interpreting the outcome of different statistical tests

What is the preferred level of significance in psychology?

5% level

What does “the 5% level of significance” mean?

There is less than or equal to 5% probability that our results are due to chance, so there is less than or equal to a 5% chance that our null hypothesis is true.

This means we can be 95% confident that we have made the right decision to reject the null hypothesis + accept the alternative.

5% =0.05

What is another name of the level of significance?

The p value (the probability that our results are due to chance)

What is an observed value?

You do a statistical test and number is produced at the end, this number is the observed value.

What is a critical value?

The cut off point in the table at which the results are significant.

What are degrees of freedom?

The number of observations in the data that are free to vary when estimating statistical parameters.

How to calculate degree of freedom?

df = (r-1)(c-1)

(r is the number of rows of data, c is the number of columns of data)

How to structure interpreting statistical test result questions?

1. State whether significant or not.

2. The calculated value is greater than/ not greater than the critical value

3. at the x level of significance with y degrees of freedom.

4. This means that the null(greater than)/ alternate(not greater than) hypothesis is rejected and the null/ alternate hypothesis can be accepted.