(CHRNA2, Corley et al., 2008) and adolescent binge drinking (CHRNA4, Coon et al., 2014). Candidate gene studies, however, have not yielded the discriminatory power many researchers predicted (Dick et al., 2015). The literature is riddled with false positive reports, stemming from problems including small sample sizes, lack of correction for multiple testing, and preferential publishing of positive (versus null) findings (Sullivan, 2007). Several scholars have spearheaded calls for a renewed interest in research integrity and a “new statistics” including more transparent methodical approaches and emphasis on effect sizes in lieu of p-values (see: Cumming, 2014; Ioannidis, 2005; Ioannidis et al., 2014). Given these concerns and difficulties with candidate gene studies, many researchers have embraced GWAS methodology.
