On the efficacy of credibility intervals as indicators of moderator effects in meta‐analytic research
通过蒙特卡洛模拟生成相关系数，检验可信区间在元分析中识别调节效应的准确性，发现其总体效果不佳，并提出了一个经验法则。
Abstract Researchers have suggested the use of credibility intervals for identifying moderator effects in meta‐analysis. In the present study, the accuracy of decisions derived from credibility intervals was determined from Monte Carlo generated correlations based on two series of meta‐analyses, one containing 20 studies and the other, 100 studies. Within each study, the responses of 100 subjects were simulated. Although in some marginal cases the accuracy measures (Type I error rate and power) from the credibility intervals were better than those derived from the SH‐75 per cent and U rules, the former technique was generally found to be a poor indicator of heterogeneity or homogeneity. Finally, the concept of a large interval was discussed and a rule of thumb for using it to detect moderators was suggested.