Misinterpretation of P-values

Misinterpretation of P-values occurs when people wrongly believe a small P-value proves a guaranteed effect or discovery. In reality, a P-value indicates the probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as what was observed if there is no true effect (null hypothesis). It does not measure the size of an effect, the importance of findings, or the chance that the null hypothesis is true. Misunderstanding this can lead to false confidence in results or overstating their significance. Proper interpretation requires recognizing that P-values are just one piece of evidence in scientific analysis.