is just the university's PR office trying to get eyeballs.