The value of a p value. In a critical commentary on the use of significance testing, Lambdin (2012) explained, "If a p < .05 result is ‘significant,’ then a p = .067 result is not ‘marginally significant’" (p. 76). Explain what the author is referring to in terms of the two decisions that a researcher can make.

The author is referring to the acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis because of significance testing.

Explanation:

In significance testing, if the result is statistically significant with p < 0.05, the conclusion is that it is not probably caused by chance.   Since statistical significance indicates a strong evidence against the null hypothesis, the null hypothesis is rejected by the researcher, and the alternative hypothesis is accepted.  But, if the p = 0.67, the result is said to be not marginally significant, and the null hypothesis is not rejected.  These two conclusions mean that the researcher's rejection or acceptance of a null hypothesis is decided by a thin margin, and this is why wrong conclusions can be made at times.