Work

A tail of two sides: Artificially doubled false positive rates in neuroimaging due to the sidedness choice with t ‐tests

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: One-sided t-tests are widely used in neuroimaging data analysis. While such a test may be applicable when investigating specific regions and prior information about directionality is present, we argue here that it is often mis-applied, with severe consequences for false positive rate (FPR) control. Conceptually, a pair of one-sided t-tests conducted in tandem (e.g., to test separately for both positive and negative effects), effectively amounts to a two-sided t-test. However, replacing the two-sided test with a pair of one-sided tests without multiple comparisons correction essentially doubles the intended FPR of statements made about the same study; that is, the actual family-wise error (FWE) of results at the whole brain level would be 10% instead of the 5% intended by the researcher. Therefore, we strongly recommend that, unless otherwise explicitly justified, two-sided t-tests be applied instead of two simultaneous one-sided t-tests.

Source: Human Brain Mapping

DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24399

Authors: Gang Chen, Robert W. Cox, Daniel R. Glen, Justin K. Rajendra, Richard C. Reynolds, Paul A. Taylor

Institutions: United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health

Language: English

Topic: Functional Brain Connectivity Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke