ABSTRACT
Meta-analysis has proven to be a powerful tool for researchers from a variety of social science disciplines interested in testing whether bivariate relationships or effects generalize across conditions or settings. In addition to examining such relatively simple relations, researchers are beginning to use meta-analysis to address broader research questions and hypotheses including the use of metaanalytic results as input to structural equation models. Because the ultimate goal of most research is to develop an understanding of the associations among constructs, meta-analysis represents a powerful technique for explicating nomological networks. The use of meta-analytic procedures to test broader research hypotheses than posited in primary studies as well as the diverse applications of metaanalytic procedures present new methodological challenges and construct validity issues.
