Fundamentals of Statistics - Hypothesis Testing

These flashcards cover essential concepts related to hypothesis testing in statistics.

Hypothesis Testing

A statistical procedure used to test statements regarding a characteristic of one or more populations.

Null Hypothesis (H0)

A statement that there is no effect or difference; assumed true until evidence indicates otherwise.

Alternative Hypothesis (H1)

The statement that the researcher aims to provide evidence for, suggesting a change or effect.

Type I Error

The incorrect rejection of a true null hypothesis.

Type II Error

Failure to reject a false null hypothesis.

P-value

The probability of observing a sample statistic as extreme or more extreme than the one observed, assuming the null hypothesis is true.

One-tailed Test

A hypothesis test that determines whether a parameter is greater than or less than a certain value.

Two-tailed Test

A hypothesis test that determines whether a parameter is different from a certain value, either greater or lesser.

Significance Level (α)

The probability of making a Type I error, typically set at 0.05.

Critical Value

The threshold value that the test statistic must exceed in order to reject the null hypothesis.

Statistically Significant

A result that is unlikely to have occurred by chance, indicating strong evidence against the null hypothesis.

Sampling Distribution

The probability distribution of a given statistic based on a random sample.

Confidence Interval

A range of values derived from the sample statistic that is believed to contain the population parameter with a specified level of certainty.

Normal Distribution

A symmetric probability distribution characterized by its bell-shaped curve.

Chi-Square Distribution

A distribution used in hypothesis testing when the test statistic is based on sample variance.

Degrees of Freedom (df)

The number of independent values or quantities that can vary in an analysis without violating any constraints.

Test Statistic

A standardized value that is calculated from sample data during a hypothesis test.