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Statistical Tests

Suppose you are a researcher and you want to find out if there is a difference between the anxiety levels of patients before and after 12 weeks of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. How would you know if the results you obtained are significant? Does cognitive Behavioural Therapy make a significant difference in anxiety levels? This is where statistical tests come in.

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Statistical Tests

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Suppose you are a researcher and you want to find out if there is a difference between the anxiety levels of patients before and after 12 weeks of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. How would you know if the results you obtained are significant? Does cognitive Behavioural Therapy make a significant difference in anxiety levels? This is where statistical tests come in.

  • We will start by looking at what is meant by psychology statistical tests.
  • Then, we will look at the statistical test importance.
  • After, we will delve into the parametric statistical test and the types of parametric tests.
  • Following this, we will explore Non-Parametric Tests.

Psychology Statistical Test

Some examples of statistical tests include the chi-square test, Pearson’s Correlation or the Sign Test.

Statistical tests in psychology analyse data from experiments that allow researchers to identify if the observed scores significantly (not due to chance) from the hypothetical results.

There are parametric (for when data is normally distributed) and non-parametric (for when our data is non-evenly distributed).

Statistical Test Importance

Hypothesis testing statistics is when statistical tests are used in experimental research to identify if the alternative or null hypothesis should be accepted in research.

If the findings are significant, the alternative hypothesis should be accepted, and the null hypothesis should be rejected.

Statistical tests allow researchers to identify if the results are due to chance or if they are a result of the study and will enable the researcher to compare to previous findings.

Parametric Statistical Tests

Parametric tests are a type of statistical test used to test hypotheses. A criterion for the data needs to be met to use parametric tests. The criteria are:

  • Data must be normally distributed.

  • Homogeneity of variance the amount of ‘noise’ (potential experimental errors) should be similar in each variable and between groups.

  • There should be no extreme outliers.

  • Independence the data from each participant in each variable should not be correlated. Measurements from a participant should not be influenced or associated with other participants.

Types of Statistical Tests

Statistical tests are either parametric or non-parametric.

Some examples of parametric tests are as follows:

Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson’s Correlation.

And some examples of Non-Parametric Tests are as follows:

Friedman’s, Spearman’s, signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U.

Psychology Statistical Tests: Types of Parametric Tests

There are several types of parametric tests, and the one that is used depends on what the researcher is trying to investigate:

Parametric testWhat it measures? Example research scenario
CorrelationThe relationship (strength and direction) between two VariablesThe relationship between fitness test scores and the number of hours spent exercising
Paired t-testCompares the mean value of two Variables obtained from the same participantsThe difference in Depression scores in a group of patients before and after treatment
Unpaired t-testCompares the mean value of a variable measured from two independent (different groups)The difference between Depression symptom severity in a placebo and Drug Therapy group
One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)Compares the mean of two or more independent groups (uses a between-subject design, and the independent variable needs to have three or more levels)The difference in average fitness test scores of individuals who frequently exercise, moderately, or do not exercise
One-way Repeated Measures (ANOVA)Compares the mean of three or more conditions when the participants are the same in each group (uses a within-subject design, and the independent variable needs to have three or more levels)The difference in average fitness test scores during the morning, afternoon and evening

Non-Parametric Tests

Non-parametric tests can be used when data is not normally distributed. There are several non-parametric tests. One we will be looking at here is the sign test.

Statistical Tests: Sign Test

The sign test is used for within-group studies (only one group of participants). However, two groups of participants could be used under a ‘matched-pairs’ design. The sign test assesses the difference between two conditions used on categorical data.

Statistical Tests: Sign Test Calculation

Let us look at how to calculate a sign test step-by-step with an example.

A researcher aims to identify a difference between patients’ anxiety scores before and after 12 weeks of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Here are the study results:

Participant
Anxiety score before CBT
Anxiety score after CBT
12522
23621
32024
44030
51719
62020
72623
82734
92525
102828

1. Work out the difference between the two sets of data (it doesn’t matter which column is added/subtracted from which, the data will still end up with the same results).

