Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics

by Neil J. Salkind

Here are the general steps to take in the application of a statistical test to any null hypothesis. These steps will serve as a model for each of the chapters in Part IV. A statement of the null hypothesis. Do you remember that the null hypothesis is a statement of equality? The null hypothesis is what we assume is the “true” state of affairs given no other information on which to make a judgment. Setting the level of risk (or the level of significance or chance of making a Type I error) associated with the null hypothesis. With any research hypothesis comes a certain degree of risk that you are wrong. The smaller this error is (such as .01 compared with .05), the less risk you are willing to take. No test of a hypothesis is completely risk free because you never really know the “true” relationship between variables. Remember that it is traditional to set the Type I error rate at .05 or lower. Selection of the appropriate test statistic. Each null hypothesis has associated with it a particular test statistic. You