Question

The paper titled "Music for Pain Relief" concluded, based on a review of 51 studies of the effect of music on pain intensity, that

"Listening to music reduces pain intensity levels... However, the magnitude of these positive effects is small, the clinical relevance of music for pain relief in clinical practice is unclear."†

Are the authors of this paper claiming that the pain reduction attributable to listening to music is not statistically significant, not practically significant, or neither statistically nor practically significant? Explain.

By saying that listening to music ( does not reduce OR reduce ) pain levels, the authors are telling us that the study (did not result OR resulted) in convincing evidence that pain levels are reduced when music is being listened to. (In other words, the results of the study (were not OR were) statistically significant.) Then by saying that the magnitude of the positive effects was (large OR small) , the authors are telling us that the effects were (not statistically significant OR not practically significant OR neither statistically nor practically significant.)

Answer 1

when the auther says "listening to music reduces pain levels, they mean that there is convincing evidence that pain levels are reduced when music is listened. but further when they say that  " the magnitude of these positive effects is small"; authers say that the effects were not practically significant. and thus, the relevance of music for pain relief is unclear.