ParticipantAnxiety score before CBTAnxiety score after CBTDifference
12522-3
23621-15
32024+4
44030-10
51719+2
620200
72623-3
82734+7
925250
1028280

2. Add the total number of ‘+’ and ‘-’. Ignore the data where there is no difference (i.e., the difference of 0).

For our data, we have the following:

+ = 3

- = 4

3. The less frequent sign is the ‘S-value’.

Here the S-value = 3 (the + was the less frequent sign, and the + had a total of 3)

Find out the N value (number of participants, not including those with a difference of 0).

Here the N value is 10 - 3 = 7 (we had 10 participants minus the 3 that had a difference of 0)

4. Compare the calculated S-value to the critical value to determine if it is significant. A critical values table will always be given to you in an exam.

Level of significance for a one-tailed test

.05

.025

.01

.005

Level of significance for a two-tailed test

.10

.05

.02

.01

N

5

0

6

0

0

7

0

0

0

8

1

0

0

0

9

1

1

0

0

10

1

1

0

0

11

2

1

1

0

12

2

2

1

1

13

3

2

1

1

14

3

2

2

1

15

3

3

2

2

16

4

3

2

2

17

4

4

3

2

18

5

4

3

3

19

5

4

4

3

20

5

5

4

3

25

7

7

6

5

30

10

9

8

7

35

12

11

10

9

  • Is the test one-tailed or two-tailed? In our example, our study is two-tailed as we wanted to see if there was a difference either way (positive or negative).
  • What is the significance level? Unless specified, the significance level is always .05
  • How many participants are there? The N-value. For our example, it is 7.

From the table, our critical value is 0.

The calculated value (S-value) must be equal to or less than the critical value to be significant.

Our results are insignificant because the calculated value (3) is greater than the critical value (0).

You could write your answer up as:

The calculated value (S=3) is greater than the critical value of 0. Therefore, the difference in anxiety scores before and after cognitive Behavioural Therapy is insignificant.

S(3) > 0 (critical value)

What makes a test statistically significant?

Significance tests provide researchers with a statistical value used to measure how likely the results from research are due to chance. If the value is lower than .05, the results are statistically significant.

Errors in Hypothesis Testing

Researchers can sometimes make a Type 1 or Type 2 error when conducting research. When either error occurs in research, then it lacks validity.

Type 1 error: rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true (false positive), which happens when the researcher identifies that their data is significant when it is not.

Type 2 error: mistakenly accepting the null hypothesis and rejecting the alternative hypothesis when it is true.

Statistical Tests - Key takeaways

  • Statistical tests are tests that are used to analyse data from experiments.
  • There are two types of tests; parametric and non-parametric tests. Parametric tests are used on normally distributed data, and non-parametric tests are on data that is not normally distributed.
  • The sign test is non-parametric.
  • The sign test is used for within-group studies (only one group of participants). However, two groups of participants could be used under a ‘matched-pairs’ design. The sign test assesses the difference between two conditions used on categorical data.

Frequently Asked Questions about Statistical Tests

The type of statistical test used for analysis depends on:

  • Whether the data meets the assumption for parametric or non-parametric tests 
  • The type of information the researcher wants to find from data, e.g., a correlation would be used if the researcher wants to identify if there is a relationship between two variables.

Statistical tests in psychology analyse data from experiments that allow researchers to identify if the observed scores significantly (not due to chance) from the hypothetical results.

There are two types of statistical tests, parametric and non-parametric tests. 

The type of statistical test used depends on: 

  • Whether the assumptions are met or violated of parametric and non-parametric tests
  • What the hypothesis aims to measure, e.g., a correlation when the research aims to measure the association between sunlight exposure and growth of plants.

Significance tests provide researchers with a statistical value used to measure how likely the results from research are due to chance. If the value is lower than .05, then the results are statistically significant. 

Final Statistical Tests Quiz

Statistical Tests Quiz - Teste dein Wissen

Question

What is a type 1 error? 

Show answer

Answer

A type 1 error is when the researcher rejects the null hypothesis when it is true (false positive).

Show question

Question

What is a type 2 error? 

Show answer

Answer

A type 2 error is when the researcher mistakenly accepts the null hypothesis and rejects the alternative hypothesis when it is true.

Show question

Question

Why is hypothesis testing used in psychology research?

Show answer

Answer

Hypothesis testing is a statistical test used in experimental research to identify if the alternative or null hypothesis should be accepted in research. 

Show question

Question

Which hypothesis should be accepted if significant findings are found? 

