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Chapter 8: Introduction To Hypothesis Testing

This document introduces hypothesis testing through four main points: 1) Hypothesis testing uses sample data to evaluate hypotheses about populations. It involves stating a null hypothesis (H0) of no effect or difference versus an alternative hypothesis (H1) of an effect or difference. 2) A research study examines the effect of a treatment on an original population using a sample. The goal is to determine if the treatment changes the population mean. 3) There are four steps: state hypotheses; collect sample data; compare data to predictions of H0 and H1; and either reject or fail to reject H0 based on the comparison. 4) An alpha level defines "very unlikely" sample values

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Ruru Uwu
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125 views

Chapter 8: Introduction To Hypothesis Testing

This document introduces hypothesis testing through four main points: 1) Hypothesis testing uses sample data to evaluate hypotheses about populations. It involves stating a null hypothesis (H0) of no effect or difference versus an alternative hypothesis (H1) of an effect or difference. 2) A research study examines the effect of a treatment on an original population using a sample. The goal is to determine if the treatment changes the population mean. 3) There are four steps: state hypotheses; collect sample data; compare data to predictions of H0 and H1; and either reject or fail to reject H0 based on the comparison. 4) An alpha level defines "very unlikely" sample values

Uploaded by

Ruru Uwu
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 8: Introduction to Hypothesis Testing

8.1 The Logic of Hypothesis Testing

Hypothesis testing is one of the most commonly used inferential procedures. In fact, most of the remainder of
this book examines hypothesis testing in a variety of different situations and applications. Although the details of
a hypothesis test change from one situation to another, the general process remains constant. In this chapter,
we introduce the general procedure for a hypothesis test. You should notice that we use the statistical
techniques that have been developed in the preceding three chapters—that is, we combine the concepts of z-
scores, probability, and the distribution of sample means to create a new statistical procedure known as a
hypothesis test

A hypothesis test is a statistical method that uses sample data to evaluate a hypothesis about a population.

In very simple terms, the logic underlying the hypothesis-testing procedure is as follows:

1. First, we state a hypothesis about a population. Usually the hypothesis concerns the value of a population
parameter. For example, we might hypothesize that American adults gain an average of μ = 7 pounds between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day each year.

2. Before we select a sample, we use the hypothesis to predict the characteristics that the sample should have.
For example, if we predict that the average weight gain for the population is μ = 7 pounds, then we would
predict that our sample should have a mean around 7 pounds. Remember: The sample should be similar to the
population, but you always expect a certain amount of error.

3. Next, we obtain a random sample from the population. For example, we might select a sample of n = 200
American adults and measure the average weight change for the sample between Thanksgiving and New Year’s
Day.

4. Finally, we compare the obtained sample data with the prediction that was made from the hypothesis. If the
sample mean is consistent with the prediction, we conclude that the hypothesis is reasonable. But if there is a
big discrepancy between the data and the prediction, we decide that the hypothesis is wrong.

The Unknown Population Figure 8.2 shows the general research situation that we will use to introduce the
process of hypothesis testing. Notice that the researcher begins with a known population. This is the set of
individuals as they exist before treatment. For this example, we are assuming that the original set of scores
forms a normal distribution with μ = 80 and σ = 20. The purpose of the research is to determine the effect of a
treatment on the individuals in the population. That is, the goal is to determine what happens to the population
after the treatment is administered.

To simplify the hypothesis-testing situation, one basic assumption is made about the effect of the treatment: if
the treatment has any effect, it is simply to add a constant amount to (or subtract a constant amount from) each
individual’s score. You should recall from Chapters 3 and 4 that adding (or subtracting) a constant changes the
mean but does not change the shape of the population, nor does it change the standard deviation. Thus, we
assume that the population after treatment has the same shape as the original population and the same
standard deviation as the original population. This assumption is incorporated into the situation shown in Figure
8.2.

Note that the unknown population, after treatment, is the focus of the research question. Specifically, the
purpose of the research is to determine what would happen if the treatment were administered to every
individual in the population. The Sample in the Research Study The goal of the hypothesis test is to determine
whether the treatment has any effect on the individuals in the population (see Figure 8.2). Usually, however, we
cannot administer the treatment to the entire population so the actual research study is conducted using a
sample. Figure 8.3 shows the structure of the research

The Sample in the Research Study The goal of the hypothesis test is to determine whether the treatment has
any effect on the individuals in the population (see Figure 8.2).

The Four Steps of a Hypothesis Test

Figure 8.3 depicts the same general structure as the research situation described in the preceding example. The
original population before treatment (before the red shirt) has a mean tip of μ = 15.8 percent. However, the
population after treatment is unknown. Specifically, we do not know what will happen to the mean score if the
waitresses wear red for the entire population of male customers. However, we do have a sample of n = 36
participants who were served when waitresses wore red and we can use this sample to help draw inferences
about the unknown population. The following four steps outline the hypothesis-testing procedure that allows us
to use sample data to answer questions about an unknown population
Step 1:

The null hypothesis (H0) states that in the general population there is no change, no difference, or no
relationship. In the context of an experiment, H0 predicts that the independent variable (treatment) has no
effect on the dependent variable (scores) for the population.

The second hypothesis is simply the opposite of the null hypothesis, and it is called the scientific, or alternative,
hypothesis (H1 ). This hypothesis states that the treatment has an effect on the dependent variable.

The alternative hypothesis (H1 ) states that there is a change, a difference, or a relationship for the general
population. In the context of an experiment, H1 predicts that the independent variable (treatment) does have
an effect on the dependent variable
T
h
e
alpha level, or the level of significance, is a probability value that is used to define the concept of “very unlikely”
in a hypothesis test.

The critical region is composed of the extreme sample values that are very unlikely (as defined by the alpha
level) to be obtained if the null hypothesis is true. The boundaries for the critical region are determined by the
alpha level. If sample data fall in the critical region, the null hypothesis is rejected.

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