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Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
alpha - The threshold used to determine whether to reject the null hypothesis; the probability of a Type I error.
alternative hypothesis - A hypothesis stating that the true population parameter is less than, not equal to, or greater than a specified value.
C
confidence interval - Under repeated sampling the proportion of confidence intervals that would contain the population parameter.
H
hypothesis testing - A procedure that allows the researcher to reject or not reject a null hypothesis about a population parameter in light of an observed sample statistic.
N
null hypothesis - A hypothesis stating that an unknown population parameter is equal to a specified value or that a difference between the parameters of two groups is equal to zero or a specified value.
O
one-sample test - A hypothesis test that allows the researcher to reject or not reject a null hypothesis about a population parameter in light of an observed single sample statistic.
one-tailed test - In a hypothesis test, an alternative hypothesis stating that the population parameter is above or below a specified value but not both.
P
power of a hypothesis test - The probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis.
S
statistical significance - A finding that a difference between a sample statistic and the hypothesized population parameter, or the difference between parameters for two groups, is unlikely to be due to sampling error; it is more likely reflective of a genuine difference between the two.
T
Type I error - An error in which we reject a null hypothesis that is true.
Type II error - An error in which we fail to reject a null hypothesis that is false.
two-tailed test - In a hypothesis test, an alternative hypothesis that states that the population parameter is either above or below a specified value.
