Question

Charles is designing a study in which he combines the findings of empirical articles and calculates the magnitude of all the combined results, otherwise known as a meta-analysis. Research like this can combine the statistical findings of individual studies to identify a(n) effect size. This type of research usually does not use review articles. What is the purpose of a meta-analysis in research?

1) To combine the statistical findings of individual studies
2) To identify the effect size
3) To use review articles
4) To design empirical articles

Answer 1

A meta-analysis aims to aggregate data from multiple studies to identify a combined effect size, offering a comprehensive picture of the research findings on a particular topic. It uses a statistical approach to synthesize quantitative data rather than qualitative review articles.

Step-by-step explanation:

The purpose of a meta-analysis in research is to pool together the findings from different empirical studies to identify an overall effect size, which reflects the magnitude of a specific effect across multiple studies. This method consolidates the statistical findings to arrive at broader conclusions about the subject being researched. Unlike review articles, which synthesize qualitative information, meta-analysis involves a more rigorous statistical approach to quantify the strength of the findings. Therefore, the purpose of a meta-analysis is not to use review articles in the synthesis but to combine statistical findings and identify an effect size; it does not involve designing individual empirical studies.