Expanding Statistical Horizons: Supplementary Training Trends in a Sample of North American Psychology Researchers

<p dir="ltr">Statistics skills are crucial for researchers in psychology, but research suggests that graduate training is insufficient to meet modern quantitative research demands. Consequently, researchers tend to seek training outside of their current or former graduate program. However, little is known regarding the frequency of use and perceptions surrounding various supplementary statistical resources. This study aimed to investigate how psychology researchers acquire statistical training beyond their graduate program, how necessary and useful they find various resources, and if there were differences based on student status. The final sample included 280 academic researchers in Canada or the United States. Participants engaged with statistical content more frequently than limited prior research suggests. We found that online resources and Quantitative Methods (QM) papers were the most frequently used, statistical consultants had the highest perceived usefulness, and QM papers had high perceived necessity. Student researchers, on average, rated most of the statistical resources as more necessary than researchers with a PhD, with notable differences for online resources and statistical consultants. Usefulness ratings and frequency of use, however, were fairly similar across the groups. Implications and recommendations for students, researchers, instructors, and program administrators are discussed. Data and study materials can be found at <a href="https://osf.io/673kj/" target="_blank">https://osf.io/673kj/</a>.</p>