ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part deals with the issue of the meaning of significance tests from a historical perspective and relates the author's discussion to the issues of the process and purpose of scientific inference. It aims to demonstrate that the term “statistical inference” is a misnomer for what is in fact simply a method of making prudent judgments in research situations where such judgments are necessary and possible. The part shows that screening convention is worthless unless one considers the power of a test, and that the question of power cannot be resolved outside the context of practical situations requiring prudent research decisions. It presents a critical and historical discussion of some major issues concerning tests of significance. The part argues that the school of R. A. Fisher, the earlier and more influential among scientists, mistakenly employs significance tests as a mode of scientific inference.
