Significance Testing

Question 1

What is the target population?

Answer 1

All people in a population e.g all women, all english speakers

Question 2

Sampling error

Answer 2

Sampling means can be higher or lower than the population mean
Sample mean - population mean = sampling error
Taking an average across multiple samples lowers the sampling error as the mean is closer to the population mean

Question 3

What is a null hypothesis?

Answer 3

States there will be no effect on the IV

Question 4

What is the experimental hypothesis?

Answer 4

Also called alternative hypothesis
Want to support this, states there will be a change to the IV

Question 5

Type 1 error

Answer 5

If we claim our IV influences the DV when in reality it doesn’t
(false positive)

Question 6

Type 2 error

Answer 6

If we claim the IV does not influence the DV when in reality it does (false negative)

Question 7

What are inferential statistics?

Answer 7

The probability that your results are due to chance
Allow you to infer information about your data
The probability that you would find your results if the Null Hypothesis is true in reality (Type 1 Error)

Question 8

What is the p value?

Answer 8

The probability of getting your results by chance
Between 0 and 1
Lower the value, the smaller the chance of a type 1 error

Question 9

WHat is the alpha level?

Answer 9

Generally accepted threshold of significance (getting your results by chance)
p=0.05
5% probability that results are due to chance

Question 10

Significance

Answer 10

P <0.05 is significant
P = or > 0.05 is not significant