Editorial & Opinion
p-Uniform* is an estimator of the three-parameter selection model: Commentary on van Aert and van Assen (2026).
| Title: | p-Uniform* is an estimator of the three-parameter selection model: Commentary on van Aert and van Assen (2026). |
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| Authors: | Pustejovsky JE; Educational Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1025 West Johnson St., Madison, WI, 53706-1706, USA. pustejovsky@wisc.edu. |
| Source: | Psychonomic bulletin & review [Psychon Bull Rev] 2026 Sep 03; Vol. 33 (7). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 03. |
| Publication Type: | Editorial |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Springer] Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9502924 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1531-5320 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10699384 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychon Bull Rev Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2013-> : [New York : Springer] Original Publication: Austin, TX : Psychonomic Society, Inc., c1994- |
| MeSH Terms: | Meta-Analysis as Topic* , Models, Statistical* , Publication Bias*, Humans |
| Abstract: | Van Aert and Van Assen (2026) introduced a novel method called p-uniform* for estimating average effect size in meta-analyses subject to publication bias. They characterized the method as a distinct, more parsimonious model than the well-known three-parameter selection model (3PSM) of Hedges (1992). I argue that p-uniform* is not a distinct model, but rather a different estimator of the average effect size and heterogeneity parameters of the 3PSM. The p-uniform* estimator coincides with the maximum likelihood estimator of the 3PSM when all included effects have identical sampling variances; otherwise, the estimators differ. Before p-uniform* is used in applications, its theoretical rationale should be clarified, and its empirical performance should be more thoroughly explored through simulations under realistic data-generating processes, especially ones involving primary studies that vary in sample size. (© 2026. The Psychonomic Society, Inc.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Conflicts of Interest: The author has no relevant financial or nonfinancial interests to disclose. Ethics approval: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. |
| References: | PLoS One. 2015 Aug 04;10(8):e0134808. (PMID: 26241042) Psychol Methods. 2017 Mar;22(1):42-46. (PMID: 28252999) Psychol Methods. 2005 Dec;10(4):428-43. (PMID: 16392998) Res Synth Methods. 2021 Mar;12(2):176-191. (PMID: 33108053) Psychol Methods. 2015 Sep;20(3):293-309. (PMID: 25401773) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Meta-analysis; Publication bias; Selection model |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260903 Date Completed: 20260903 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| DOI: | 10.3758/s13423-026-02978-5 |
| PMID: | 42690252 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1531-5320 |
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| DOI: | 10.3758/s13423-026-02978-5 |