Logic of Hypothesis Testing

QRA

Logic of Hypothesis
Testing

WE WRITE ESSAYS FOR STUDENTS

Tell us about your assignment and we will find the best writer for your paper.

Write My Essay For Me

In Week 4, you explored
how the confidence interval helps to estimate a population mean. Hypothesis
testing is an approach that allows us to make some determination about whether
a hypothesis should be rejected, based upon sample statistics. This approach is
integral to the scientific method and provides us with a measureable level of
certainty when making inferences back to the population.

Consider the following:

A researcher is conducting work on social inequality and wants to
know whether there are marked differences between socioeconomic status of
Caucasians and Non-Caucasians. Since the researcher cannot measure the entire
population, a sample is drawn and a hypothesis can be constructed and evaluated
as to whether any noticeable differences in the sample also likely appear in
the population.

As a scholar-practitioner, it will be important for you to develop
your knowledge and skillset in hypothesis testing. As evident in the scenario
provided, hypothesis testing establishes a process to determine the probability
of observing similar scores noted in the sample under the null hypothesis.

For this week, you will examine hypothesis testing and determine
the statistical significance and meaningfulness in the data. You also will
explore the results of data to determine implications for social change.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Evaluate statements related to null hypothesis
• Evaluate p-values
• Evaluate type I and type II errors
• Evaluate for meaningfulness
• Evaluate statistical significance
• Evaluate sample size
• Analyze implications for social change

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Frankfort-Nachmias,
C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society
(8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Chapter 8, “Testing Hypothesis” (pp. 203-204)

Wagner, W. E.
(2016). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science
statistics (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• Chapter 6, “Testing Hypotheses Using Means and
  Cross-Tabulation”

Warner, R. M. (2012). Applied statistics from bivariate through
multivariate techniques (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Applied Statistics From Bivariate Through Multivariate
Techniques, 2nd Edition by Warner, R.M. Copyright 2012 by Sage
College. Reprinted by permission of Sage College via the Copyright Clearance
Center.

• Chapter 3, “Statistical Significance Testing” (pp.
  81–124)

Applied
Statistics From Bivariate Through Multivariate
Techniques, 2nd Edition by Warner, R.M. Copyright 2012 by Sage
College. Reprinted by permission of Sage College via the Copyright Clearance
Center. 

Magnusson, K.
(n.d.). Welcome to Kristoffer Magnusson’s blog about R, Statistics, Psychology,
Open Science, Data Visualization

. Retrieved from http://rpsychologist.com/index.html

As you review this
web blog, select [Updated] Statistical Power and Significance Testing
Visualization link, once you select the link, follow the instructions to
view the interactive for statistical power. This interactive website will help
you to visualize and understand statistical power and significance testing.

Note:
This is Kristoffer Magnusson’s personal blog and his views may not necessarily
reflect the views of Walden University faculty.

American
Statistical Association (2016). American Statistical Association Releases
Statement on Statistical Significance and P-Values. Retrieved from
http://www.amstat.org/newsroom/pressreleases/P-ValueStatement.pdf

As you review this
press release, consider the misconceptions and the misuse of p-values in
quantitative research.

Document: Week 5 Scenarios (PDF)

Use these scenarios to complete this week’s
Assignment.

Datasets

Document: Data Set 2014
General Social Survey (dataset file)

Use this dataset to complete this week’s Discussion.

Note: You will need the SPSS
software to open this dataset.

Document: Data Set Afrobarometer (dataset file)

Use this dataset to
complete this week’s Assignment.

Note: You will need the
SPSS software to open this dataset.

Document: High School Longitudinal Study 2009 Dataset (dataset file)

Use this dataset to
complete this week’s Assignment.

Note: You will need the
SPSS software to open this dataset.

Required Media

Laureate Education
(Producer). (2016f). Meaningfulness vs. statistical significance [Video
file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

In this media
program, Dr. Matt Jones discusses the differences in meaningfulness and
statistical significance. Focus on how this information will inform your
Discussion and Assignment for this week.