Show answer

Answer

Significant findings mean the alternative hypothesis should be accepted and the null hypothesis rejected.

Show question

Question

Which hypothesis should be accepted if insignificant findings are found? 


Show answer

Answer

Insignificant findings mean the null hypothesis should be accepted, and the alternative hypothesis rejected.

Show question

Question

Why is hypothesis testing used as an analysis method?

Show answer

Answer

Results are more likely to be valid

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the definition of the null hypothesis?

Show answer

Answer

The researcher predicts there will be no difference in the results found between the groups (e.g., control versus experimental).

Show question

Question

Which of the following is the definition of the alternative hypothesis?

Show answer

Answer

The researcher predicts there will be no difference in the results found between the groups (e.g., control versus experimental).

Show question

Question

Which of the following describes what a one-way ANOVA measures?

Show answer

Answer

The relationship (strength and direction) between two variables

Show question

Question

Which of the following tests should be used when researching the difference in average fitness test scores during the morning, afternoon, and evening?

Show answer

Answer

One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Show question

Question

What is the difference between paired t-tests and unpaired t-tests?

Show answer

Answer

A paired t-test analyses data from the same participants but in different conditions, e.g., different times. Whereas, unpaired t-tests compare the mean of participant’s scores from two different groups.

Show question

Question

What information can researchers get when carrying out a correlation to identify the relationship between variables? 

Show answer

Answer

The information researchers can get when using a correlation is the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables.

Show question

Question

What are the assumptions of parametric tests?

Show answer

Answer

  • Data must be normally distributed 
  • Homogeneity of variance
  • No extreme outliers 
  • Data should be independent

Show question

Question

If data is non-normal, what type of test should be used?

Show answer

Answer

Parametric

Show question

Question

How to choose a statistical test? 

Show answer

Answer

The type of statistical test used depends on: 


  • Whether the assumptions are met or violated of parametric and non-parametric tests
  • What the hypothesis aims to measure, e.g., a correlation when the research aims to measure the association between sunlight exposure and the growth of plants.

Show question

Question

Hypothesis testing statistics is when statistical tests are used in                 research to identify whether the alternative or null hypothesis should be accepted.

Show answer

Answer

experimental

Show question

Question

 What is the homogeneity of variance? 

Show answer

Answer

Potential experimental errors should be similar in each variable and between groups.

Show question

Question

Which violation of parametric tests are violated when data from each participant in each variable is correlated? 

Show answer

Answer

Independence 

Show question

Question

Research investigating the difference in average fitness test scores of individuals who frequently exercise, moderately, or do not exercise. What type of statistical test would be used? 

Show answer

Answer

One-way ANOVA

Show question

Question

Research investigating the difference between depression symptom severity in a placebo and drug therapy group. What type of statistical test would be used? 

Show answer

Answer

Unpaired t-test

Show question

Question

Research investigating the difference in depression scores in a group of patients before and after treatment. What type of statistical test would be used? 

Show answer

Answer

Paired t-test

Show question

Question

Research investigating the relationship between fitness test scores and the number of hours spent exercising. What type of statistical test would be used? 

Show answer

Answer

Correlation

Show question

Question

Suppose the S-value is equal to or less than the critical value. What can be assumed? 

Show answer

Answer

Significant results

Show question

Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

Why is hypothesis testing used as an analysis method?

Which of the following is the definition of the null hypothesis?

Which of the following is the definition of the alternative hypothesis?

Next

Flashcards in Statistical Tests23

Start learning

What is a type 1 error? 

A type 1 error is when the researcher rejects the null hypothesis when it is true (false positive).

What is a type 2 error? 

A type 2 error is when the researcher mistakenly accepts the null hypothesis and rejects the alternative hypothesis when it is true.

Why is hypothesis testing used in psychology research?

Hypothesis testing is a statistical test used in experimental research to identify if the alternative or null hypothesis should be accepted in research. 

Which hypothesis should be accepted if significant findings are found? 

Significant findings mean the alternative hypothesis should be accepted and the null hypothesis rejected.

Which hypothesis should be accepted if insignificant findings are found? 


Insignificant findings mean the null hypothesis should be accepted, and the alternative hypothesis rejected.

Why is hypothesis testing used as an analysis method?

Results are more likely to be valid

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