Accessible
player 

Laureate Education
(Producer). (2016n). Halfway point [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 2 minutes.

In this media
program, Dr. Annie Pezalla, Associate Director of Curriculum and Assessment
with the Center for Research Quality at Walden University, discusses what you
have learned so far in the course. She also discusses what you have to look
forward to as well as things to look out for in the remainder of the course.

Accessible
player 

Optional Resources

Skill Builders:

• Evaluating P Values
• Statistical Power

To access these
Skill Builders, navigate back to your Blackboard Course Home page, and locate
“Skill Builders” in the left navigation pane. From there, click on the relevant
Skill Builder link for this week.

You are encouraged to click through these and
all Skill Builders to gain additional practice with these concepts. Doing so
will bolster your knowledge of the concepts you’re learning this week and
throughout the course.

Discussion:
Statistical Significance and Meaningfulness

Once you start to
understand how exciting the world of statistics can be, it is tempting to fall
into the trap of chasing statistical significance. That is, you may be tempted
always to look for relationships that are statistically significant and believe
they are valuable solely because of their significance. Although statistical
hypothesis testing does help you evaluate claims, it is important to understand
the limitations of statistical significance and to interpret the results within
the context of the research and its pragmatic, “real world” application.

As a scholar-practitioner, it is important for you to understand
that just because a hypothesis test indicates a relationship exists between an
intervention and an outcome, there is a difference between groups, or there is
a correlation between two constructs, it does not always provide a default
measure for its importance. Although relationships are significant, they can be
very minute relationships, very small differences, or very weak correlations. In
the end, we need to ask whether the relationships or differences observed are
large enough that we should make some practical change in policy or practice.

For this Discussion, you will explore statistical significance and
meaningfulness.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources related to hypothesis testing,
  meaningfulness, and statistical significance.
• Review Magnusson’s web blog found in the Learning Resources to
  further your visualization and understanding of statistical power and
  significance testing.
• Review the American Statistical Association’s press release and
  consider the misconceptions and misuse of p-values.
• Consider the scenario:
  • A research paper claims a meaningful contribution to the
    literature based on finding statistically significant relationships between
    predictor and response variables. In the footnotes, you see the following
    statement, “given this research was exploratory in nature, traditional levels
    of significance to reject the null hypotheses were relaxed to the .10 level.”

Post your response to the scenario in which you critically
evaluate this footnote. As a reader/reviewer, what response would you provide
to the authors about this footnote?

Be sure to support your Main Post and
Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other
scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Assignment: Evaluating
Significance of Findings

Part of your task as a
scholar-practitioner is to act as a critical consumer of research and ask
informed questions of published material. Sometimes, claims are made that do
not match the results of the analysis. Unfortunately, this is why statistics is
sometimes unfairly associated with telling lies. These misalignments might not
be solely attributable to statistical nonsense, but also “user error.” One of
the greatest areas of user error is within the practice of hypothesis testing
and interpreting statistical significance. As you continue to consume research,
be sure and read everything with a critical eye and call out statements that do
not match the results.

For this Assignment, you will examine statistical significance and
meaningfulness based on sample statements.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the Week 5 Scenarios found in this week’s Learning
  Resources and select two of the four scenarios for this Assignment.
• For additional support, review the Skill Builder:
  Evaluating P Values and the Skill Builder: Statistical Power,
  which you can find by navigating back to your Blackboard Course Home Page. From
  there, locate the Skill Builder link in the left navigation pane.

For this Assignment:

Critically evaluate the two scenarios you selected based upon the
following points:

• Critically evaluate the sample size.
• Critically evaluate the statements for meaningfulness.
• Critically evaluate the statements for statistical significance.
• Based on your evaluation, provide an explanation of the
  implications for social change.

Use proper APA format and citations, and referencing.

Submit your Evaluating Significance of Findings Assignment.

“Looking for a Similar Assignment? Order now and Get 10% Discount! Use Code “Newclient”

The post Logic of Hypothesis Testing appeared first on Top Grade Professors.